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June 30, 2026
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 94/75 94/75
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The Voice of Seguin
WEEKEND EDITION
TODAY
“Freedom Fiesta Lives In Me”: How a Local pastor shares full circle moment of being Community’s Memories Became a Song a part of this year’s Field of Honor ceremony (Seguin) — Over the past few weeks, Darren Dunn
Seguin turns out to celebrate service, sacrifice plus community Cindy Aguirre-Herrera
(Seguin) -The message of service came full circle during this year’s Field of Honor for Faith Lutheran Church Pastor Jeremy Pedersen. That’s because Pedersen stood before the crowd and a sea of 250 American flags not only as a pastor, but also as a military veteran. For the sixth consecutive year, Faith Lutheran Church has hosted the Field of Honor on its front lawn, making it especially fitting that the church’s own pastor delivered this year’s keynote address. Bound by both military service and his calling to God, Pedersen reflected on the
nation’s 250th anniversary by encouraging those gathered to continue the legacy of serving others. During his speech, Pedersen said the strength of the United States has always been found in ordinary citizens who answer the call to serve the common good. Field, pg. 2
something unexpected happened. When questions were raised about the future of the Freedom Fiesta name, this community spoke up. Many of you shared stories about growing up with Freedom Fiesta. You talked about gathering with family, seeing neighbors you hadn’t seen in years, and introducing your children — and now your grandchildren — to a tradition that has been part of Seguin for generations. Your comments weren’t just about a name. They were about what Freedom Fiesta means. As we read those memories, we realized they deserved to become something more. So, we turned them into a song — “Freedom Fiesta Lives In Me.” The lyrics were inspired by the stories, emotions and passion you shared with us. From there, we produced the music, chose the style, directed the performance and selected Sanna’s licensed voice because it captured the feeling we wanted this tribute to have. Yes, artificial intelligence was one of the tools we used in the production process. But this isn’t a song that a computer simply invented. Every creative decision — from the message and lyrics to the sound and emotion — was guided by us, with one goal in mind: creating a musical tribute worthy of the community that inspired it.
We honestly had no idea what the reaction would be. We simply started playing it on KWED. Then the phones started ringing. People wanted to know who sang it, where they could hear it again, and how it came to be. That response has been incredibly rewarding. This song is our gift back to the community. A thank you for reminding all of us why Freedom Fiesta matters. We hope you’ll enjoy it, sing along, and make a few more memories this Independence Day. Because Freedom Fiesta isn’t just an event. Freedom Fiesta lives in us all. Happy America’s 250th! We’ll see you Saturday, July 4, from 6 to 11 p.m. in Central Park for Freedom Fiesta. You can download the song at https:// media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wpcontent/blogs.dir/2221/files/2026/06/ freedom-fiesta-lives-in-me.mp3.