FREEPORT – Two women known locally for their public displays of patriotism are organizing the first Freeport Freedom Festival, a Sept. 12-13 event that will celebrate liberty in America.

Elaine Greene and her friend Jo Ann Miller came up with the idea for the grass-roots project and are asking businesses and civic groups to join in.

The two retirees plan to turn downtown Freeport into a celebration of American life – with a farmers market, flea markets, blood drives, military bands, food drives and flag waving. They also plan patriotic photo and essay contests, quilt making and a candlelight singalong of patriotic songs.

The women have been planning the event for a long time and they say it will not be about the war in Iraq but about the precious nature of freedom.

“We need people on both sides of the issue, but this isn’t about being pro-war or anti-war,” said Miller, a 66-year-old retired physician. “It’s about being American, and understanding the necessity of defending freedom.”

The idea for the Freedom Festival came last Sept. 11, when Miller and Greene organized a giant parade on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Before the parade, the women would wave flags every Tuesday as a way to commemorate what happened. The attacks occurred on a Tuesday.

Miller and Greene stood on a corner, about a block from the home they share, waving flags every Tuesday for a year. Their presence became a downtown fixture, and caused commuters to honk and wave.

More than 1,000 people took part in the parade, including school groups, National Guard troops, firefighters and police, and local merchants. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was among those who joined in the grass-roots outpouring of patriotism.

Many people congratulated the women for organizing the parade and said things like “same time next year.”

“Last Sept. 11, I promised a lot of soldiers and sailors we wouldn’t forget they’re out there for us,” Greene said. “We are definitely going to make this happen.”