United Heroes League’s Freedom Fest 2026 will take place on Friday, September 11, 2026.
KDWA spoke with United Heroes League Chief Development Officer Jeff Taffe to learn more about this community-focused event and what attendees can expect.
Jeff, thank you for joining us today, and welcome to KDWA.
“Thank you for having me.”
All right. Well, United Heroes League’s Freedom Fest 2026 is just around the corner. Can you tell us about this year’s event and what attendees can look forward to?
“Yeah, I think we’re all super excited about this. Obviously, after hosting Hockey Day, we wanted to do some things for the community in the summer. 25 years since, you know, 9/11, I think a lot of us remember what that was all about.
I think it’s going to be pretty fun. We had a concert out there about a month or month and a half ago. The sounds great, just a great way for the community to gather and be a part of it. Pretty cool bands coming out—Basic and Boring—I’m sure people remember them from Hockey Day. Fistful of Ladies is playing a local band, and then Pipe Wrench is getting back together, and followed up by Good for Gary. So it’ll be a long night. Doors are going to open at 4 o’clock for us, and the concerts are kicking off at 5pm.”
What makes Freedom Fest such a meaningful event for the community and for the families United Heroes League serves?
“I think just being around United Heroes League now, working with them for quite a few years, you just see, you see what dedication and, you know, commitment these families put in; they’re making the ultimate sacrifice, and a lot of times you’re kind of you’re not around your family all the time. Anything that we can do to kind of help these people out, whether it’s the sporting equipment, you know, having concerts, trying to create a little bit more revenue for them. So we can provide, you know, better things for these families that they really deserve.”
Absolutely. Freedom Fest 2026. Can you share where the proceeds go and how they support the mission of United Heroes League?
“Yeah, it kind of goes back to my last one. Proceeds will benefit UHL, which then we kick out the door; whether it’s like I said, sporting equipment, we write grants two times a year. So we pay about $500 checks for, you know, association fees, whether that’s lacrosse, baseball, basketball. I’m sure all the sports parents know the costs that go into playing youth sports these days, and it’s tough. It’s really hard. We also do a lot of our clinics with this money; whether it’s if we have to travel somewhere down to Fort Bragg or whatever, we can host kids there too. So it’s all for a great cause. You know, like we said, it’s a good way for the community to give back, and we just try to give those funds to families that need it.”
For KDWA listeners who would like to attend and learn more about United Heroes League, where can they purchase tickets and find more additional information?
“Yes, you can go to our site, giveUHL.org, and I believe it is on our homepage right now. So the tickets will be on there up until August 24th; they are $20. August 25th to the concert day, they are going to be $25. And obviously, if you hadn’t purchased a ticket and you come on the 11th, you are more than welcome to purchase them right at the door. So there shouldn’t be any issues there. And [ages] five and under is free as well.”
Five and under is free. It’s a good note to have. Bring the littles.
“Yep.”
So, before we wrap up, is there anything else you would like our KDWA listeners to know about Freedom Fest 2026 or the work of United Heroes League?
“I think a lot of your listeners are pretty familiar with us. I think it was kind of weird last concert; there were a lot of people, even in Hastings, that didn’t know we were hosting the concert, so it was a little disappointing. We have great sponsors this year, which, you know, gives us a little bit bigger budget to do things like this and try to get as many people there as possible. Like I said, you know we have the bleachers there. There’ll be some high-tops out there. We have food trucks. There will be—so obviously—food and alcohol will be served there. So yeah, I just, you know, I’d encourage everybody to come check it out. Like I said, great cause, and we look forward to having a pretty big crowd.”
To purchase Freedom Fest tickets, visit unitedheroesleague.org, or head to KDWA.com and click on the Shopping Show. [Tickets]
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