Past Years
2010: "Equality for Everyone!"
Sunday, October 10th - Cesar Chavez Park in Downtown Sacramento
Marie Bain, in her dramatic ladybug dress and spotted umbrella, stepped in at the last minute and proved one of the best emcees so far. Both the City of Sacramento (city council) and the Governor issued proclamations acknowledging the community's Freethought Day. Local leaders of the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom remarked on the contributions of Gallery honoree Jane Addams.
This year's event theme emphasized the civic values and egalitarian principles that underpin most of the actions, whether historical or contemporary, honored on Freethought Day. Radio personality Bruce Maiman presented an informative survey of the history of citizen equality in the US.
Musical Entertainment included sets by Roberta Chevrette and James Israel Band.
The Gallery was made the centerpiece of the event grounds.
New Inductee: Jane Adams
2009: "Stay Curious!"
Sunday, October 9th - César Chavez Park in Downtown Sacramento
Late relocation of the event from Waterfront Park to César Chavez Park lost a few of the event regulars but resulted in new curious visitors coming to survey the Gallery with its brief portrayals of independent thinkers and their contributions to human progress.
New entertainers included John Ross, a professional comedian and a jazz group. Cleo Kocol, freethought poet, provided several selections, and Brian Jones remarked on the contributions of the Gallery inductee, Luther Burbank.
Musical Entertainment included sets by Midtown Jazz, James Israel Band, and Michael Newdow. New displays included jewlery for sale.
New Inductee: Luther Burbank
2008: "Celebrate Our Secular Heritage!"
Sunday, October 12th - Waterfront Park in Old Town Sacramento
Kristi Craven brought a new voice to the Freethinker's anthem, and lobbyist Lori Lipman Brown (Secular Coalition for America) took at turn as emcee. There was storytelling by Constantine Lobos, a lesson and perspective by activist Paul Geisert, and comedy by Keith Lowell Jensen of Coexist Comedy Tour. Then, a young man with a solid understanding of the nation's secular heritage, Matt LaClair, ACLU's "Youth Scholar 2008", told his fascinating story of countering a teacher's classroom proselytizing. Remarks by Vince Wales preceded the introduction of the Gallery inductee. Liberty and Justice for All from Mike Newdow had its inauguration as the closing song (“tradition”!).
Musical Entertainment included sets by Paul Martin, Jammin' James & Friends, and Michael Newdow.
New displays included the typical activities, such as Camp Quest West's "wheel of science" everyone could spin (not just children), freethought books and banned books displays, etc.
New Inductee: George Orwell
2007: "Reason & Act... Boldly."
Sunday, October 12th - Waterfront Park in Old Town Sacramento
The sixth year event continued with magic and mind challenges as well as with poetry (A Celebration of the Natural World, delivered by poet Stephen Meadows). Paul Geisert spoke on Our Secular Nation: Where Worldviews Need Not Clash, and Mike Newdow delivered a lesson on separation of church and state (The Constitution Does So Say That).
The highlight was the presentation on Roger Williams, the original thinker and liberal social architect, Roger Williams. Karen Scott (Interfaith Religious Liberty Foundation's director) and program chair Mynga Futrell spoke in turn of how profound has been his influence on governmental protections of “liberty of conscience” for citizens of all worldviews.
Musical Entertainment included sets by the band One 2 Many, led by James Israel, and Michael Newdow. New displays included Segway of San Francisco, who gave rides around the park.
New Inductee: Roger Williams
2006: "Embrace Reality"
Sunday, October 8th - Waterfront Park in Old Town Sacramento
The fifth year event had displays of fossils and “real(ity) rocks.” The various traditional program features continued, and for a second year, Mel Lipman, president of the American Humanist Association, emceed. Mike Newdow gave a history lesson about the Constitution. The founding director of the Secular Coalition for America addressed the crowd in the main speaking slot, and the first African American freethinker was inducted into the Gallery.
Musical Entertainment included sets by James Isreal, Roberta Chevrette and Mike Newdow. New displays included Camp Quest West's jump house that drew in more folks from the street, and a blood pressure health check for all who wanted it.
New Inductee: Butterfly McQueen
2005: "Stand Up for Reason"
Sunday, October 9th - Waterfront Park in Old Town Sacramento
The park was festooned with a huge painting by the artist. A magician and ventriloquist entertained, as did emcee Mel Lipman, adding humor throughout. Karen Scott spoke on Liberty of Conscience is for Everybody and the Pearcys described their Iraq War dissent . The program concluded with an “Olde Time Reason Revival” skit with songs like, Give Us That Old Time (Reason), Stand up, Stand up for Reason, and What a Friend We Have in Reason. Mynga Futrell distributed copies of her invented secular lyrics so the audience could join in the most familiar “gospel” songs, and participants raised their voices in praise to “Revive the Enlightenment!”
Musical Entertainment included sets by James Israel Band, Roberta Chevrette, and Joel Pelletier. New displays included "A Freethinker's Bookshelf” and Critical Thinking for Everyone hosted by Camp Quest.
New Inductees: Mary Wollstonecraft and Frederick Douglas.
2004: "Dare to Think for yourself!"
Sunday, October 10th - Waterfront Park in Old Town Sacramento
Religious Liberty quotations, a magician, poetry, humor, and raffles added to the presentations at the main stage: Our Thoughts are Free!, A Sense of Civic Pluralism, Nonconformity and Progress, Courage to Think for Yourself, and Taking a Stand: Liberty and Justice for All.
Musical Entertainment included sets by the James Israel Band, Rev. Michael Newdow, and Roberta Chevrette.
New displays included “Banned Books” (thanks to the Sacramento Public Library), Different Drummers (a display of youth education curricula on nonconforming thinkers loaned by the nonprofit Objectivity, Accuracy and Balance In Teaching About Religion), “Learn/Think/Vote” (with help of Sacramento County), and Ladybugs and Mystery Boxes (for children).
New Inductees: Ernestine Rose and Emma Goldman
2003: "Liberty of Conscience"
Saturday, October 12th - Waterfront Park in Old Town Sacramento
Organizer and emcee Mynga Futrell began the event with the introduction of a pictorial display of nine historical figures with an accompanying printed program, inviting attendees to peruse the display hung on wires from the trees nearby and flapping in the breeze. (Promotion for the event had extended the invitation to “Witness a public ‘hanging' of freethinkers!”
The conscience ideal formed the centerpiece of the main on-stage program. From noon to two there were 13 brief mini-speeches by volunteers about persons admired now (in retrospect) for actions not always in tune with that of their contemporaries.
Poets Cleo Kocol and Anatole Lubavich read poetry and Jerry Sloan gave proclamation readings on the hour, with revised wording provided by Paul Geisert to better mesh with the desire to get broader civic acceptance of the Freethought Day. Among the literature tables available for scrutiny was a display of “A Freethinker's Bookshelf”. There was a smattering of live music and a raffle.
The event was closed with a sing-along of Die Gedanken Sind Frei.
2002: "Delight in Freethinking!"
Saturday, October 12th - Sacramento County Courthouse Plaza
Sacramento's first Freethought Day program featured two invited speakers, the out-of-town activists (Bobbie Kirkhart, President of Atheist Alliance International, Los Angeles) and Henda Lea (Director of Bay Area Communities of Reason).
Local presenters besides the event coordinators Futrell and Sloan were Hank Kocol (scientist and freethought activist), Paul Geisert (“Reason House” facilitator), Cleo Kocol (freethought poet), Ron Fegley (humanist activist), and Kevin Schultz (atheist activist).
Central to the inaugural event was the reading of a Freethought Day Proclamation” (“Commemorating 310 Years of Reason in Law”).
Led by Henda Lea and Mynga Futrell (on guitar), the gathering of about 30 also engaged in group singing of Die Gedanken Sind Frei (“Our Thoughts are Free!”). Both the proclamation and the group song of that first celebration day have been incorporated as traditions in subsequent Freethought Day events.
Initial Inductees: Thomas Paine, James Madison, Frances Wright, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Green Ingersoll, Mark Twain, and Clarence Darrow.
@FreethoughtDay
Like us! 
