LEO-CEDARVILLE, Ind. (WANE) -- On Tuesday, the Leo-Cedarville Foundation announced the town's annual Freedom Festival will be canceled in 2025 due to nearby construction. While that paints a picture for the festival's fate this year, the organization also announced it will no longer run or host the Freedom Festival, leaving the event's future in limbo. Held the weekend before Fourth of July, the Freedom Festival draws nearly 10,000 people to a town with a population nearly a third of that. According to the Leo-Cedarville Foundation, the festival is operated solely by volunteers and donations. The Freedom Festival is held at Riverside Gardens Park, but due to nearby construction on the Leo-Grabill Bridge and the intersection of State Road 1 and Clay Street, the organization opted to cancel the event. "Security personnel and the Town of Leo-Cedarville have been made aware and agree that the safety of citizens and attendees must remain top priority, and there is not a viable solution wherein traffic would not be backed up into residential areas for this event," the Leo-Cedarville Foundation said in a press release Tuesday. Two Fort Wayne men among those included in January 6 pardons from President Trump A similar dilemma plagued nearby Grabill Country Fair in 2024, which had to be canceled due to road construction. While Grabill's annual festival appears to be on track to return in 2025, the future of the Freedom Festival is not as certain. In addition to announcing the cancellation of the 2025 Freedom Festival, the Leo-Cedarville Foundation also said it will no longer oversee the festival as it works to restructure the nonprofit and "better serve its community." Lindsey Sharp, president of the Leo-Cedarville Foundation, told WANE 15 that the landscape of running an event like the Freedom Festival has shifted significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. One issue Sharp identified revolved around getting donations. She indicated that a majority of funding has come from local businesses, but with those businesses adjusting to recent inflation and allocating donations across more areas, it has been more difficult to raise funds. "In that year [to] 18 months that we tried to cut back fundraising [during the COVID-19 pandemic], the world around had really changed, especially the fundraising environment," Sharp said. "All of our small businesses are now supporting a myriad of things. Since I've been around, yes, you're supporting the Little League softball. You're supporting that kind of stuff. Now, it had changed to our public school could not afford band uniforms, and so our businesses had to help subsidize that." Another hindrance Sharp mentioned included increased liability requirements and the added cost, hassle and limitations they demand. "In the last five years, not only has our insurance price increased ... we have to hold a $5 million umbrella policy. We are now -- over the last five years -- not allowed to have any water activities. We cannot have bounce houses under our insurance policies," Sharp said. Sharp discusses liability requirements for Freedom Festival In turn, Sharp believes the added hurdles through rising costs and liability standards have played a notable role in the decrease of people volunteering. For the 2024 Freedom Festival alone, Sharp said volunteers logged a combined total of more than 900 hours, time she said many people have difficulty providing. "The younger generations are really just trying to get by. If you have time to spare, it's probably in a side hustle to afford $4 eggs," Sharp said. "I think sometimes, the younger generations get told a lot, 'you don't care about whatever' and 'volunteerism is dying because of you,' and I think there is some of that because if you're not raised to volunteer, you don't understand the benefit of it, but so much of it is volunteerism is just not feasible in the current climate." Sharp discusses reasons behind volunteerism decline The Freedom Festival's clouded future highlights a recent trend in northeast Indiana festivals that have seen declines due to financial troubles or an inability to transition to new leadership willing to invest time and money. South of Fort Wayne, Ossian Days recently held what festival staff described as the biggest one in years. However, the president of the organization behind the festival stepped down due to other engagements and noted that a lack of successor and other volunteers could bode ill for its future. ‘I hope this isn’t the last’: Ossian Days in limbo as festival president prepares to step down Canal Days, which had been a staple in downtown New Haven for decades, is no longer around. Woodburn's annual festival has also experienced similar problems. Even Fort Wayne's Three Rivers Festival could be in jeopardy due to the rising costs of the event. Sharp told WANE 15 that the Leo-Cedarville Foundation has reached out to individuals and groups about taking over the Freedom Festival prior to Tuesday's announcement, but nobody has showed interest in assuming that role. While Sharp is hopeful someone will take over the festival, she noted that it will take the whole community and even "professional services" to keep it alive, and she echoed that sentiment for other communities experiencing similar issues. "My fear is that the days of all community initiatives and 'selling the community,' whether to new or existing residents, and really making a community come together, the days of those being run by an all-volunteer group are over," Sharp said. Those interested in assuming ownership of the Freedom Festival can fill out an online form to learn more.