By Chakara Bennett, Guardian Summer Intern

Freedom!

Freedom is the word that will be on the lips of every Fox-Hillian as they celebrate the annual Fox Hill Festival, the oldest one-day festival in the country on Tuesday, Aug. 14, but celebrations leading up to the big day get underway tonight at Fox Hill Parade at 8 p.m.

And you should be there to celebrate with them, as it's the second largest annual festival next to Junkanoo, and Fox-Hillians are expected to put on a show of grandeur for you, because it's a celebration tinged with nostalgia and joy over the abolition of slavery.

But now it's more about watching the men try to climb the greasy pole, and the young girls plaiting the maypole. And the festival which has been celebrated for the past 19 years will showcase 80 food booths spread out over the two parks-the Fox Hill Parade and Freedom Park, as Fox-Hillians make way for Bahamians from the length and breadth of New Providence to celebrate with them.

This year's celebrations are expected to be spectacularly nostalgic under the theme, "People Celebrating People," inspired by the original celebrations of our ancestors.

We are a people that have grown into such diversity in color, tradition and heritage that it is breath-taking to witness year-after-year how we as a nation come together to celebrate our common forefathers and the people who suffered, struggled and triumphed to create this nation of people.

This is the time of year that Fox-Hillians showcase their pride, and this year like previous years is meant to exhibit that pride in self and country in the celebrations which started in 1834.

"We've always had festivities in one form or the other to celebrate the abolition of slavery. The festival itself was established in 1988 and combines the two signature days, Emancipation Day and Fox Hill Day. This year we are having the normal festivities but this year we've added the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Marching Band and Pop Band," said Maurice Tynes, vice-chairman of the Fox Hill Festival Committee.

"We as Fox-Hillians are a proud people. It's tradition. It's the one part of The Bahamas that has consistently celebrated this original freedom year after year. Other villages stopped celebrating as passionately, unlike us. So that's where I think the real pride comes from," he said.

Outsiders and Fox-Hillians alike will be able entertained with a cultural show, which will conclude with a colorful demonstration by the Farm Road Marching Band and the Fox Hill Congos Junkanoo group, with fireworks to delight the littlest and oldest of people celebrating.

On Emancipation Day morning, Monday, Aug. 6, Junkanoo groups in large numbers will converge on the village for a parade which will be the last one of the year before groups go to the shacks to commence the building of costumes for Christmas and New Year's Day. A significant event in the festival in the Emancipation Day Memorial The Service on Monday at 11 a.m.on Fox Hill Parade. The Service will be attended by government officials headed by the Governor General. The festival feast, at which 500 guests are expected, will be follow.