# On the Fourth, Saratoga brings American history to life, one costume at a time > Source: > Published: 2026-07-01 00:49:13+00:00 **Getting your** [Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...To stage American history on Independence Day in Saratoga, Bill Allison has relied on army surplus helmets, thrift-store blouses, Halloween costume pieces and whatever volunteers happen to have hanging in their closets. The result is Voices of Freedom, a volunteer showcase that brings famous American figures to life each Fourth of July as part of Saratoga’s Independence Day celebration. Residents dress as presidents, wartime leaders, civil rights figures and other recognizable characters from U.S. history, appearing in a historical tableau that stretches from the Revolutionary War to both World Wars, the flag raising at Iwo Jima and the 9/11 attacks. Allison, a retired music and drama teacher and worship pastor, created Voices of Freedom in 2010 with Jack Mallory, a local figure affectionately known as Mr. Saratoga. As Mallory’s Fourth of July celebration grew into a citywide event, he asked Allison to create a patriotic showcase that could help tell the country’s story. After the pandemic pause, Holly Fidrych, Mallory’s daughter and a Voices of Freedom organizer, said she wanted to bring the show back. “It was just so sentimental and I think everybody needs to know the history,” Fidrych said. This year, the showcase is expanding to include more women in the cast, including Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Fidrych said she wanted the production to better reflect women’s roles in American history. She also added Uncle Sam and a line for Martha Washington. Allison said the showcase has always drawn many female volunteers, making the additions a natural fit. He said he was “very proud” that Fidrych wrote in more women “to take advantage of those that would like to be a part and also to have some of the voices that were missing that I wish I had added originally.” Adding characters also meant updating the audio narration that backs the performance. Fidrych said the narration was re-recorded with an AI-generated narrator and copyright-free instrumentals. She also has been searching for costumes and volunteers for the new roles. Costuming the cast has always required some creativity. Allison has built up a collection of costumes from his years in theater. He found World War II-era fatigues and metal helmets at an army surplus store. He thrifted colonial-style blouses from secondhand shops like Goodwill and Affordable Treasures for Revolutionary War-era figures such as Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry. He also bought Halloween costume pieces to complete certain looks, including a bald cap for Benjamin Franklin. For some characters, Allison looks for pieces that audiences will recognize immediately: Eisenhower-style hats, a safari-looking khaki coat for Theodore Roosevelt or a stovepipe hat for Abraham Lincoln. Brent Fairbanks said in an email that Allison recruited him to play Lincoln in 2016. Fairbanks wears a black trench coat, a tall black stovepipe hat and a costume beard for the role. “I love playing Lincoln!” Fairbanks said. “He’s instantly recognizable; everyone wants to pose for a picture next to Honest Abe.” For other figures, organizers rely on what the actors already have. Saratoga Mayor Chuck Page, who will play John F. Kennedy this year, plans to wear a suit as a recording of Kennedy’s voice from the 1960s plays in the background. For the colonial-era women such as Betsy Ross, Allison has found long skirts, ruffly blouses and bonnets. Fidrych said she was still trying to find costumes for Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Harriet Tubman. She said finding a top and skirt for Tubman would be relatively easy, but accessories such as Tubman’s iconic headscarf could be more difficult. Organizers said they are more focused on community participation than exact physical resemblance, especially in a volunteer-driven production where the available cast does not always match the historical figures being portrayed. Both Allison and Fidrych said they are still looking for volunteers and would not turn anyone away as long as they can fit into a costume. Allison said George Washington has been played by a woman and by a Black man in past years, depending on who was available and able to wear the costume. Paul Wesling, a retired Silicon Valley engineer, will play Uncle Sam this year. He got the costume after his wife, Gail, bought it for him. Wesling replaced Jack Dunston, who previously played Uncle Sam in the show. “We want it to be community and so when people volunteer, if they want to be a part, we just let them be a part,” Allison said. “We want to be as inclusive as we can.” Voices of Freedom is part of Saratoga’s [annual Fourth of July celebration](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/29/college-of-adaptive-arts-celebrates-39-graduates-with-disabilities-in-saratoga/) in Kevin Moran Park. The show will begin between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and it is free and open to the public.