Kelowna, British Colombia, Canada- On July 23, 2010, the Freedom Singers were traveling to Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan (Canada) for a concert. Just before they reached their
destination, their van exploded without warning. The van and the
Freedom Singers were quickly engulfed in flames.
"As we were driving on trans Canada 1, just 30 KM from our
destination, with no indication of any problem, in just seconds, big
flames and smoke bursting from the engine compartment as we were
still rolling. We quickly pulled over only to see the flames
starting to consume the van. We only had a few seconds to grab a few
things from the van, and to unhook the trailer we were pulling
behind. After we pushed the trailer far enough, there was no more
time to go back in the van because of the intense fire" states Simon
Ivascu, the group's tenor singer, owner, and manager.
Their wallets and some equipment were among the casualties of the
fire. The Freedom Singers have enjoyed much recent success. After Legacy
Five's Scott Fowler heard them in Red Deer Canada in July of 2009,
he booked them to perform at Legacy Five's annual Celebration Events
in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Since then, the Freedom
Singers have sung for the Visalia, California Fan Fest and Bill
Gaither's Family Fest in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They are scheduled
to perform at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville,
Kentucky this September.
To watch a 13 minute video of the Freedom Singers story, click here.
