Eric Deters said Monday that Patriot’s Day Freedom Fest would not go on after VIP sales collapsed. Deters, a former attorney and 2023 Republican gubernatorial candidate, made the announcement in a Facebook video that has since been deleted.
According to People, he said he had counted on $1,000 VIP tickets from about 100 people he deals with often. After asking his ticket staff how many had sold, Deters said the answer was hard to believe. “Only six people had bought a VIP ticket,” Deters said.
Kid Rock and Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman had been listed among those set to appear, along with Fox News personality Joe Concha. Deters had called the Kentucky gathering the “best MAGA event.”
Deters said he expected regular contacts to fund the festival through VIP sales
“When I put together Patriot State Freedom Fest, I put it together with the game plan and the idea that I could pay for it with the VIP sales of $1,000 from these hundred people that I interact with on a regular basis that have money,” Deters said in the deleted video, according to Newsweek and The Cincinnati Enquirer.
“It’s Monday morning. I got my guy who’s setting up the ticket sales,” he continued. “I said, ‘How many have bought a ticket?’ And he said, ‘You can’t make this up.’ Are you ready for the drumroll?” How many free general admission tickets had been taken was not made clear.
Deters said the people he had in mind were the ones he helps constantly. “Out of all these people that have money that I interact with, who I do favors for all day long,” he said. “They ask me for something, I never say no. I never said no to these people.”
He added, “None of these people will ever, ever, ever get a favor from me again, ever. Not only will they never get a favor from me again.” Deters, who started the festival in 2022, also said he would “never ever, ever, ever, ever [do] this event again.”
In a later Facebook video, Deters said “financial obligations” kept him from paying the bill himself “like I’ve done in the past.” He rejected the label of a “failed event, for lack of support,” saying that did not fit because “MAGA supporters always support this event, always turn out.”
He said the decision “had absolutely nothing to do” with Kid Rock. “Kid Rock’s a good dude. I’m tickled to death he agreed to come,” Deters said.
A representative for Kid Rock said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, “Kid Rock was added to this event 5 days before it cancelled. He was not performing, only booked to speak at the event. He has no other ties to the event.” Celebrity public appearances in political events have drawn attention, such as when Jake and Logan Paul toured the Pentagon and thanked troops.
VIP packages on the event poster included an exclusive hospitality tent, meet-and-greet chances, and a premium viewing area. The Saturday program was listed from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., ending with fireworks. Parking was to be free, and guests were told they could bring food, drinks, chairs, and blankets.
Also listed were Kentucky Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein, Kentucky Rep. James Comer, and Jackie Kallen, known as the “First Lady of Boxing.”
Published: Sep 23, 2026 09:00 am