WS Chronicle

A hearty crowd was in attendance.

The crowd was impressive throughout the more than three-hour long Gospel Fest Sunday. Music lovers seemed glued to the rows of dark green wooden benches that form a semi-circle in front of the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds Clock Tower Stage.

The crowd’s attentiveness was a testament to the performers’ talent. Attention spans are fleeting at the Dixie Classic, with flashing twisting, spinning rides and sweet and salty mouthwatering Fair fare in an ongoing tug of war for one’s concentration.

Emcees Debra Terry and Carmen Russell introduced each of the acts with abbreviated bios. Among the acts were local Gospel radio superstars who have shared stages with some of the most acclaimed artists in the business. The groups – seven in all – backed up their credentials, sending the Gospel Fest crowd into a hand-clapping, foot-stomping, amen-shouting frenzy.

An attendee gets her praise on.

The Chronicle has been staging Gospel Fest, in conjunction with the Fair, annually for the past several years, breathing new life into a Fair concert series that the paper first began in the 1990s. The concert is free with Fair admission and is held on both Sundays during the nearly two week-long Dixie Classic. The Sunday, Oct. 13 concert will feature music by the St. Paul UMC Choir, The Gatekeeperz, Alexis Pegues, Stanley Johnson, Mischeal Goldsmith & SOULOUT, Bishop John Heath & the Greater Higher Ground Mass Choir, the Love and Faith Mass Choir, CarMari Jeter, Pastor Grosjean Stephens & Nu Sound and Peace of Mind from 3–6 p.m.

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