Pro-Life Music Fest To Bring Thousands To Winona Lake
Posted
Tim Robertson-trobertson@timesuniononline.com
The ninth annual Pro-Life Music Festival may draw as many as 10,000 music fans to Winona Lake later this month.
Event organizer Martt Clupper, Warsaw, said he expects this year's festival to draw a bigger crowd than in past years. Last year's festival drew a crowd of about 6,000. This year, Clupper said he estimates between 8,000 and 10,000."The event is definitely starting to grow," said Clupper. "We're starting to offer more bands, bigger bands, a little more of everything. And, of course, free admission doesn't hurt."
The three-day festival will feature 36 bands representing a variety of genres of Christian music. Two of this year's headliners are the rock band Skillet and Rebecca St. James.
Clupper said the festival is aimed at broadcasting a message.
"Our purpose is to communicate the truth about God and who he is and to become a voice making a difference on the issue of abortion," he said. "We believe there's never a need for an abortion. There's always a better solution. We feel like if we have an event where the bands are great and just speak openly and honestly we can make an impact."
Clupper said that while the festival features music to appeal to audiences of all ages, its focus is on youth.
"It's largely about trying to effectively communicate to the youth culture," said Clupper. "We're trying to be credible and culturally relevant and to be different than some of the other voices they're hearing. Music is a powerful way of connecting with the youth culture. It's a pretty effective communication tool."
Clupper said the festival has grown each year since he organized the first one in 1999. "It's becoming a little more of a movement," he said. "We believe next year we might be able to put on two events - one in another state."
In past years, Clupper said most festival-goers have come from other counties and even other states. This year, Clupper said he hopes to see more local people at the festival. "We're hoping more and more people from the community will come and experience our event," he said.
The Pro-Life Music Festival will be held June 21-24 at the Grace College athletic fields on Pierceton Road. Admission is free. Camping spots are available for $5 per person. Clupper said the camping fee is a one-time fee for all three nights of the festival. A mobile shower unit will be available for campers at this year's festival.
To register for camping or for more information on the festival, including band list and schedule, visit the festival Web site at plmf.org or call 574-551-PLMF.
