Christian festival attended by 40,000 » RapidCityJournal.com
By John Askew, Journal staff Sunday, July 15, 2007
Despite soaring temperatures, more than 40,000 people descended upon
Memorial Park this weekend for live music, ministries and fun at the
2007 Hills Alive festival.
The Christian festival is in its 22nd year but has only been offered as a free event for the past five.
"There
seems to be a real stigma about Christianity, that it's not fun or God
is only a very serious thing," Tom Schoensteadt, promoter of Hills
Alive, said. "But with this event, we want to show people that it's not
all about the traditional and that this helps them to have a good time
and help others see and experience what Christianity is about."
The
event offered concerts from award-winning artists such as Rebecca St.
James and Sarah Kelly and provided kid-oriented ministries and
activities.
(...)
A few of the new events featured this year included a late-night
coffeehouse concert, and a mother-daughter after-hours hosted by St.
James.
