On June 29th the sloping lawns of South Fork Ranch will be transformed into a natural amphitheater for some of the best known names in Christian recording including Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant.
The 12th annual Celebrate Freedom festival, hosted by KLTY radio, will offer 14-hours of continuous Christian music with more than 20 artists.
“These artists are the cream of the crop, top of their format,” said John Peroyea,general manager of KLTY radio.
This Independence Day celebration promises to go out with a bang during the largest fireworks display in North Texas, which will be complimented by the smooth melodies of John Tesh.
Michael W. Smith is the Dove award-winning artist of the year and Amy Grant enjoyed more than 20 years of success in the Christian recording business.
“The line-up includes some of the new, more cutting edge Christian recording artists the teenagers like while at the same time doing things that would be considered more adult contemporary,” said Mark Thompson, executive director ofsales and marketing for South Fork Ranch.
In fact, the event has such mass appeal that it is currently the largest
Christian music festival in the nation.
“It is just mind boggling,” Thompson said. “The first year it was at South
Fork, it doubled in size and continues to grow year-after-year.”
Since its inception, Celebrate Freedom has grown more than 700 percent, bringing attendance record above 150,000.
Alena Almond of Garland, and her daughters, now 12 and 17, have been attending theevent for the past 5 years.
“It is our bonding time. Something we enjoy doing every year,” Almond said. “It is neat to see that many people out there share the same interests as us.”
Admission is free but, attendees must have a ticket. Tickets are available at Metroplex-area Kroger Food stores, Chick-Fil-A locations, LifeWay Christian stores and at all Care Now family doctors. They can also be downloaded at klty.com after June 24. Parking is $12 per vehicle including church vans and buses. Gates open at 6:00 a.m. with concerts starting at 8:30 a.m. For more details call the KLTY information line at 972-299-5589 or visit klty.com.
During the event, South Fork Ranch and the Ewing mansion will be open for complimentary tours.
Alena Almond encourages people to come out and be part of it.
“When [you] get there … it might change [your] life. You never know,” Almond said.
