Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
First Gospel Fest in Summerville on Saturday
Ten gospel groups will perform between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, May 20, when the inaugural Gospel Fest is held in Summerville, Ga. The event will be held at the Summerville Depot, 119 E. Washington St.
“This is our first Gospel Fest. It’s something we’ve talked about and wanted to do for quite awhile,” says Susan Locklear, executive director of sponsoring Summerville Main Street.
Locklear says food and craft vendors will set up inside and outside the depot. The gospel singers will perform on the back deck of the depot. There will be drawings for door prizes, and some of the artists will have their CDs for sale. Admission and parking for Gospel Fest is free.
“We will have two tents set up to provide shade; in the event of rain, we will hold the concert inside the depot,” she says.
New Vision will open t he concert i mmediately following opening remarks at 11 a. m. Other artists, in order of appearance, are The Ant h o nys , Suzanne Woods, Julia Park, Charlie Long, Austin Zackary, Cathy Worley, Christian Proctor, The AMF Quin- tet and Jehovah Jamz Records from Atlanta.
Locklear says this first Gospel Fest has been scheduled to coincide with the arrival of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Summerville Steam Special.
The train pulls out of Grand Junction Station on Cromwell Road in Chattanooga at 9 a.m. Saturday, traveling through Chickamauga, Rock Spring, LaFayette and Trion, Ga., before arriving in Summerville between noon and 1 p.m.
Passengers have a 90- minute l ayover to watch the concert, explore Dowdy Park or watch the train being turned for its return trip. The train returns to Chattanooga about 6 p.m.
At press time, a few tickets remained in the Pullman Car, priced at $ 1 20 and $ 1 1 5, which includes breakfast and lunch in the dining car.
For more information on the Summerville Steam Special, call the TVRM at 423-894-8028.