Elevation Festival on July 21-22

Kremmling, Colorado will be the home of Elevation Festival on July 21-22.

Elevation Festival is a unique celebration that began with an anonymous donor asking church leaders to create an event allowing others to celebrate all of God’s goodness in Grand County, to give hope to the hopeless, and to unify the churches throughout the county.

For the past six months representatives from the Parshall Chapel, Granby Assembly Church, The Gathering and Kremmling Community Church have been working to attain these goals.

According to Kelsey Hargadine, whose vision and planning helped format the Elevation Festival, comments that one of the goals has already been met. “The message of unifying the churches has been extremely powerful. We brought all the churches together for a pre-rally in April and had 15 denominations in the same room talking about unity, strengths, and the main focus for which is Jesus. For us to work together arm in arm has been a success.”

Hargadine continued, “I am a big visionary and dreamer, so when this opportunity came I just dreamt big with the team. The beauty is that we were able to go big…”

With an internationally known band, top-notch entertainment and meals all offered for free, crowds could swell into the thousands.

A major draw is expected to be the headlining band, Hawk Nelson. Hawk Nelson is a Christian rock and pop band hailing from Peteroborough, Ontario. The popularity of the band led to their first record deal in 2004 and makes them a regularly broadcasted feature on stations such as K-Love.

Hargadine emphasizes the other bands – King’s Loyal from Carbondale, Confluence from Denver, and the Blue River Band, a Kremmling favorite – will offer a wide range of positive and uplifting messages.

“Confluence is a nine person multilingual, multicultural and versatile band who specializes in engaging the crowd,” said Hargadine who also endorses King’s Loyal, personal friends of hers. She describes them as a folk band with a twist.

“Our goal is uplifting family music that will draw everyone into the message of the weekend. We want to bring hope to people and remind them that there is a God who loves them and is pursuing them. I mean, God directed us in creating Elevation just for this community. We want whoever comes to feel that,” said Hargadine.

The event will be held at the West Grand High School, and the professional sound stage will be placed on the asphalt facing the Forward Motion Park where games of corn hole, the volleyball nets and bouncy houses will be set-up on the lawn. The splash pad will be on, and the skate park will also be full of activity with professional skateboarders, the Denver Danglers.

Real Encounter Outreach, will also be presenting life changing messages through extreme action sports. As featured on America’s Got Talent, the professional athletes and ministers deliver their message while performing moto stunts, street bike stunts, and BMX stunts.

“From 4-5 p.m. the Real Encounter Outreach is the heart beat of the day’s message,” said Hargadine.

The stunt riders will perform on the asphalt in the parking lot where other food vendors, and booths will be set-up.

The Grand County Sheriff’s will be joining the festivities and will provide a demonstration of the department’s dogs, and members of the Christian Motorcyle Association are expected to be a large supporting presence.

Dennis Carpenter and Carl Wood, who were both instrumental in conceptualizing and planning the Elevation Festival, feel the West Grand High School is an ideal location for the event “We just really appreciate the West Grand School District allowing us to utilize the area. What a neat place. You’ve got the splash pad, basketball hoops, just the perfect family park.”

“It was the intent of the donor that everything will be free,” said Wood who noted the donor wishing to be anonymous is very common scripturally – both Matthew 6:3 and 6:4 refers to giving in secret.

Everything from the snacks to meals will be free with a meal ticket. This translates to meal planning for nearly 2000 people who the group plans to attend.

Carpenter said there are currently local vendors who will be serving food and looks for other food vendors to join them. Currently, Genie’s Weenies, Middle Park Meat, Grand Adventure Brewing, Kremmling Rotary and Subway have already committed to attending.

“We see a lot of discord and unrest in our country. Through the churches’ efforts, I truly hope the message of hope, eternal life and forgiveness through Jesus is what is heard,” said Wood who said Sunday’s featured speaker, Crystal Woodman Miller, is a survivor of the Columbine shooting and will reaffirm this message during Sunday worship.

“We plan to edify and have a good time,” said Carpenter whose group planned all the details for the last six months even parking.

Parking plans include places for at least 2000 vehicles. The parking lot in front of the high school will be utilized for the event, but parking will be behind the school, in Smokey’s Estates and the lot by Mad Adventures. “It is has been a blessing to be able to use the campus,” said Carpenter of the facility and the close proximity to parking.

Final details are still being cemented. Meal tickets are currently being given to those who plan to attend as they are a form of RSVPing. Tickets are available at the Kremmling Chamber or from Carpenter and Wood.

However, Hargadine assures that tickets are also available at the event.

Food vendors or those wishing to help volunteer to set-up or cleanup are encouraged to call Wood at720-899-2274.