Gospelfest returns with an award-winning gospel group headlining the event.
Presented by the Lake County Forest Preserve District, Gospelfest is from 3 to 7 p.m. July 28 at the Greenbelt Cultural Center in North Chicago. Nate Martin and SIGN (Singing in God’s Name) is the headliner. The event is free.
Also performing is Light of the World, Sharema Hanniba, First Corinthian Missionary Baptist and Antioch Baptist Church.
Gospelfest has been going on for several years, with event operations manager Stephanie Bosack running it for the last four years.
The event will include performers, a headliner and the honoring of community members, she said.
“There will be a couple of vendor tables, such as the Lake County Forest Preserve, handing out information to the public and greeting them as they arrive,” she said. “We will also have one or two food vendors onsite selling food but the public is also encouraged to pack a picnic, kind of Ravinia-style or Independence Grove-style.”
There’s a grassy area for people to set up their lawn chairs, blankets and picnics in front of the stage, she said. Forest Preserve commissioner Mary Ross Cunningham, chair of the Gospelfest committee, will introduce the emcee for the night.
“There’s usually a welcome prayer to kick the concert off,” Bosack said. “It is free for the community, which is really nice. It’s on a Sunday after church and a lot of the churchgoers really enjoy hearing gospel music. It’s a really nice way to connect with the public. People love to be a vendor at the event as well.”
Doing Good in the Hood awards will be presented to community members as well, she said. Honorees are nominated and chosen by members of the Gospelfest committee, she said.
There will be an environmental education program for kids during the first half of Gospelfest, Bosack said. Kids will get to collect specimens from a nearby pond, identify insects and learn more about their environment.
It’s Nate Martin and SIGN’s first time performing at Gospelfest.
Founded in Chicago in 2016, Nate Martin and SIGN haven’t slowed down in eight years, touring the country and releasing original music. The group won an independent music Eddy Award for Digital EP/Album of the Year for “SIGN Language.” In 2020, the album “SIGN” won the Eddy Award for Album of the Year. In 2021, they received the Gospel Music Choice Award for Group of the Year.
“Nate Martin has been so wonderful to work with and we’re so excited to have him,” she said. “He is local — Chicago local. We researched local gospel groups with thought would be a good fit and presented them to the committee. Right away, they were like, ‘We want him.’ Luckily, we were able to book him right away.”
Gospelfest is a different event than what people are used to but she hopes they give it a chance.
“It’s a really positive atmosphere as well as there’s a wide variety of (performers) so it’s not the same type of gospel music,” she said. “There will be recognizable songs as well as new songs. It’s a really great opportunity to connect with community leaders and vendors who are eager to pass out information about their organizations as well as enjoying the beautiful scenery at Greenbelt. It’s an opportunity for the whole family to attend.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Gospelfest
When: 3-7 p.m. July 28
Where: Greenbelt Cultural Center, 1215 Green Bay Road, North Chicago
Tickets: free
Information: 847-968-3477; lcfpd.org
