My Quick Review of Creation Festival Northeast 2011

My sisters and I attended Creation 2011 Northeast in Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania (June 29 - July 2). Three of us arrived around 4:30 PM on Wednesday and waited in traffic for about 45 minutes until reaching the entrance gate and parking. The backup is caused by campers, which is apparently worse in the morning and early afternoon hours on opening day. By 7:00 PM, when my other sister arrived, there was no backup.

The festival officially began around 4:30 PM on Wednesday but we did not know this until arriving and receiving an event schedule at the gate. We looked for one online but couldn't find it (I also called the general number but was not given the option to speak to someone or given instructions on how to find the schedule) so we did not know when the festival actually began or who was performing until arriving on Wednesday. They will not tell you anything about the official lineup until you arrive; however, we found a brochure on the event at the Visitor's Center at Seven Points Campground which included the schedule, so perhaps you can get a copy of it earlier from them.

The headlining acts play at the end of the day, 8 PM at the earliest.

Headliners:

Wednesday - Newsboys, 9:35 PM
Thursday - Chris Tomlin, 8:10 PM and Third Day, 9:50 PM
Friday - Tenth Avenue North, 8:15 PM and Skillet, 9:50 PM
Saturday - Owl City, 8:40 PM and Toby Mac, 10:15 PM

The negatives:

Dusty roads (your vehicles, shoes, etc. will be covered by dust)
Smell of sewer from the many porta potties scattered throughout the farm (worst on day one; not so bad the next day -- truck came by Thursday to pump them)
Super loud music from non headlining bands (almost unbearable, especially the band Family Force 5)

We did not camp at the festival because the campers are packed in tightly and there seems to be only one bathhouse with running water (with showers limited to 5 minutes) for more than 100,000 people.

There were plenty of portable outhouses and a string of them setup with hand sanitizer near the main stage and food court. We question what the food court employees use for sanitation since there doesn't seem to be running water except for the one bath house that we saw, which is for free cold showers or paid hot showers, but no toilets I assume, although I didn't go inside (update: the campground map shows five locations for free cold showers, so there is running water in other places).

The first evening wasn't as crowded so we were able to setup our blanket in the area roped off for the main stage. The next evening was much more crowded so we could not setup in that area; however, we found space just across from it which had an even better view of the main stage.

The crowd is very friendly as you would expect, with lots of kids and teenagers wandering around. We enjoyed the headlining acts but not some of the other bands, which were more geared to teenagers, so we returned only for the second evening's concert featuring Chris Tomlin and Third Day. We did not recognize or care to see the performers lined up for Friday and Saturday so we did not attend days 3 and 4 of the event.

I don't think the event ever sells out so you can wait and buy a ticket at the gate but will pay more for it ($30 or more, I'm not sure). You can also just buy a day pass for $50 at the gate.

Creation Festival

Agape Farm Retreat Center
17512 Rapture Street, Shirleysburg PA 17260
Phone: 814-447-5659 - Fax: 814-447-5904

Jesus Ministries INC

DIRECTIONS

To Agape Farm Main Entrance: From the Pennsylvania Tpk, Exit 180 McConnellsburg/Mt. Union, take Rte.522 North for 26 miles to Shirleysburg. Continue ½ mile, cross over bridge, immediately turn left onto Keystone Road (Lr31029). Continue 3.1 miles to Agape Farm Main Entrance. Note the Main Entrance is normally closed except during large events.

To Campground: Follow the directions above to the Main Entrance, pass Main Entrance, turn left onto Spidertown Road (T348) for 1 mile. Turn right onto Hallelujah Highway, proceed ½ mile to campground.

From Mount Union: Take Rte. 522 South for 6 miles to the bridge. Do NOT cross bridge. At north end of bridge, turn right onto Keystone Road (Lr31029), continue 4 miles to Agape Farm.

Camping at Agape Farm (from their website)

Nestled among Pennsylvania’s spectacular Appalachian Mountains, hidden in a quiet valley, lies The AGAPE' FARM. 285 acres of forest and meadow invite you to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation while hiking and relaxing, surrounded by streams, fields and woods.

Groups will find this quiet country setting perfect for renewing relations with your Creator and each other. Walk the fields where more than a million worshippers have raised their voices and where thousands have come to know Christ. The Agape' Farm is a beautiful natural setting for Christian teaching and learning; time spent here in prayer and fellowship will have a lasting impact. A favorite hike leads to the top of Mount Zion, a 300 foot mountain overlooking the farm, offering a spectacular view.

Creation Northeast Information

Agape Farm Campground

The Agape Farm is located halfway between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It's a beautiful site nestled among Pennsylvania's spectacular Allegheny Mountain ranges. At the base of a three hundred foot mountain is a natural amphitheater which is used for the main stage area. A forest trail winds to a peak of this mountain which provides a magnificent view of the valley below. The campground is spread over several hundred acres of land. More than a third of the land is forest with the remaining acreage made up the gently rolling grasslands. (Note: The Agape Farm is available for church retreats throughout the year. If you would like to schedule a time to utilize the Agape Farm please contact Jesus Ministries by going to: Agapefarm.net)

Alcoholic Beverages & Drugs

These are absolutely not permitted on the festival grounds and those found under the influence of, or in possession of such will be escorted off the property, and or, turned over to the law enforcement officials.

Bicycles Riding

Bicycles should be confined to the camping areas only.

Blanket Policy

Take your blanket with you at the end of the evening program. Do not leave it in the arena overnight or it will be taken to "Lost and Found". Chairs are allowed in the main arena area only to the rear of the sound tower. The front of the sound tower is reserved for blankets only. No stakes are permitted in the arena area to secure blankets. Never, under any circumstances block the aisle or rush the stage. We need your help in establishing an "honor system" regarding seating. In order to eliminate the early morning "Oklahoma Land Rush" with blankets, it has been necessary to ask you to pick only one day in which to sit in front of the sound booth area. This policy can only work with your good faith efforts.* Church youth leaders should make sure that their group abides by this policy. With the Jumbotrons, you actually see better at a distance. *(Creation reserves the right to remove chronic offenders)

Booths, Books & Music

Creation will offer the convenience of a Christian music store. In addition, there will be many booths featuring a wide variety of Christian oriented materials and craft items. Many organizations such as Compassion International have informational booths. If you or your organization would like to reserve a booth, contact: Creation Festival Booths, Box 86, Medford, NJ 08055 or call (609) 654-8440 or click here.

The booth and food areas will close each evening for approximately one hour during the evening message so that everyone can attend.

Creation features a great selection of all the latest Christian tapes and CD's.

Cameras

Regular cameras and video cameras are permitted at Creation. However, any professional camera equipment (including tripods, cameras with removable lenses, etc) is not. Photos must be taken from where ever you will be standing/sitting during the performances... no special passes will be issued. Also, video-taping of an entire performance is prohibited. This is agreed upon by the Creation Festival and the performing artist to protect the artists' rights. Thank you for your cooperation.

Camping Facilities

Camping is available FREE to all ticket holders on a first come, first serve basis for individuals or groups; however, only pre-registered groups (20 or more adults) registering together on the same form for the entire event will be pre-assigned a location. Individuals will be assigned a location when they arrive at the festival. We have never had to turn anyone away for lack of camping availability. The gates for Creation open on Tuesday, and close on Sunday. Creation is an outdoor event and everyone should come with some type of shelter in case of rain. No one will be allowed on the premises before Tuesday at 2PM without permission from the Creation management (unless serving on staff). Shower and restroom facilities are provided and water is available on the premises for drinking and wash basins. There are no individual electric or water hookups for campers. However, there is a sewage dumping facility for holding tanks.

Creation does offer a limited number of VIP Tent and VIP Electric sites for an additional fee. Click here for more info.

Campfires back to top

Campfires should be extinguished completely. Each year children are burned by running through hot coals. Do not cut down live trees for firewood. Feel free to gather dead branches and twigs from the wooded areas on the Agape Farm but do not go into neighboring property for any reason. Firewood is also available for sale near the Fringe Stage.

Children

Lost children should be taken to the Lost and Found trailer. Please keep children beside you at all times when groups are on stage, or have them visit the children's ministry tent to watch performances. Children must be accompanied by at least one adult at all times while in the tent. Never let a child sleep on the ground while music groups are on stage... especially at night!

Curfew

After midnight please be quiet. Don't "bless" others with loud singing or talking. If asked by someone to "quiet down," please respond graciously. Radios are to be shut off in the camping areas by 11:30 pm.

Directions

Click here to view directions.

Dress Code

Leaders, Chaperones and Parents: We need your help in enforcing this policy - our staff cannot do it alone! MODESTY is the key word. While the style and fashion these days seems to be "less is best," we do not want to be guilty of causing another person to stumble. Girls: Bathing suits are NOT permitted, except in the showers. Clothes must be put on over your bathing suit for the walk back to your campsite from the showers. Tank tops are fine but bellies must be covered (even though the fashion now is to show it off). Shorts and/or skirts need to be long enough and shirts big enough. Guys are not exempt from the dress code: SHIRTS (and shoes) MUST be worn by all at all times.

Fireworks

No fireworks may be brought onto the grounds.

Food Court

The Food Court is open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. There is a wide variety of fast food available for purchase including: fresh fruit, pizza, cheese steaks, hamburgers, soda, funnel cakes, fries, Mexican, Chinese, and much more.

Sports Activities

Please confine athletic activities to areas not congested by people.

Golf Carts

No individual golf carts are permitted, the only golf carts allowed are those in use for Creation Staff that are provided by the festival.

Grocery Store

Milk and other staples are available at the Creation Grocery Store along with camping supplies, baked goods, candy, bottled water, plus much more.

Holding Tanks

There is a dump station for holding tanks on the grounds in section G. Check with the festival office for details. Please do not dump dirty water on the ground.

Ice

Bags of ice (8 lbs.) are available in the Food court area for purchase. Ice is also delivered several times per day throughout the campgrounds.

Literature Distribution

Literature distribution is only permitted from official booths located in the booth area, regardless of the type of literature. Please understand that this rule will be strictly enforced.

Litter

Please help keep the grounds clean by picking up any trash that you spot and deposit it in the nearest trash can. Please report any overflowing trash cans to the main office.

Lost & Found

All lost and found items should be taken to, or retrieved from the festival's Lost and Found, located by the Main Office trailer. Any valuable items (i.e. cameras, phones, jewelry, glasses, medication, keys, etc) that are turned in to Lost & Found and are not claimed at the Festival will be brought back to the Creation Main office in NJ. If you lost an item at the event please email barbara@comealive.com with your name, address, phone number and a DETAILED description of the item that was lost. We will check the box of returned items and/or keep your email on file in case anything turns up at a later time.

Map

Download the map here (subject to change).

Offering

Each year at Creation there is an opportunity to give to an offering. This offering is to enable the Creation Festival to pour into further projects that extend the ministry and mission of the festival. In the past it has helped with our scholarship and Make A Difference campaign to provide hundreds of tickets to those individuals or organizations who could not otherwise afford it. It has also helped to support missions international with projects in countries like Ghana, Haiti, Morocco and many others. There will be no pressure to contribute, but if you feel lead to, know that your offering is going to help further the ministry of the Creation Festivals and those it supports.

Opinions

Opinions expressed by program participants do not necessarily reflect those of Come Alive Ministries, Inc. and its staff.

Paging

Paging is not permitted except in extreme emergency. Contact the festival office at 1-800-327-6921. If you would like to get a message to someone onsite and it is not an emergency, we will take the message and post it on our message board outside of the Main Office trailer. It is the responsibility of the attendees to check the board each day if they think someone may try to get in contact with them while they are onsite at Creation.

Parking & Transportation

A FREE parking space is available for you to park your cars, buses and recreational vehicles. Please follow the instructions of the parking attendants by parking where they direct you. Those camping may park at their campsites. You can walk anywhere on the ground so please drive your car only when entering or exiting the grounds. If your arrival is on Wednesday, please be prepared to wait in line up to several hours before being assigned a campsite. It would be a very good idea to plan a restroom stop on the turnpike before arriving on site. If you find yourself in line, please be patient, remain in your vehicle, and turn to Creation Radio for additional information as you make your way through the gates. Let's be a good witness to the neighbors by picking up any litter, and by staying off their private property. Thanks for your help.

Pets

Pets are not allowed on the festival grounds. Including parking and camping areas. Please make arrangements with a nearby kennel (or family member) to care for your pet while you are at the Festival. For local kennels in the Huntingdon County area please email: ghcc@huntingdonchamber.com.

Photo & Video Release

Photographers and videographers will be on site to document the Creation Festival. Many of these images will be used in the future for promotional purposes. By attending the Creation Festival, you are giving up any rights you might have with regards to these photos and will be deemed as having given permission for use of the same. This includes but is not limited to Photos, video and audio. As the attendee you grant the Creation Festival its employees, contractors, and all media the right to record, film, tape and photograph for the purposes of promotion and media coverage for the festival This will include all forms of media including but not limited to broadcast, print, email and website usage.

Program

Occasionally, due to illness or some other reason, a speaker or musician may have to cancel or change the time of their appearance. The Creation Festival does not guarantee that the program will happen as advertised, and reserves the right to make changes and substitutions, as it deems best.

Radio Station

A low power FM radio station will broadcast live all the activities from the main stage, and when the main stage is not in session will broadcast the very best in contemporary Christian music. Listen to 88.3 FM for all the latest announcements.

Smoking

Smoking is not allowed in the public areas of the festival. If you need to smoke, please limit this to your own campsite or off festival grounds.

Suggestion Box

Located at the main festival office trailer. Your input is greatly valued.

CD & MP3 Speakers Ministry

All the messages at Creation are recorded and available for purchase here on site. The CD Ministry Booth is located in the main arena to the right, and facing the main stage. The cost for CD's & MP3 downloads ranges from $6 to $8 dollars per message depending on how many you purchase.

Tarps & Umbrellas

Tarps or umbrellas used for shade can be put up on a First come - First served basis. They must be kept at the very rear of the arena area and must not block other's view. Be prepared to remove your tarp if it bothers other people.

T-shirts, etc.

Official Creation merchandise can be purchased at three different locations. These are the Music Store and also in the Food Court Pavilion. These are very high quality items and include several different styles of T-shirts, sweatshirts, golf shirts, hats, and more.

Telephones

Cell phone coverage has been increased for both Verizon and AT&T customers and those that use Verizon roaming.

Toilets

Portable toilet facilities are placed throughout the grounds. Please notify a staff member if they need servicing. We need everyone's cooperation in keeping these facilities as clean as possible. It only takes one careless person to make things really gross. Toilet and shower facilities accessible to wheelchairs are located in the central bathhouse near the food court area.

Traffic Flow

The festival has gone to great lengths to provide everything you will need on the festival grounds. Do not drive your car unless it is an emergency. When walking, please clear the road as soon as a vehicle approaches. Do not walk in the middle of the road. Unnecessary driving is not only unsafe, but it is also stirs up a lot of dust.

Volunteers

It takes thousands of dedicated staff volunteers to make the Creation Festival run smoothly. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Creation staff and are willing to work four and one half hours per day, please visit http://www.creationfest.com/staff for details.

Water

Please conserve water by using only what you need. The water at Agape Farm has a high iron content which gives it a slightly rusty color and may taste different from what you are used to. Please be assured that the water is perfectly safe for drinking and has been approved by the health department.

Weather Factors

Should there be threatening weather conditions, tune into the Creation radio station, FM 88.3 for complete updated weather information.

What To Bring

Your ticket, pen and notebook, sleeping bag, tent or camper, flashlight, cooking supplies, buckets, BIBLE, wash basin, umbrella, toothpaste, soap, towels, insect repellent, money, sunglasses, hat, sweater, and blanket.

Wristbands

Please keep your wristband on your wrist during the entire time of the festival. You will need this to enter the festival grounds. This rule is extremely important for public safety.

First Aid Center

A first aid center will be on the site. If you have special medical needs, please register at the medical center upon arrival. Each underage registrant must have his/her parent or guardian sign a "Consent To Treat" form.

This form is sent to all who pre-register. Please make copies of this form which is located in the "Registration Details Pamphlet" that you will receive with your tickets. Please have minors in your group have this with them while on site in case they need treatment and are not with an adult.

NOTE: Please DO NOT send this form to the Creation Main Office. This form is for your records and should be kept with you at all times while onsite at the event in case you need to go to the First Aid Station.

Doctors and nurses are greatly needed as volunteers to serve four hours per day during the event. Contact the staff office if you are able to serve.

The festival is a unique situation where a complete village emerges over night. As in any small village there are many medical needs that arise. Just as you would not run to the local hospital Emergency Room for every little problem, please use the same discretion in deciding to come to the First Aid station.

Guidelines For Using The First Aid Station

When you arrive at the First Aid station, you will be required to sign a "Consent To Treat" form. You must be 18 years old to sign for yourself. If you are not 18yrs or older, please bring an adult with you. If not accompanied by an adult, keep your "Consent To Treat" form with you. NO ONE UNDER 18 WILL BE TREATED WITHOUT ADULT PERMISSION or a signed "Consent To Treat" form.

If the First Aid station is busy, and your complaint is minor, you may be asked to wait. Please be patient, we may have some serious injuries or illness to care for. Despite the excellent care of our trained people, it may still be necessary for you to be treated in the local hospital Emergency Room. If this is the case you are responsible for supplying insurance information. It is also your responsibility, not the festival staff's to provide transportation to the hospital unless the injury dictates an ambulance. You will also be responsible to provide your transportation back to Creation from the Hospital.

Note concerning electric wheelchairs: Due to the limited amount of space in our First Aid compound we are unable to re-charge wheelchairs. If you have a wheelchair that will need to be re-charged you should provide your own generator. In an emergency situation, the Public Safety office (located near the Main Office trailer) may be able to assist you.

To Avoid Visiting Our First Aid Station, Please Follow These Suggestions

Drink plenty of fluids.
Be reasonable about the amount of time spent in the sun.
Bring with you all prescription medications you normally take.
Eat substantial meals.
Remember the festival grounds are dusty, even if you have not had problems with asthma you may now. Please bring your medication.
We will not plug in contact sterilizing kits. We will plug in ventilators or other necessary medical equipment.
If you are reporting to the First Aid station to tell of another's injuries, please look around you carefully before you leave the victim. Remember, a large crowd, especially at night, can look different on the way back. Remember land marks and campsite numbers. If you see an emergency vehicle, get out of the way immediately!

You Do Not Need To Go If

You have a small cut with little or no bleeding. Band-aids are available at the festival grocery store.
You have mild sunburn. Solarcaine is available at the festival grocery.
You have only a mild headache. Pain relievers are available at the grocery.
You have a splinter. Try to remove it first.
You have bug bites. There is unfortunately no effective treatments. Use repellent.

You Should Report To The First Aid Station If

You have a cut and can not stop bleeding.
You experience light headedness, blurred vision, dry mouth, or intense headaches.
You are having difficulty breathing with or without chest pain.
You have any type of seizure activity.
You have a burn from any other source other than the sun.
You are experiencing vomiting or diarrhea or extreme stomach pain.
You have something in your eye.

We have the infrastructure to handle 30,000+ people on site.

Buildings and areas available for use:

Motel: 14 Rooms, bed space for 81 people.
House: 4 Bedrooms, bed space for 12
Dining Hall & Kitchen
Grocery Store (only open during a large festival)
Second Store (Can be used for whatever you wish)
Picnic Pavilon
Stage Building with 800A, 120/208V, 3 phase service.
RV Camping area: 80 RV Sites (packed tightly) with full hook ups.
5 Bath houses: 3 large & 2 small
3 Woods Areanas for speakers
Long Building: Open to the outside for vendors or smaller events, with electric, phones & internet possible.
Arts & Crafts Building: Similar to the Long Building but smaller. No phones available.
Cell Phone Tower Site: Temporary cell phone tower for use during the festival.

The "Farm" is equipped with

Water System: 3 wells, 70,000+ gallon water tank, distribution system
Wastewater Treatment Plant: 30k gallon per day with 90k gallon storage.
Telephone distribution system for 25+ phones.
Internet: DSL, T1 and Wireless possible.

Creation Festival 2008 Review

By Rob, LifeInThePit.com
July 10, 2008

So, this post has been a long time in the making. Not because of the great amount of depth put into it, but just because I haven’t had time to re-size and crop well over 100 images to chose the ones I want for the post (not that any of them are any good, but my new EOS 40D will solve that in the future).

But, that’s not the point.

Read on for the review of our first time at Creation…

We arrived at Creation on Wednesday, at around 1 p.m. We were greeted by some friendly staff, a long line of cars, and then a lot of unfriendly staff. I know it’s all volunteers, but to be honest out of the hundreds of staff that I saw I can only recall maybe one or two of them who were courteous. The rest of them were very rude, unhelpful and downright unpleasant. Sorry, but if you’re going to be a volunteer for a Christian festival, at least try and have a pleasant demeanor.

After being guided to our campsite (which, we figured arriving mid-day Wednesday would be plenty fine as far as campsites go), we were amazed at how big Agape Farm is. Let me tell you, it’s BIG. We were in lot K (or was it J?), which was about a mile walk over to the main stage. I suppose arriving earlier would have landed us a better spot, but the road leading to everything in Agape is basically only one lane wide so I can’t possibly imagine what it would have looked like when the gates opened Wednesday morning at 6 a.m.

Anyway, we settled into our little campsite designated to us by some little flags on the ground and proceeded to get the tent out of the car and set it up (our first time ever). Now let me clarify about our camping “space”. The attendant asks you how many tents you have and how much space you think you’ll need and tells you what area is yours based on your response. This means that they will give you all the space you need provided you are intelligent enough to tell them how much you need. Unfortunately one of our neighbors (mostly a bunch of teenagers) wasn’t close to smart enough to estimate how much space was needed. Long story short we ended up having to move our tent twice because we would come back to the site and they would have another tent setup that was basically (and I’m not joking), on top of ours. Quite annoying and very rude.

So, after that fiasco, we headed over to the main event area (as can be seen in one of the gallery photos). We are only two (the wife and I), so it wasn’t hard for us to nestle our small blanket up towards the front row center stage. Alas, it did not take long for other late-comers (with much much larger tarps / blankets) to try and do the same. It did not work well, and we were essentially sat on by other people.

With all that going on, it was almost time for Flyleaf to start and they are pretty much the wife’s (Midnightfairy’s), favorite band. There was a problem however. No one sits down at a concert, what’s the point in that, and with the wife’s vertical deficiency (4′10″ on a good day), there was no way she would be able to see, well, anything. A thought (and an expensive one at that), occurred to us. VIP seating. Yes, VIP seating, $50 per person per day no refunds rather rain, sleet, snow, or volcano. We opted to take what little money we had, and went for it. We figured there would be no other way for both of us to enjoy the night’s shows which consisted of (most notably for us) Flyleaf, Skillet and Switchfoot.

Flyleaf’s performance was good. I had reservations about them as a band (as I do with many CCM type bands) because of their “we don’t want to be labeled a Christian band” thing. They did however, do a good job of explaining their faith and making me more at ease with listening to them and tolerating others who listen to them (by others I mean non-Christians). I say this because as they said themselves they don’t get to perform often at Christian events, making most of their fans the non-Christian type and not the type of people that I would prefer to associate with. For instance, check the unnecessary language and bickering between Christians and non-Christians in the comments for basically any of their videos on YouTube (All Around Me, I’m So Sick) to see what I mean. Long story short, it was a good performance for them. I felt they sounded quite well live.

Next of note (and my favorite hard rock band), was Skillet. Skillet had by far the best performance of the entire festival in my opinion. They opened with their cello player and a nice ominous countdown (which I found a video of it on YouTube here) and then followed up with Comatose. Fog blasting, pyrotechnics, all kinds of good stuff ensued and it was an extremely invigorating concert full of energy, class, careful preparation and good music. The best concert once again, in my opinion.

Switchfoot was the last band of Wednesday evening and I must say, I was impressed. Barring the whole “We don’t want to be a Christian band” thing all over again, I personally didn’t feel (sitting there waiting for them to begin) that I would enjoy their show, but I did. They rock much harder live than they do on their CD’s (which bore me to tears). They of course are seasoned tourers and performers at this point, so their show was also very well put together, very entertaining and very enjoyable in my opinion.

So Wednesday’s music was a complete success and our VIP passes were worth it, so much so that we decided to go ahead and get the passes for Friday as well when Disciple and Kutless would be playing.

Thursday was a day of walking around, checking out the vendors, buying t-shirts and whatnot. There weren’t any of our particularly favorite bands playing we opted not for the passes and just decided to hoof it around the festival instead. We did however manage to get Pillar’s autograph (after waiting in line for over an hour only to find out the lead singer had went to the Fringe stage to be a guest speaker and we had to hoof it over there after getting the rest of the band’s autograph to get his).

Friday was a scary day. Scary in the sense that we had out VIP passes, but the chance of rain during Disciple’s or Kutless’s concert was quite high.

Disciple’s concert went well. I enjoyed it (though it’s not the wife’s type of music so she spent her time elsewhere) even though it was pouring rain during the last song I proudly sat there and held my ground until their concert was over.

Afterwards, we headed back to the car as opposed to the tent (as it was still pouring rain) and took a nice nap / Nintendo DS break while it rained as we needed to kill time before the next band anyway. We did head over to the fringe stage for a bit and saw a couple bands, but more on those in another post.

We headed back to the main stage for Hawk Nelson’s show. Now, they are not my kind of band in any way shape or form but since we had the VIP passes we might as well use them. They didn’t sound bad at all, and put on an okay and crowd pleasing show. They seem to be some sort of teenage girl heart-throb type band.

Kutless was of course the last band we were interested in seeing at the festival. They are (for both of us) our favorite staple band. They play what we feel to be the best mix of everything and all without losing their God pointed message at any point. Very impressive after so many CDs. Their show was of course phenomenal and we enjoyed it to the greatest extend we could possibly enjoy it (minus the older lady who sat in front of us, stole our foam finger and then stared at it for the next ten minutes trying to figure out who Kutless was).

All in all it was a good experience, minus the fact that pretty much everyone I met was rude, pushy, and aggravating. Next year we’ll be getting the VIP passes for the whole festival and just bypass the whole tarp thing completely.

Creation East 2007

By TitleTrakk.com

Let the festivities begin! Infamous for its long lines, we spoke with someone who had to wait 2 ½ hours to enter the main gates . . . and he arrived at nine thirty in the morning (later we hear people were waiting up to five hours!). Cars, vans, buses, and RVs piled in all day and evening. Spirits were high as folks set up their camps (like the gentleman grilling at left), and soon the green hills of Agape Farm were dotted with tents the color of the rainbow. We were camped in section “G” alongside three guys from Connecticut who made their own cardboard table out of boxes rather than buying a $30 table at Walmart.

Please note Agape Farm will not host a music festival in the same venue as Creation. Other Christian music genres are welcome (Southern Gospel, Western, etc.).

Hotels & Campgrounds

Raystown visitors Bureau: www.raystown.org 7 POINTS COUNTRY HOME RENTAL 447 Lakeland Drive Hesston, PA 16647 (732) 563-1104 www.raystownlakerental.com	COMFORT INN HUNTINGDON 100 South Fourth Street Huntingdon, PA 16652 (814) 643-1600
MOTEL 22 (35 min) RR 1, Route 22, Box 1900 Huntingdon, PA 17052 (814) 542-2571 www.motel22.net	HEMLOCK HOLLOW BED & BREAKFAST 371 Allensville Mt. Road Allensville, Pennsylvania (717) 483-6171 www.bbonline.com/pa/hemlock/
AUNT SUSIE’S COUNTRY VACATION Route 26S Hesston, PA (814) 658-3638	DOWNES MOTEL #2 (22.3 miles away) PA Turnpike & Route 522/Box 240 Fort Littleton, PA 17223 (717) 987-3116
HUNTINGDON MOTOR INN (45 min) Intersection of Rts. 22 & 26 Huntingdon, PA 16652 (814) 643-1133	LAKE COTTAGES RD 1, Box 213 Hesston, PA 16647 (814) 658-3824
LAKE RAYSTOWN RESORT (45 min) Route 994/ 100 Chipmunk Crossing Entriken, PA 16638 (814) 658-3500	CEDAR HILL AT SPRUCE CREEK B&B (45 min) 1-888-764-9790 www.cedarhill-sprucecreek.com
DAY’S INN (45 min) 4TH St. & Rt. 22 Huntingdon, PA 16653 (814) 643-3934	RIPKA’S COTTAGES Lake Raystown, RD #1, Box 414-A Ridenour Overlook Rd. (814) 643-4206 / 237-2407
VALLEY MOTEL S. 10th & Route 22 Huntingdon, PA 16652 (814) 643-0736	VISTA VU MOTEL (45 min) Route 22 Huntingdon, PA 16652 (814) 643-2544
WEAVER’S RIDGE RESORT BED & BREAKFAST RD 1, Box 207D River Rd. Saxton, PA 16678 (814) 635-3730	CLARION OF LEWISTOWN (45 min) Route 322/ 13015 Ferguson Valley Rd. Burnham, PA 17009 (717) 248-4961
QUALITY INN OF ALTOONA (55 min) 2915 Pleasant Valley Blvd. Altoona, PA 16002 (814) 944-4581	YE OLD MILL CAMPGROUND Burnt Cabins Grist Mill PO Box 65 582 Grist Mill Road Burnt Cabins, PA 17215 (717) 987-3244 info@historicmillandcamping.com www.historicmillandcamping.com
LAKE RAYSTOWN RETREAT VACATION HOME Huntingdon, PA www.lakeraystownretreat.com

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Thursday, September 1, 2011