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 conne.