Illumination Ministries will soon bring its fourth annual contemporary Christian music event to the Darke County Fairgrounds. On Sept. 19, a full day of family fun and music will encompass the fairgrounds offering something for everyone. The highlight of the day will be a concert featuring the Newsboys, Fireflight and 1000 Generations in front of the Grandstand at 6 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.Also returning to the main stage will be the Splat Experience. Be inspired as the Splat Experience transforms a blank canvas into a beautiful work of art in the span of one song. This will be the third year for the Splat Experience to grace the stage at Illumination and in the previous years, audiences have been thrilled and captivated by this ministry.
In addition to the stellar line-up of artists on the main stage, Illumination will also feature a Coffeehouse starting at noon with Stacey Davidson, Ansonia Church of God Worship Band, I Am Victorious, Live 4:1, Blank Pages, Altar Addicts, Adelee Gates, Reece Lincoln and Adam Cappa.
Sit back, relax and enjoy some of the best music from area bands. The music of Stacey Davidson and Adam Cappa can currently be heard on Joy FM.
In addition to the great music, there will also be plenty of fun activities to do and see on the fairgrounds. Last year, Illumination brought you paintball. This year, the committee will bring Air Soft to the grounds. Challenge your friends to see who will come out on top.
Reservations are still being accepted for the volleyball tournament.
Recruit your friends and get ready to set and slam your way to the Illumination Volleyball Championship. The cost to play is $30. To reserve your spot in the tournament, call Scott at 423-3041.
Have you ever wanted to be in a band but couldn't play an instrument?
Don't worry, because now you can! The Illumination Committee is kicking it up a gear with big prizes. Last year, Illumination gave away a signed guitar, CD Packs, and an iPod. Everyone who plays is entered into a drawing to win, no matter how good or bad you are. Price is $1 per entry.
Suggested price for admittance to the fairgrounds is a canned or non-perishable food donation for the FISH Food Pantry. Ticket prices for the Newsboys, Fireflight, 1000 Generations and the Splat Experience are $20 for general admission and $25 for reserved seating if purchased prior to the day of the concert. Ticket prices on the day of the concert are $25 for general admission and $30 for reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at area bookstores and businesses, including Bread of Life Christian Bookstore, Greenville; The Christian Bookstore, Union City; Trinity Gifts and Books, Richmond; Grace Christian Bookstore, Piqua; Family Christian Bookstores, 2742 N. Fairfield Road, Dayton, and 1 Prestige Plaza Drive, Miamisburg; the Darke County Fairgrounds, Greenville; and McCabe Painting, Greenville. Tickets are also available at itickets.com. Reserved seats are only available at Bread of Life Christian Bookstore, Trinity Gifts and Books, McCabe Painting and itickets.
Newsboys
The Newsboys have long been considered one of the most dynamic groups in any genre of music. Their stage shows have captivated audiences since the 1980s. Plus, their music is one hit after another. Although longtime front man for the group, Peter Furler has been replaced by Michael Tait, the group continues to produce hits. Their most recent offering, Born Again, moved to #1 on the charts before the CD was even released. Now that the album has been released, Newsboys fans have fallen in love with group all over again.
Tait made an appearance at the inaugural Illumination by opening for Big Daddy Weave. His energy and charisma made even his toughest critics take notice. Now, as the front man for the Newsboys, Tait will return to Darke County as the headliner and is expected to bring that same high energy show Newsboys fans have grown accustom.
Fireflight
Fireflight, a 2009 Dove Award nominee, has had a whirlwind career over the past few years. Back when the Floridians launched their Flicker Records debut, The Healing of Harms, in 2006, the versatile quintet rocked two No. 1 radio singles, toured relentlessly, and, best of all, discovered a growing fan base that reciprocated the band's passion. Next up, Fireflight’s 2008 sophomore album, Unbreakable. Before the record released, NBC repeatedly used its title track, the lead single, for prime time television promos. The fuse had been lit. As operation Google “Unbreakable” began, the album debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. One domino tipped another. Fireflight won Taco Bell’s fan-voted “Best of the Beat” contest and then performed at ESPN’s “Winter X Games 13.” As Fireflight logged additional audio exposure on ABC, E! Entertainment’s “Style Network,’ and even SyFy, Christian rock and pop radio fanned its own flames, sending three more Fireflight singles—“Unbreakable,” “The Hunger” and “Stand Up”—to No. 1. Before the smoke cleared, the “Unbreakable” music video logged more than a million plays on YouTube, and the song itself had been confirmed as a future download for the wildly popular Rock Band™ video game.
1000 Generations
1000 Generations is simply addictive piano-driven rock born from a place of honest worship. Musically sounding familiar to a car smash-up with Coldplay and Billy Joel as passengers, 1000 Generations is passionate for writing honest, unguarded lyrics that cry out to God. Touring as a four-piece, the group is led by the 20-something husband and wife team of Steven and Amanda Potaczek.
Since the release of their debut album in 2003, 1000 Generations has been garnering quite a following. Worship Leader magazine called their debut “the best new worship album of the year,” while songs from their current major label release, Turn Off the Lesser Lights, continue to draw major accolades. “Fail Us Not,” the band’s first single, has become a Top 40 hit on radio, while their social justice anthem “How Big Small Can Be” was named the GMA Academy’s “Song of the Year.” Touring extensively, 1000 Generations is quickly developing a great reputation performing at colleges, churches, and various events around the country.
Above all, 1000 Generations is intent upon seeing people connect with God—whether followers of Christ who’ve believed for decades, or pilgrims experiencing worship for the first time. “We’re really passionate about people having an experience they can walk away with,” concludes Steven. “We believe that if someone has a real experience with God, that it will change their lives, and lead to a chain reaction where the lives of those around them are also changed.” This is the heartbeat of the band’s calling and name: 1000 Generations.
Splat Experience
The Splat Experience creatively engages people with a culturally relevant expression of Christianity. Through the core values of creativity, excellence, passion and integrity, the Splat Experience is able to convey his (Marc Eckel) beliefs that the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired Words of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life. His paintings reveal his faith in one God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He hopes to convey that Jesus Christ is the true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the scriptures. Further, he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
