Cool combo. Alive Fest features KING + COUNTRY and Stryper: 'We'll just see what happens'

MINERAL CITY − Ashley Petcavage expects her first time at the Alive Music Festival to be special.

She'll join thousands of others who are going to Atwood Lake Park for the three-day event, which begins at 9 a.m. Thursday and draws people both for its music and focus on faith.

Petcavage will attend the music festival on Saturday to see headliner Skillet and other bands.

"I’ve heard about it for years and how amazing a time it is all-around," said Petcavage, 39, of Massillon. "And I can’t wait to experience it for myself. Especially being with my (10-year-old) daughter for her first concert, and seeing a band both of us have wanted to experience. It’s going to be a great time."

"... This year, I’m attending for the music, but in future attendances, it’ll be for both fellowship and music," she said of the longtime festival. " I think the artists that perform are great for those who are Christian attendees as well as those who are not."

A story of faith: Alive Music Festival returns with new owners, music star Lauren Daigle

More than 40 musical artists will perform at Alive, including Christian singer Megan Danielle , who placed second last year on "American Idol." Activities and attractions also include evangelical and songwriting seminars, worship, comedians, swimming, pickleball, basketball and sand volleyball.

Ken Ferguson, who co-owns Alive Music Festival with his wife, Susan, said the welcoming atmosphere is a hallmark of the gathering.

"We really, truly do have the biggest set of open arms from a faith-based festival," he said. "Regardless of where you are on (the faith) spectrum, you're going to find you feel where you belong. ... We just want to expose people to what we think is just a real awesome community. We don't put up barriers. We try to put barriers down."

Who's performing at the 2024 Alive Music Festival?

Other headliners this week include for KING + COUNTRY at 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Jeremy Camp at 9:15 p.m. Friday.

Openers include Stryper , Anne Wilson and Caleb Gordon on the main stage Thursday; Andy Mineo, Riley Clemmons and David Leonard on Friday; and Pillar, Hulvey, Josiah Queen and Cain on Saturday.

"I love that there are so many artists to see and a wide variety of genres," Petcavage said. "God created music, and it isn’t limited on styles, so long as it worships and praises Him. From country to pop, rap to rock, there's an artist there to meet anyone's listening taste."

Ferguson agreed.

"for KING + COUNTRY couldn't be more different than Stryper," he said. "Hair metal versus pop. It's the only place in the world where you can see these two bands on the same stage on the same night. And we'll just see what happens."

Here's what else you need to know about this edition of the Alive Music Festival , which drew a total of about 20,000 people last summer, including nearly 10,000 for headliner Lauren Daigle , a crossover pop music star in the contemporary Christian genre.

Who's the big act this year at the Alive Music Festival?

For KING + COUNTRY is a Grammy-winning pop duo featuring brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone.

The band's most recent music appears on the soundtrack for the 2024 movie, " Unsung Hero ," which is based on the Smallbone family's life and move from Australia to the United States, where they pursued musical careers.

For KING + COUNTRY has played the Alive festival previously.

Daigle is a tough act to follow this summer, Ferguson admitted.

"She was essentially the biggest artist in our genre and was our Saturday night headliner last year," he said. "The only way you can really top that in our world in the contemporary Christian space is with a mix of the lineup itself."

"Are you serving all of our guests and all of your customers with the most diverse lineup?" he asked rhetorically. "Whether you're (age) 7 or 70, you're excited — that's why I think we've nailed it this year."

Another returning act is Skillet , a Grammy-nominated Christian hard rock band, which performed at Alive in 2021 and 2022.

Petcavage said the Skillet concert is her daughter Natalie's birthday gift.

"I am beyond looking forward to making this memory with my daughter," the mother said. "She has been counting down the days, so I know this will be a priceless memory for sure."

Stryper returns ... after bus problems last summer

Known for their crossover success in the 1980s, with the hit songs "Honestly" and "Free," Stryper's bus broke down just outside Nashville a day before they were scheduled to perform at the Alive Music Festival last year.

"They drove all night to get there," Ferguson said. "They weren't going to miss their first Christian music festival.

"They rolled in at 4 (p.m.) and played at 5:30 (p.m.)," he said. "They essentially walked off the bus and plugged in and went on (stage)— it was just the most rock 'n' roll thing I've ever seen. They handled it with grace."

And "the fans loved it," Ferguson said. "So we said, 'We can't not invite them back this year.'"

How much do tickets and parking cost?

One-day tickets cost $66, granting you access on the grounds from 9 a.m. to midnight. A three-day junior ticket is $75 (children age 5 to 10). Three-day passes cost $185 as of Tuesday. One-day junior tickets cost $25.

To purchase tickets, go to https://www.alive.org/tickets/ .

General parking is free, but VIP parking is available with a limited supply for $30 per day or $80 for all three days.

What are you hungry for?

Dining options are diverse, with more than 20 food trucks.

A fan of Asian food? Check. Or you enjoy barbecue fare? Yep. Craving fair food like funnel cakes and fresh-cut fries? The festival has you covered. And there's also Chick-fil-A.

Plus lots more, including Italian sausage, burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, smoked mac and cheese, Hawaiian chicken wraps, nachos, corn dogs, pizza, homemade ice cream, kettle corn, doughnuts, coffee, lemonade, sweet tea, and bubble tea. Options also include steamed fried rice, garden burgers, vegan cauliflower tacos, veggie pitas, and all-natural cotton candy.

What's the Alive Music Festival Marketplace?

The Marketplace is a hub of vendors, and there's also plenty of Alive Musical Festival merch.

"They'll be ... probably over 30 different vendors (with) apparel and clothing and artist merch," Ferguson said.

Also represented will be nonprofit organizations, and Messiah University and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Plus comic books, hand-woven friendship bracelets, jewelry, totes and hats.

What's in the big tent?

The big tent is where "the next generation " hangs out, Ferguson said.

From middle school to high school to college, it's where "young folks focus on identity and purpose and just concentrating on who God made them to be," he said.

There's also music, including worship, hip-hop and rock. "It's a space that is literally just for the young people," Ferguson explained. "Where they can say, 'That's my space.'"

Alive Music Festival collaborates with Reach1 on the "Next Gen Experience," where youth "can connect, grow in their faith, and be equipped to extend love and share the Gospel in their schools and communities," the festival says.

A "Next Gen Bonfire" is 11 to 11:45 p.m. Thursday. Faith and Fitness with Michael Wittig will be 11 a.m. Saturday. Other events are also scheduled.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com .

On X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP and Instagram at ed_balint

If you go

What: Alive Music Festival, which includes not only Christian pop, rock and hip-hop music but also evangelical and songwriting seminars, worship, comedians, swimming, pickleball, basketball and sand volleyball.

When: Thursday through Saturday

Where: Atwood Lake Park , 9500 Lakeview Road, is located in the Mineral City area at the boundaries of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. A festival map is available at https://support.alive.org/knowledge-base/map/ .

More details and tickets: https://support.alive.org/

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cool combo. Alive Fest features KING + COUNTRY and Stryper: 'We'll just see what happens'