Music, special events for teens and children, part of weekend-long outreach
FAIRMONT, W.Va., July 8, 2021 – The Mountain State Celebration with Will Graham, coming to Fairmont State University’s Duvall-Rosier Field, July 23-25, will feature a weekend full of free concerts by some of the top artists in Christian music.
The Afters, who will perform every night of the Celebration, have won Dove Awards for New Artist of the Year and Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year. They’ve been a consistent and popular presence on the Christian music scene for more than a decade, garnering multiple top five hits on the Billboard Praise & Worship charts.
The Afters will be joined on Friday night, July 23, by Aaron Shust, an accomplished praise and worship leader. He has received the Dove Award’s New Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Song of the Year commendations.
In addition to the concert by The Afters and Aaron Shust, July 23 has been designated Fairmont State University Alumni Night. Past and present members of the FSU community are encouraged to wear their school colors and gear to the Celebration.
Saturday, July 24, will be youth night, and will feature Grammy Award-winning, Multi-Platinum-certified rock band Skillet. Widely considered to be the most successful Christian rock band of this generation, Skillet boasts mainstream crossover appeal that has resulted in billions of global audio streams and multiple No. 1 hits. Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award nominated hip-hop artist FLAME, who has several Billboard chart-toppers on his resume, will also perform.
Sunday’s closing service (July 25) will be headlined by Dove Award-winning artist Jordan Feliz, who plays a folk rock and soul style of Christian pop. His song The River ranked on Billboard magazine’s Christian Songs chart at No. 2, Christian Airplay chart at No. 1, and Christian Digital Songs chart at No. 2. Jordan’s album Future reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums.
“We’ve been blessed to secure a line-up of incredibly gifted and acclaimed artists for the Celebration,” said BJ Rogers, who is directing the Mountain State Celebration on behalf of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “The concerts are free, family-friendly, and open to everybody. No tickets are required. We encourage you to get there early to get a good seat, and bring your friends!”
In addition to the evening Celebration events, a special program for children and families will take place the morning of Saturday, July 24. KidzFest – featuring bounce houses, face painting and games – will include music by children’s performer Yancy, an interactive video Gospel presentation called The Quest, and a message of hope from Will Graham.
Visit www.MountainStateCelebration.com for a full schedule of artists, dates and times.
About the Mountain State Celebration with Will Graham:
The Mountain State Celebration with Will Graham is a free, family-friendly event coming to Fairmont State University’s Duvall-Rosier Field, July 23-25. In addition to live music from nationally-known Christian bands, the Celebration will feature inspirational messages from evangelist Will Graham, who is the grandson of Billy Graham and the son of Franklin Graham. Volunteers representing more than 190 churches from across the region are working together to host the Celebration. For more information, visit www.MountainStateCelebration.com.
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