Fan Fest Report
Hello again!
Here it is a week later and I am finally making time to tell you about the rest of the Fan Fest! As I mentioned in the previous post, Fan Fest got off to a great start on Thursday evening. Having Wesley Pritchard there was totally unexpected. He had been in Chicago playing on a new DVD with Signature Sound that week and we had no idea he would fly from Chicago to Fresno. It was the best surprise we could have imagined!
Friday morning found me, Dad and Uncle Daryl at the Fig Garden Country Club playing golf. It was only my 2nd time to play a course, and they were very patient with me. I didn’t do too badly, as long as we don’t talk about the score! Let me just say that I had a GREAT time and am excited to keep working on my game!
While we were golfing, the others were shopping! We met up around 1:00pm for lunch at Applebee’s and then hurried over to Save Mart Arena for the comedy hour with Jamey Ragle. He was really funny and Dad has already started quoting him! Next was “Sing, People, Sing” led by Gerald Wolfe of Greater Vision. When that many voices join together it makes for some great music! The evening concert kicked off at 6pm. This was the last night for the Booth Brothers to be there. We enjoyed having a chance to visit with Michael Booth and Jim Brady. After the concert, all of Eternal Praise (and Wesley) went back to the hotel for our annual “party”. We all bring snacks to one of our hotel rooms and have a great time talking about the weekend and relaxing until we can’t possibly stay awake another minute!
Saturday: It’s our turn to sing! We met in the parking lot of the Save Mart Center to sing through our songs. There was just a little apprehension because we were opening our set with a song that we had never performed yet, but overall we were excited and ready! Allison and I love to take pictures, so we got everyone together for some group shots. At 10:00am it was time for our sound check. Wesley was controlling our monitors and the sound system was amazing. I wish all of our sound checks went that smoothly! We listened to the other groups do their check and then it was time for “A Fresh Start” with the Pfiefers. The “Best of the West” was next and our set was right in the middle. It really was a ton of fun! The lights are blinding, and you can only see the people sitting really close to the stage. You just have to imagine that everyone there is your biggest fan and sing your heart out, even though you can’t make eye contact. We sang “Are You Washed in the Blood”, “Light From Heaven”, “A Wonderful Shepherd” and “Days of Elijah”. Later in the afternoon, Phil Cross led the Songwriter’s Showcase. It is always interesting to hear what inspired the writer to pen the words of a song. After the writer shares the story, the group sings that particular song.
We had a really quick break before the evening concert, so Wesley, Stuart, Cody, Myra, Allison, and I hurried across the street to the Dog House Grill for dinner. We hadn’t eaten much all day and we were starving. I had a tri-tip sandwich. Delicious and messy…so I ate it with a fork! Then it was time to head back for the concert. We learn so much by listening and watching these talented singers communicate with their audience. When the final note had been sung, we headed back to our booth, where Dale and Dorothy had everything all packed up and ready to be carried out. We chatted in the parking lot a while and then Dale, Dorothy and Myra headed for home. Once again, we stayed up late talking with Wesley and laughing at his funny stories.
On Sunday morning, we picked Wes up at his hotel and went to Starbucks before taking him to the airport. The lack of sleep was really catching up with us, so by 11:15am we started for home, where I took a three hour nap!
It's hard to believe that Fan Fest 2008 has come and gone. I'm already looking forward to next year! I hope you will make plans to come experience this great weekend for yourself!
Kristen Dutter