It's a Great Day - Silver Dollar City Southern Gospel Picnic Day 7

We have reached the point in the week where there is more of the festival behind us than ahead. It’s always a little sad to me when we get to this point. If you are within a few hours of the Ozarks and love gospel music, this is an event you don’t want to miss next year.

The Whisnants were first on my agenda yesterday morning. I caught two of their shows. They sang several standards like “King Jesus Is Coming,” “Be Not Afraid,” “I’ll Pray for You” and their “Ready Medley.” Austin and Ethan sang with Jeff on “Road to Emmaus.” I love hearing them do this one! Austin also sang “I’ll Make Heaven Home.” Their sons are really going to be ones to watch as they mature and have a bigger role in their ministry! I also got to hear Susan sing “Is Anything Too Hard for God?” which I had never heard her sing live.

The Whisnants

One of the highlights was hearing Aaron on “I’m Trusting the Blood.” This is becoming one of my favorite Whisnant songs! However, the definite highlight came at the end of their last show. Susan told about her mom’s cancer scare. She said her mom was really the one reassuring her, because Susan had admitted that her faith had been weak. At the doctor’s appointment, the doctor couldn’t explain what they had seen weeks before but it wasn’t there any more. Susan said her mom knew that God had done a work in her life, but she had the faith that “all was well” no matter what the outcome had been that day. She then sang “All Is Well.” Incredibly powerful moment!!!!

2nd Generation

 I also got to see 2^nd Generation at the Riverfront Playhouse yesterday. I saw them in Arkansas at the end of last year when Randy Barnes had not been with them long, and he wasn’t feeling well that night. It was great hearing them yesterday with Randy in full force. This trio is sounding great together!! They started with “One More River to Cross,” and then went into the classic hymn “What a Day That Will Be.” Brenda was featured on the first verse, and Randy on the second. It was good to hear “Hanging on a Nail” again live! This is one of my favorites that they sing. They got the audience involved on “Feel the Joy.” It was great to see the audience all standing doing the motions with the group! One of the highlights was Elaine singing “Sheltered in the Arms of God.” They ended the set with “Redemption Draweth Nigh,” also featuring Elaine.

In Red Gold Hall, Soul’d Out Quartet had three show yesterday afternoon. I was able to catch two of them. I am more impressed with this quartet each time I see them. They sang a lot of familiar songs like “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before,” “Singing and Rejoicing on my Way,” “Jesus Is Coming Soon” and “I Believe,” which featured Ian, love hearing him sing this song! They also got the audience really clapping along with “Fare Thee Well!”

Soul'd Out Quartet

It was great hearing Bryan sing “I Want to Thank You.” Love the message of this sing, and it was great to hear it live. Dusty was featured on “You Were There,” which was a highlight of their final show of the afternoon! Incredible job! They ended each set with “Arise My Love,” which is such a powerful song for them!! I was glad I got to hear it twice!!

Legacy Five was the final show of the night. This was probably one of the biggest crowds they have had in Echo Hollow so far in the festival. They started the night with “Great Day” and then sang “Bloodwashed Band.”

They sang several more from their latest project including “That’s a Hallelujah,” “Great Medley,” “Who Is This Man,” “He Is To Me” and “Christ Is Still the King.” I loved the “Great Medley” that includes “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “How Big Is God” and “How Great Thou Art.”

Legacy Five

Scott Fowler talked about loving the old hymns of the church. Before the concerts at night, we have been having a hymn sing, so the guys got to hear the audience sing some tonight. There were several hymnals on top of the piano. Scott picked up the redback hymnal. He talked about the taping they had done at TBN and found “Grand and Glorious Feeling” that they had sung that night and they sang it.

Scott talked about how Trey had been trained in classical piano at a conservatory. He asked Trey to play a piece that weaves classical with a hymn, so Trey played classical with “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” Scott Howard asked what that was at the beginning when he finished and Trey said that it was a sonata. Scott said that made sense to him since “it’sonata hymn.”

Before the end of the first half, Scott Fowler read the resurrection story from Luke, and then they sang “Christ Is Still the King.” It was a great moment! Probably the highlight of the night for me!!

In the second half, they sang a few requests like “Strike Up the Band” and “Ask Me Why.” They were going to end on “Champion of Love,” which would have been great, but the audience wanted one more. So they closed the night with “What a Happy Day” with audience standing and clapping along!

It was another great day, now on to Day 8!