Final Day of Southern Gospel Picnic

Monday was the last day of the Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City. We got the chance to see four different groups: the Browns, Allen Family, the Browders and the Isaacs.

The Browns
The Browns was another group that I was able to see for the first time live. They sang several from their most recent project, Now, including: "Now and Forevermore," "Beautiful Day," "Good Enough" and "Everywhere I Go."

The group also did a couple of instrumental songs. I really enjoyed Adam, Andrew and Michaela playing "I Sing the Mighty Power/ Canon in D" on violins. It was absolutely beautiful!

I'm a little disappointed that I never got to see Jessica and Nick with the Browns in person, only online, because their  most recent project with their addition was so strong. However, the Browns is carrying on with Shelly, Michaela, Adam and Andrew just fine! We were able to see two of their shows at Silver Dollar City, and we enjoyed both of them a lot!

The Allen Family
I had seen the Allen Family sing before but not in a concert setting. We often visit Skyline Baptist Church when we are in Branson, and this is the church that the Allen Family attends when they are in Branson during the Christmas season. We had been there to see them sing at the church before just one or two songs.

They are a very talented family! Some of the highlights for me were:

• "In Your Love" - Beautiful song, and the oldest daughter did sign language with the song.
• "All in the Family" - This was the second song they sang, and the two youngest sons came out to join them on this one. 
• "The Door" - Really enjoyed this uptempo song!
• "Jesus, What a Wonderful Child" 
• "Turn Your Radio On" - This one features a few of the sons.

The Browders
I had not seen the Browders before until the night before in Echo Hollow. They are a great group, and I was glad I was introduced to them at the festival. I was familiar with several of their songs, but really didn't know much about the group.

Definitely the highlight for me was hearing Tommy Browder give his testimony of dealing with polio and God's miraculous working in his life. He then sang "I'm So Blessed." 

Another stand out moment for me was Sonya Browder featured on "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus." This is my favorite hymn, and we heard several renditions of this song throughout the festival, but this one might have been my favorite!

I also really enjoyed hearing their new song, "He's Alive," which hasn't been released yet. Great song and message! They ended their last show of the day with "Praise You in This Valley." It was a sweet, very worshipful spirit that they ended on!

The Isaacs
The Isaacs have closed the festival for several years now. And they also know how to end the festival on a great note!

They sang several songs from their latest project, Why Can't We, including: "Four Men Walkin' Around," "That Is Why I Sing," "Get On Board," "Why Can't We," "Waiting in the Water" and "I'm Gonna Love You Through It." I love hearing Sonya sing the last song. It was a very sweet moment hearing her sing a song she wrote about her own mother's battle. Very few people made it through the song without getting teary-eyed. They got a standing ovation after the song.

Becky gave her testimony of God's healing and how she wrote "Waiting in the Water." I love hearing the artists share stories like this and stories behind the songs.

Right before intermission, they sang "I Will Praise Him" a cappella. I've heard them sing this a couple of times, and get chills every time. It was another standing ovation for the Isaacs.

They sang by request "I Have a Father Who Can." This has been one of my favorite Isaacs songs, but I've never heard them sing it live, so I was glad that they sang it!

They sang "He Ain't Never Done Me Nothing But Good," which is always a lot of fun. They tried to end the show on this one, but the crowd wanted one more. Normally, artists do another chorus of the song or pick another uptempo song. However, the Isaacs broke the mold. Sonya said they had a number of requests for them to sing "It Is Well." They sang the song a cappella, and they could not picked a better song to end the festival on. It was beautiful, and one of the highlights of the night.


It was an incredible 11 days, and I'm so thankful I was able to be there the entire time this year! We saw a total of 66 shows during the festival. Silver Dollar City always does such an incredible job of putting this festival on. And it's definitely amazing that a theme park allows southern gospel music to take over the park for a week and a half.

I'm already looking forward to another great time next year! They announced the dates for next year are Aug. 23 - Sept. 2, 2013. It's a great festival that you should try to attend if you can!

Crowded Sunday at Silver Dollar City

We had the best of intentions of going to the worship service at Silver Dollar City on Sunday morning, but apparently everyone else also decided to go to the City at the same time. We got stuck in traffic, so we missed the 11 a.m. service.

However, we did make it out to Silver Dollar City in time to see Barry Rowland and Deliverance at noon. I had never seen the group before and really didn't know much about them. Barry is the son of Kyla Rowland, who is a well-known songwriter in gospel music. One of my favorite songs that she wrote is "Did I Mention," which they sang. It was definitely the highlight of their set for me. Barry's wife, Tammy, did a great job singing it. I also really enjoyed their songs "The Rest of the Story" and "He Took My Case."

We went to see Tribute Quartet next. They sang several songs from their latest project, Our Anthem. I haven't had a chance to listen to the full project yet, but really enjoyed all the songs they sang from it. They sang:

• "God's Gonna Send a Revival" 
• "Thank the Lord"
• "Homesick Angel" 
• "Good News From Jerusalem." 

They closed the show with the last one and did several encores of the chorus. "Good News From Jerusalem" could definitely be a big hit for this group. Another one of my favorite new ones that they sang was "Homesick Angel."

This was my first time seeing the Crist Family. We were able to see two of their shows that afternoon. I really enjoyed seeing them live for the first time. They sang "Big Hallelujah," "I Believe He's Coming Back," "The Anchor Holds," "I Will Glory in the Cross" and "O Happy Day." I loved "I Will Glory in the Cross;" it was definitely the highlight of the set for me! They also sang a couple from their Christmas album. It seemed to become more of a theme to sing Christmas songs as the festival progressed. I love Christmas songs, but again it's a little out of place especially the secular Christmas songs.

They sang several of their older songs in their third show of the day. I loved hearing them sing the classics, "When I Get Carried Away" and "Canaanland Is Just in Sight." I also enjoyed one of their breakout songs, "It's Been a Journey." That's still one of my favorites that they sing!

The day ended in Echo Hollow with Jeff and Sheri Easter. Not only did they break the record attendance for the week, but they broke the all-time record for Echo Hollow with 5,286 people in attendance!

They started off with several songs from their new project Eyes Wide Open, which will be released on Sept. 18. They sang "Little Bit of Sunshine" to start the night off and then went into "I Won't Have to Worry Anymore."

Morgan was featured on the next two: "I Need You More Today" and "God Knows What He's Doing."

Jeff and Sheri have quietly added drummer Landan Smith to their group to replace Kyle Calloway. Landan is the 14-year-old brother of Logan Smith. He's got a great talent already at 14!

They sang "Sitting on Top of the World," which is also from their new project. I absolutely love this country-flavored song! It's a precious love story song. They brought Madison up next to sing "Workin' on a Road" with his parents.

Sheri talked about her battle with breast cancer, and how much she loved coming to Silver Dollar City because of what the people meant to her during her battle. When they performed at Echo Hollow in 2008, it was shortly after her first chemo treatment. Silver Dollar City presented her with roses that night and talked about how they were all praying for her. I remember the sweet presentation well. No one was sitting down, but everyone was standing and clapping to show support for Sheri and their family, and I'm pretty sure everyone was a little teary-eyed. Sheri recalled the moment too and said that she would never forget how the people loved on her that night. She read an excerpt from Hear My Heart and then sang the song. You could hear sniffling through the audience because this song touches so many people in different ways. The audience was on its feet clapping after the song.

Before intermission, they sang "I Get To" and "Good Ole Gospel Song," also from their new album.

They sang several of their more well-known songs during the second half and took some requests. The Browders were in attendance because they sang at Silver Dollar City on Monday afternoon. Jeff and Sheri invited them up to sing a couple of songs. I thought this was a very nice gesture to share the stage with them.

Another touching moment of the night was Morgan singing "He's Going Places." At intermission, a couple had come up to Jeff telling him about their son. Their son had brain cancer and passed away earlier in the year. He was a big Jeff and Sheri Easter fan and loved the song "Born to Climb." Jeff asked Morgan to sing "He's Going Places" for the parents. The song is from her solo album and tells the story of a young boy who passed away at a young age. Morgan, just like her mother, feels every word she sings, and it was evident as she sang that song.

A couple of songs later, Jeff said they had a request to sing "You're My Best Friend." He decided to find out who in the crowd had been married the longest. A couple near the top had been married for 66 years. Jeff asked the man what was the secret to being married for 66 years. The man yelled back to him, "Don't die!" Everyone in the audience and on stage lost it, laughing so hard. I don't think that's quite the answer he was looking for, but it's not one he's going to forget!

They wrapped up with "Keep on the Sunny Side," as what they thought would be their last song. But the audience wanted one more, so they sang "Life is Great and Gettin' Better." Great end to the night! Jeff and Sheri put on such a great concert and had the audience both laughing and crying! They went over on time to sing at the audience's request, and it was really appreciated!

Day Nine Brought to You by the Letter T

Saturday was rainy and a pretty dreary day at Silver Dollar City, and the crowds showed it. Being the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we expected pretty large attendance, but Isaac kept people from getting out to the park. However, we really enjoyed seeing both the Talleys and Triumphant Quartet!

The Talleys
I had the chance to see the Talleys in Little Rock in April, but Brian was sick that weekend. I was really looking forward to seeing the four sing together. However, when we got seated in the theater, I noticed only three microphone stands. So I missed seeing the entire group again, but the Talleys put on three great shows!

Lauren sang my favorite Talleys' song in the first two sets, "The Broken Ones." It's definitely one of my all-time favorite gospel songs. She was also featured on "A Promise" and "He's Alive." Love those songs as well!

Debra sang "Amazing Grace," and it was beautiful! She was also featured on "Talk to the Lord About It," which is from their latest project, Love Won. And it's one of my favorites from the album. They sang a few other songs from that album including: "Every Scar," "Broken World," and "Surely." Loved hearing these songs performed live!

They sang a number of crowd favorites as well: "Searchin'," "My Hope Is in the Lord," "Mountain Mover," and "His Life for Mine."

They ended their shows at Silver Dollar City with "Testify." I could see Roger motioning to someone at the side of the stage. It turned out to be Josh Singletary, Anthony Davis and Gary Casto with Tribute Quartet. They came out to join them on stage. The Talleys ended up going a little over on their time, but I don't think anybody minded! It was a fun way to end their afternoon there.

Triumphant Quartet
The rain did decrease the crowd some, but by show time people were definitely waiting to see Triumphant Quartet. I was very anxious to hear about baby Embry and see what they would do for a baritone singer. I was so glad to hear that Embry is doing great and at home, and Scotty was there for the concert. Embry was doing so well, so Kasey said she had plenty of help with her and for Scotty to go ahead and go on the road for the weekend.

Because Triumphant Quartet has a great sense of humor, they started the concert with "I Wish It Would Rain." Everyone stared laughing once they realized what song it was! They later said that was the wish for the next night! Even though it did start drizzling a little during intermission, the rain really held off for us!

During the first half, Scotty sang "Love Came Calling," which is one of my favorite Triumphant Quartet songs! I love it! Eric Bennett was featured on a song I had never heard them sing live, "Look for Me." Beautiful song, and great singing from Eric!

Of course, Clayton sang "Old White Flag." I always love watching for people who have never seen them as they sing this song. It's funny to watch them as everyone starts waving their white flags or tissues or whatever else they can find to wave. :)

Jeff Stice played two songs on piano, and it is no wonder he's been the fan favorite musician for several years running! I have to agree that he is the best in the industry when it comes to piano playing! They ended the first half with "He Is."

During the second half, Eric sang "Long Black Train." You can tell the crowd really loved hearing this song by their reaction.

Scotty talked about how Embry was doing in the second half. He said something that really stood out to me about how much better she was doing and how she seemed to be healed of the condition. He said, "I'm not amazed that God could do it, but that he would do it for me and my family." We all know that God can do anything, but it is such an amazing feeling when he does something amazing for you. Scotty then sang the song "The Great I Am Still Is." It was such a great moment and probably the highlight of the concert for me!

They sang a couple more and finished the night with "I'm Almost Home" after the audience requested they sing one more! This has happened most nights, that the audience wants the group to sing a little longer, and I was glad they sang a new song instead of doing another encore of a chorus of a previous song! This was one of my favorite nights in Echo Hollow! Triumphant is a great group! I can definitely see how they have been the fan favorite quartet several years in a row now!

Short Day Eight at Silver Dollar City

Isaac caused us to change our plans. We decided not to go to Silver Dollar City until the afternoon. Our family has followed Spoken 4 Quartet since they first formed, so we definitely did not want to miss them. We got to see all three of their shows and also the Collingsworth Family at night.

Spoken 4 Quartet 

This was my first time seeing Spoken 4 Quartet with new baritone singer, Steven Hickinbotham. I was anxious to see them, since Jeremy Wilkerson was the original baritone for the group. Steven not only lends his vocals to the group, but also plays the piano, which is a great addition. Spoken 4 made a great hire with him!

The quartet opened its first show with an a cappella arrangement of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness/ How Great Is Our God," which was great! :) They also sang "In the Garden" a cappella during their second show. I love hearing groups sing a cappella because it can really show you what a group is capable of vocally, and this group really shined on the a cappella songs!

They showcased bass singer Cecil Stringer's capabilities during each show. And each time he rattled the chairs and the speakers and everything in the theater! He's definitely one of the lowest in Southern Gospel and definitely that we have seen during the festival.

A song they sang that I had never heard before is "Give God Your Storm." This one features Jon Charles Taggart, lead, and has such a great message. I think this could be the song that really launches this group.

Jon Charles had Steven sing the song that he did when he auditioned with the group, "Who Am I." He played and sang it at the piano, and did an outstanding performance on it.

Another song that I love to hear them sing is "He's My Song," which tenor Brandon Britton sings.

Collingsworth Family
Silver Dollar City moved the concert to the largest indoor theater because of the weather. Kudos to Silver Dollar City for not canceling the concert and getting everything ready to go inside instead of in the amphitheater. But just because they weren't going to sing in the rain, didn't mean that we didn't have to wait in the rain... for an hour. Many people waited more than that, because we were probably at the halfway point of the line. Now, it wasn't raining extremely hard or anything, but the crowd that was there showed that they are some dedicated gospel music fans to wait in the rain!

That being said, I was really disappointed that instead of the usual hour and a half concert at night, it was only an hour. After standing in the rain waiting, I really was hoping that they would sing longer than we were waiting.

It has been since last year's gospel festival since I've seen the Collingsworth Family live. I was very impressed with Olivia this year. She seems to have really come into her own and turned out to be quite a singer. She sounds a lot like Courtney to me, which is a definite compliment. It seemed that the family is featuring her more as well.

The Collingsworth Family sang a number of songs from their Christmas project that they had just received. Phillip and Brooklyn sang "Silent Night," and it was gorgeous. However, the songs did seem a little out of place in August. But I guess not so out of place, since they just came out with a new Christmas album and wanted to showcase songs from it. Still it's August!

The highlights of the concert for me were "The Prayer" and "At Calvary." Brooklyn and Courtney played "The Prayers" on their violins. It was absolutely beautiful. I love the family's arrangement of "At Calvary," and it's what they ended the night on. Great song to end the concert on, but it ended too soon, if you ask me. I was really disappointed that they cut it short. We thought at first they were wrapping up for the intermission and not the end of the concert. The Booth Brothers earlier in the festival went over their time to show appreciation for the fans who waited in the rain, and you would think groups would tend to lean that way instead of cutting it shorter!

Day Seven of Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City

It's hard to believe that the festival is close to being over! With Isaac approaching, Thursday was probably the last nice weather day for a couple of days. We managed to see three groups today: the Taylors, Palmetto State Quartet and the Hoppers.

The Taylors

I think the Taylors are one of the most prominent up and coming groups in Southern Gospel. This was my first time seeing them since last year at Silver Dollar City. So this was my first time seeing them since Leslie left and Lindsey Graham joined them. Lindsey fits the group so well, and I think she could pass for a Taylor sibling. It's hard to beat that family blend and sound, but I don't think the group took a step back at all with Lindsey's addition.

The Taylors really shined on the a cappella River medley they did. Suzanne was featured on a song their mother wrote, "There is Power in the Blood." It is a beautiful song, and Suzanne was spot on!

Another a cappella song that they sang was "Old Camp Meeting Days" which showed off all members' vocals! One of the highlights for me was hearing them sing the classic "The Love of God."

Palmetto State Quartet

It has been several years since I've seen the Palmetto State Quartet live. In fact, I'm pretty certain the whole group has changed since the last time I saw them. Larry Strickland was not with the group.

Paul Lancaster has always been a stand out singer for me. I first saw him when he was with the Martins. The highlight of their set for me was the song, "A Moment of Grace," which featured him.

David Staton really impressed me as well. He reminds me a little bit of Gary LeVox with Rascal Flatts in his sound. Another stand out song for me was him singing, "Don't That Sound Like Heaven."

Another favorite in their set was "All Hail the Power." They put a new spin on this classic song.

They closed with "Living Like I'm Leaving." I couldn't help but chuckle a little as they turned the house lights on during the encore of the chorus so people could see as they left the theater. So they all started leaving during "Living Like I'm Leaving."

The Hoppers 
The Hoppers broke the record attendance for the year at Echo Hollow with 5,149 people. They sang several of their most well-known songs as well as some new ones from their most recent project. Here were the highlights for me:

•  “Count Me In” and “I’ll Take You Home” – Both of these are songs from their latest project. From the sounds of these two songs, it’s going to be another dynamite album from the Hoppers. 
• “I’ll Worship Only at the Feet of Jesus” - Great classic song that they sing beautifully! 
• “Something’s Happening” – This has become one of my favorites that they sing. I love Connie recitations during the song. The song has such a great buildup especially when they sing it live. 
• “I’ve Come Too Far” – I love hearing Connie sing this song. She had Kim start the chorus again as only Kim Hopper can do. At the end, the audience was on its feet. 
• “Jerusalem” – The audience stayed on its feet through this song, which they closed the first half with. 
• “The Woman in my Little Girl’s Room” – I’ve always really liked this song, but never heard them sing it live. Kim and Dean went into the audience and found a couple of little girls and sang to them and their parents. It was such a sweet moment. 
• “Shouting Time” – They outdid themselves on this song. They did several encores of the chorus at the audience’s request! It’s always a crowd-pleaser, and most of the crowd was on its feet from the first note to the last.