Contemporary Christian music part of the mix at 7^th Inning Stretch Festival

Early in the 7^th Inning Stretch Festival agenda are performances on the Food Lion Hometown Stage at the intersection of Washington and Warren streets. The festival opens at 3:00 PM and the music starts at 3:15 PM. Two local praise and worship teams and a Contemporary Christian band will invite festivalgoers to worship in song until 6:30 PM. The stage is sponsored by Food Lion; the performances are sponsored by Settle Heating & Air Conditioning and Oak View Baptist Church of Kings Mountain.

Other festival activities, including games, a circus, face painting, and food and craft vendors will be available, too. The Crest High School Drum Line, sponsored by Cleveland Community College, will perform at 5:20 PM, just in front of the final music group.

Here is the schedule for the performances:

3:15 – 4:15 PM: The Hope Worship Collective, a ministry of Shelby’s Hope Community Church, strives to facilitate an atmosphere that points people to the story of hope in Jesus. The group writes and produces its own original music.

4:30 – 5:15 PM: Destiny Life Worship is a multicultural team of believers from Destiny Life Center Church, a Shelby nondenominational ministry. This worship team covers all genres of Christian music, including gospel, hymns, Christian Contemporary and originals, including their first original release “Back to the Altar” in 2020. Pastor Jairus Strong leads the group.

5:30 – 6:30 PM: Falling forty-two is a four-piece band located primarily in Shelby. Members Emily Strickland (electric bass and vocals), Kate Strickland (electric violin and vocals), Evan Grey (drums) and Nathan Fowler (guitar and vocals) combine an energetic stage presence and uncommon instrumentation to provide a unique take on several musical genres.

“The Hometown Stage is the perfect place to showcase local talent,” says ALWS Committee Chairman Eddie Holbrook. “These are some of the people who support the ALWS year to year and it’s our pleasure to give them a performance venue.”

The other festival activities will continue until 10:00 PM. The main stage opening act, acclaimed guitarist and songwriter Greylan James, kicks off at 7:00 PM. Headliner country artist Chris Lane, known for “Fix,” ‘Howdy,” and “Big, Big Plans” takes the stage at 8:30 PM.

The 7^th Inning Stretch Festival is the annual “Thank You” to Shelby-Cleveland County residents, organizations, and businesses for support of The American Legion World Series, which has made its home in Shelby since 2011. Concerts and games are free of charge; attendees pay for food and crafts only.

For more information on the festival, visit the festival website. For more information on the 2023 ALWS, scheduled for Aug. 10-15, visit the American Legion World Series website.