Cornerstone Festival

07/14/2005

People ask me why I keep going back to the mid-west each year. I say, "because I’m drawn there…I’m drawn to the people I’ve met over the years."

:)

Cornerstone Festival, located in Bushnel, IL is a music and teaching event that has been held over the week covering 4th of July for the past 25 years. For the longest time, going into that smelly piece of farmland was the only place I could see the musical artist I listened to perform live.

The best way to describe the artist invited to Cornerstone Festival is saying IT’S A NO AMY GRANT ZONE!!! It’s where I saw Over the Rhine for the first 14 or so times. It’s where I learned of The Violet Burning. I found out by going to the old cow pasture farmland that there where truly artist who are Christians actually doing ART. Before my first tour to Mecca, this was merely an underground Christian urban legend.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t love all of the music found on the numerous stages scattered around Cornerstone Farms. There are times I’ve gone to the fest when nobody I was particularly interested in was playing. Like I said, I mainly go for the people.

I’ve met a lovely lady named Trish whom I speak with via telephone and email throughout the year. Trish is in her mid-50’s (iirc), she loves music, loves to dance, is taking tribal drumming lessons. She is so excited about life. I love to be near her to dance and sweat during performances by Madison Greene and The Psalters. Trish has the passion I hope to have if I ever decide to grow up.

For the past two years Henry and his wife Cindy have set up camp next to my friends and me. They are an older couple from Florida who also travels to Illinois for the people. Henry is like the awesome grandfather everyone loves. He looks out for our camp site when we are gone, makes sure everything is in working order, and can be found most often sitting in a screenhouse outside of his RV meeting new people. He and his wife said they love being around the younger people to love on us, pray with and for us, and just be there. I hope to have Henry and Cindy’s spirit when I grow up.

The first new people I met when I began going to Cornerstone were Brad and his wife Mary. They travel each year from Canada. I look forward to the hello hug we give to each other in the dusty pasture.

I met David a couple of years ago at Cornerstone Festival. Last year, he excitedly introduced me to his brother Tim who was a new Christian and celebrating his first festival. It’s exciting to see Tim because the lines of his story show he really should not be – well alive – but God saved him – twice!

About four years ago, I met a group of bikers who came to the fest on their way to another event. The members of the biker group are all former Hells Angles, Pagans, and other groups who have come to Jesus. It was wonderful talking with them, drinking coffee in the nights, and closing out the evening together with the soothing music of Over the Rhine.

I met a 15-year old girl two years ago who said she has grown up through Cornerstone Festival. As an infant Her parents began taking her to the fest and she looks forward to coming each year to hook up with other kids whom she has basically grown up.

My favorite story is of a 15-year-old girl a friend and I took the fest a few years ago. Let’s just say, it was eye opening for her. She comes from a nice tree line 2 SUV suburban family, is a cheerleader, all of her friends look like her, and basically think just like she did. So onto Cornerstone Festival grounds we go where she was introduced to Hippies, Goths, Punks, Bikers, Preps, and others all living in harmony. She came back to the campsite, eyes wide and whispering, "I just saw a group of gothic kids in a circle holding hands and praying near to volleyball courts". I think it was the beginning of her realizing that everyone God calls does not look like her. That’s a good thing!

There’s something special about sweating with an average of 20,000 people – most I don’t know. I look around and say; Good work God. Thanks that we are not all alike. Thanks that you love us because we are who we are. And thanks so much that it’s enough for you. Going to the fest is like the good kind of family reunion. We get to see each other for a set amount of time and leave way before we start to really get on each other’s nerves.

I haven’t cleared the dust off of my cooler yet but I’m already hearing the call to next year’s fest.

Peace,
zss
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