SNOHOMISH – Hard-rock riffs rippled into the rural Snohomish Valley air Friday afternoon.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
The sound of music originated from a large stage in a grassy encampment adjacent to a still-growing corn maze. The guitars, drums and bass beats obscured even the sounds of airplanes at Harvey Field across the way and the traffic on Highway 9.
It sounded a little bit like the hard-rock band Evanescence. Or maybe it was Linkin Park?
Muscular lead singer Billy Knott looked tough, perhaps even intimidating, in his shades, his backward-turned baseball cap and large silver hoops in his ears.
But closer attention to the lyrics and the between-song banter showed this was not a typical hard-rock band.
“We’ll bow down and worship him now. How great, how awesome is he,” sang Knott, of Lake Stevens.
“Holy is the lord God almighty, the Earth is filled with his glory.”
After the hard-driving first song and a few others, the lead singer of the band Temple urged the crowd members to greet someone they didn’t know.
He also urged them to do everything they could over the weekend to praise Jesus’ name.
“Amen?” he asked.
“Amen!” the audience called back.
“This next song is called ‘Redeemable,’” he said, and the music started again.
Later, there would be more amens and even some “Holy Ghost high-fives.”
Freedom Fest, which is in its 19th year, claims to have the support of more than 50 area churches. It moved to Stocker Farms in Snohomish from Darrington three years ago, Freedom Fest director Don deQuilettes said.
He expects up to 11,000 people to visit the festival over the weekend, an average of about 3,500 a day. The festival ends Sunday night.
Knott, 36, may rock, but he’s been married for 12 years and has two kids. He works at Frontier Bank.
He and his band play church festivals. He works with young people at Lakeside Community Fellowship.
To the right of the stage was Triple Shot Espresso, and to the left, a prayer tent and a first-aid station.
One vendor was selling soccer balls with the words “Jesus Loves You” in 64 languages.
Others were selling T-shirts galore. Some had the festival logo, a stick figure kneeling in prayer. Others had logos in variations of the theme of Jesus Christ and Christianity, including “inJC,” “Out of Eden” and “Jesus Shirt.”
Many of the Jesus shirts came from a booth run by the Jesus T-shirt Co. The company’s goal was clear, as its motto was printed on its banner: “We specialize in putting the name of Jesus Christ on T-shirts.”
Down the way from the Jesus T-shirt Co. was In His Hands Kettle Corn and the Lyon’s Den, which specializes in coffee, desserts, soup and sandwiches.
All around the site were the campers and tents of those spending the weekend at Freedom Fest.
Raquel deQuilettes, 12, of Maltby said she and her friends will be camping the entire weekend. They look forward to late-night strolls and chatting, acoustic sets and even a game of Red Rover.
“I love the Lord, and I love going to Freedom Fest. It’s awesome,” she said.
Her friend and neighbor Bernie Gagner, 13, had to miss the festival last year. She’s glad to be back among the “Jesus freaks,” as many at the festival refer to themselves.
Catrina Cuadra, 13, of Lake Stevens said she likes coming to the festival because “you know everyone is safe … because we all believe the same thing.”
New this year is an Amazing Race competition, in which 13 teams will compete for a 1991 Dodge Spirit.
Giving away a Spirit, said contest director Cyndi Hansen of Lynnwood, was entirely coincidental.
“That’s just the way it happened,” she said.
She’s been participating in the festival since 1998.
“I just love having positive things for kids to do. It’s a place where Christians and non-Christians can come and have fun together,” Hansen said. “It’s always a plus if they come to God, but if not, it will happen in time.”
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@ heraldnet.com.
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