Starting Thursday, the 67th annual International Country Gospel Music Association (ICGMA) Convention and Awards Show will be in full swing in West Plains for the 14th year in a row. The free three-day event will conclude Saturday evening, with a special Sunday church service to be held the next morning.
Over 100 singers and musicians will be making appearances and sharing their own brands of country gospel music, said organizers. This year’s lineup will include country legend Barbara Fairchild and her husband Roy Morris, who has headed up The Statler Brothers Revue in Branson for several years, said ICGMA officials. Chris Golden, formerly with the Oak Ridge Boys will also be featured.
The announced lineup also includes Jim Sheldon of the Music City TV Show, Bev McCann, Rachel Taylor, James Payne, Pam Blackstock, Bruce Haynes, The Tiptons, Ava Kasich, Bill Baker, Jan Harbuck, Dan Duncan and bluegrass favorites The Waymasters and Stringed Union.
Organizers say many other artists and performers will make appearances, including a “very large number” of first-time artists whose songs have already placed high in the national gospel music charts.
The event will be held at The Bridge Church, in the building formerly known as The Barn Event Center, 10105 S. U.S. 63. Showcase performances will begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and evening concerts are planned to start at 6 p.m. each evening.
The Gold Cross Awards Show will be at 6 p.m. Saturday. Singled out by organizers as the convention’s highlight, the award honors excellence in music in 28 category. Each year, at least one artist is inducted into the ICGMA Hall of Fame.
A special Sunday morning ICGMA service has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. July 16. A number of artists will be singing, and special guest speaker will be Dr. James Payne, an internationally-known speaker who has appeared don most major Christian TV networks, said officials.
The entire event is free to the public, and organizers point out, over the last 14 years it has become “one of the best-attended and most-loved events of the year in our region.”For more information, contact ICGMA president Dan Duncan at 417-372 1129.
