The growth of a Southern gospel music gathering is music to the ears of organizer Richard Treptow.
Not to mention hundreds of area fans of the faith-based genre.
The Fourth Annual Gospel Music Fanfest has expanded to include 27 different acts — three more than last year — slated for June 20-22 at East Columbus Christian Church, which can accommodate 400 people at its location, 3170 Indiana Ave.
Part of the reason for expansion? An increase of about 20 percent in ticket sales last year over 2017, according to Treptow.
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“Our goal is not about making money,” said the Indianapolis-based Treptow, in his third year of the event. “But, we want to create a venue for these gospel artists, because each of them have their own Christian ministry.
“And the mix of evangelizing and entertainment is different for every group.”
He knows firsthand. He himself is part of traveling trio known as Redeem the Time.
It takes a crowd of about 200 people per day to break even with the effort.
Treptow figures his overall last-day headliner, the Atlanta-based Old Paths Quartet, currently touring in the South, will attract a healthy crowd — and with good reason, Treptow said.
“This is the best singing group we’ve ever had,” Treptow said, referring to overall vocal quality and harmony.
Moreover, he mentioned that the Grammy-nominated Tim Menzies, slated to perform June 21, has an “amazing voice that I really want people to hear.”
The event this year will feature a significant change: some earlier start times for some of the performances. Plus, there will be an added convenience.
For the first time, sandwich and hot dog-style food will be available in the church fellowship hall for a modest price on the event’s opening night. The reason is simple.
“This way, people don’t have to go home and cook,” Treptow said. “They can go straight to the fanfest from their work.”
Plus, a live video feed from the event will be shown on a screen in the fellowship hall.
“So people don’t have to miss a minute,” Treptow said, adding that he took his ideas for changes from other gospel music festivals around the country.
He’s on the board, after all, of two different gospel organizations: the nonprofit Indiana Gospel Music Association, which is over this gathering, and also the Indiana Gospel Music Festival. But he finds that the network among gospel music fans is a solid one for promoting concerts.
“It’s one of those things where a lot of information travels by word of mouth,” Treptow said.
However people find out about the Fanfest, he expects a good number of previous ticket buyers to return. Waldron resident Dave Galbraith attended the festival each of the past two years. And he’ll be back for the opening night this year.
“For me, I think the main draw is the variety of groups,” Galbraith said. “Usually, you can see only one group at a time at one church.”
He also called the $10 per day or $15 overall ticket price “a real bargain.”
Columbus boasts a long history of supporting Southern gospel music. For years in the late 1980s and 1990s, late singer J.C. Brown’s annual Gospel Music Week would pack the original Commons in downtown Columbus with hundreds of people.
And current Southern gospel radio station WYGS remains popular with a regional audience. Highly visible on-air personality and gospel singer Jim Hutson helps the station to personally connect with listeners with detailed touches, such as broadcasting prayer requests.
He mentioned last year that more gospel artists need a renewed commitment to stronger marketing and better connecting with a new segment of younger fans.
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What: Indiana Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Fanfest, featuring 27 acts of Southern gospel music.
When: 6 p.m. June 20, 5 p.m. June 21 and 7 p.m. June 22.
Where: East Columbus Christian Church, 3170 Indiana Ave.
Tickets: $10 per day or $15 for all three days.
Information and full schedule: 317-847-1018 or ingma.com
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