Creationists flock to the Gorge for music festival

From the Seattle Times:

Tens of thousands of people have descended upon the picturesque Gorge this week, and, just like any festivalgoers, they are here to scream, headbang and mosh.

But for this crowd, it’s all in the name of a higher power.

Creation Northwest is one of the largest Christian music festivals in the nation — the largest on the West Coast — one of a set of sibling festivals. Now into its 11th year, this sprawling, four-day event draws more than 20,000 people. Creation Northeast, in its 31st year in Pennsylvania, attracts about 75,000.

Creation Northwest began Wednesday night and continues through Saturday.

“All day you get to hear music and a message,” said Jarred Hill, 15, describing his experience at past Creation fests a couple weeks back. “That doesn’t happen at other concerts,” he said. “That makes it better.”

Hill and his 13-year-old brother, Alex, have been going to Creation at the Gorge for the past two years with Seattle Community Church, in the Laurelhurst neighborhood.

“It’s all good because we’re super-close, we go to the same concert, spend time together and at the same time praise God,” said Hill, a sophomore at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo.