A Great Celebration of HOPE On Canada's 150th Birthday - HOPE150 in Calgary!
On Friday evening, June 30, 2017, and most of the day Saturday, July 1, 2017, a large, free, family and youth-oriented festival took place at Shaw Millennium Park right off of 9th Avenue and 11 Street S.W., Calgary. This great celebration included a free pancake breakfast, stories of hope, activities for kids and performances from Juno-Award winning bands and artists including many from Calgary?
“There are a lot of people searching for hope,” says Jason Caldwell, executive director for the event, who lost his twin sons — Jordan and Evan last February at Winsport — after the toboggan they were on crashed into a barrier on the bobsled run. “Jesus is the currency of hope! We knew it would be a real shame to let the 150th birthday of Canada to pass without an opportunity for the Christian community and all of Calgary to celebrate the work God is doing in the lives of people.”
HOPE150 featured a 100 percent Canadian playlist highlighted by "Stories of Hope" from inspiring Canadians who have faced adversity, accomplished great feats, and overcome life's greatest problems. Organizers invited musical groups from across the country to join 10 local bands. The producers included different music genres at different times of the program. There was something for everyone: families, children, adults, young adults, and teens. The lineup included local area artists NewLaw, Anchored, JansenSisters, Rhonda Louise, Grace Revolution, Patience In Waiting, Flint & Feather, XEMPT Music and All Above Me. Other award-winning Canadian artists included The Hunter Brothers, Manafest, Fresh I.E., Tim Neufeld & The Glory Boys along with comedians Matt Falk and Phil Callaway.
Thank you to all the financial sponsors that helped make this wonderful event possible. A full list of sponsors and other pictures and stories of hope can be viewed on the event web site: www.hope150.ca.