George County, MS population is around 23,000.  Lucedale, MS population is approximately 3,000.  Residence of Lucedale, MS, for twelve years, have been putting on the event Praise in the Park.  This year I attended this event.

The festivities started at 11 a.m.  However, the gates to the park did not open until 3 p.m.  Outside the park, along the city’s street were vendor’s booths.  Over half of the booths were selling food, with the other booths selling a variety of merchandise.  What is unique about these vendors booths were most of them are church groups raising money for their youth programs.  One youth group came from Livingston, Louisiana to sell Jambalaya.

Rocky Creek Baptist Church from Lucedale, sold Chick-fil-a sandwiches and housed the group from Livingston.

People started lining up before 11 a.m. to enter the park.  It was a beautiful day to sit outside or walk around the City of Lucedale.  Just a little note, if you want a Blooming Onion, get it early or else be prepare to stand in line with a hundred people.

When the gates opened, the crowd that waited so patiently, entered the park orderly; with no pushing, no screaming, and no running, and found them a place to sit in the park.  Since it is a park, you saw kids playing on the playground and throwing footballs.

Musical groups One Step Closer, John Gees, and Carrollton were first to take the stage.  As the sun began to set, Lauren Daigle took the stage.

The headlining group for this year’s Praise in the Park was Casting Crowns.  They performed some of their most popular songs and shared with the crowd that each of their songs has a story behind it.

The best quote of the day was: “Adults are just teenagers with bills.”  Mark Hall, Casting Crowns.

It is amazing what happens when 1,000s of believers get together.