Event to feature bluegrass and gospel performers

Music on the Mountain, featuring performances by notable bluegrass and gospel musicians, children's activities and food, will take place on Friday, Aug. 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 1 to 9 p.m. at the King residence, located at 637 Gault Road in Gap.

The event is being presented by For One Life, a nonprofit organization with a goal of "making a positive impact on communities in need." The organization funds building projects in India and around the world, with a primary focus on schools and children's homes.

This is the fourth year for the event, which takes place on the property of Merv King from King Construction in New Holland. "(King) is a supporter, and he is letting us use his property for the fourth year," said Chris Straka, CEO of For One Life.

Straka estimates that more than 2,000 people attended last year's event. "Our tent seats about 900, and it was full both nights, and there were lawn chairs all around," he stated.

This year's performers are Amos Raber, Country Road Ramblers, David Miller, John Schmid, Dan and Amanda Esh, The Churchmen and The Deanes. "We wanted to make sure everyone has a really good experience, so we hired (professional audio and visual technicians)," noted Straka. "It is a professional-quality sound system, with a 17-foot LED wall to augment the activities."

For children, there will be bounce houses and games, a dunk tank and arts and crafts. Adults will be able to try their hand at ax throwing. "We are dedicating a large amount of space for the children's area," said Straka. "We are doing activities with kids on Friday night and all day Saturday, so families feel comfortable coming and spending an evening with their kids."

There will be a variety of food trucks on hand, including Skip's Food Truck, Welder's Steak Shack, Swirls of Delight, Character Coffee, Auntie Anne's, Anytime Acai and Country Smokehouse Barbecue and Catering.

Straka noted that volunteers are utilized to ensure that the event runs smoothly. "We started planning right after last year's event," he said. "We have a core committee of 10 people, and we have 30 to 40 volunteers parking cars and (performing other duties)."

Proceeds from Music on the Mountain will support For One Life's projects in Northeast India, which include youth and child development, education and life care. "Michael Esh, the founder of For One Life, came to know about this area through Bibles For The World 20 years ago," Straka explained. "He did work for them and fell in love with the area and has gone back ever since."

Those who attend Music on the Mountain will have an opportunity to learn more about the organization. "We do some presentations from the stage during the concert. We have programs that we hand out, and all of our volunteers can talk about what we do here at For One Life," Straka said, noting that the first 1,000 in attendance will receive goodie bags.

For more information about Music on the Mountain, visit http://www.musiconthemountain.net. More information about For One Life can be found at http://www.foronelife.org and http://www.facebook.com/foronelife.