Event now 3 days
Read more: Local
GAYLORD -- It's one of the fastest growing events in the state.
The Big Ticket Festival returns June 18 through June 20 to the Otsego County Fairgrounds, where last year they drew in nearly 20,000 visitors to the two days in June.
"What this event celebrates is the fact that we're able to have a personal relationship with God," said Drew Spanding, director of the Big Ticket Festival.
Headliner Switchfoot, along with Natalie Grant, Attaboy, and Ayiesha Woods are just a few artists on the line up that includes 60 bands.
The event will host a series of exhibitions and activities for the whole family including speakers, a kid's zone, and motocross showcases.
Now in its fourth year, the event is expanding, now including a third day of festivities, all of which have a simple focus on family and faith.
"With the economy the way it is right now and the things going on in the world, people have a tendency to go back to what's important and we feel like we connect with that," Spanding said.
The event is also expanding the number of available campsites now on a portion of land located about a quarter of a mile from the fairgrounds.
With attendance similar to last year expected again this year, that's very good news for local businesses like the Quality Inn hotel in Gaylord that so far is seeing a fairly slow start to the summer.
"We've been booked up for that for months," said Dawn Lehr, general manager of the Quality Inn. "Actually we start booking up for that within a month or two after the one the previous year, that's a real wonderful thing they bring to Otsego County."
Also new this year is a golf scramble that is going to be held Saturday at Treetops Resort in Gaylord.
The Big Ticket Festival runs Thursday, June 18 through Saturday, June 20.
Click HERE for a complete guide to the 2009 Big Ticket Festival.
