Eight Southern Gospel acts are slated to perform at Barton Community College’s Fine Arts Auditorium next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18.
The 10th annual Fall Gospel Sings Concert will include a program at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, and music from 1 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 18. Admission is free, and concessions will be served on Saturday.
Mary and Lynn Chestnut of Great Bend organized the “sings” a decade ago to share their love of Southern Gospel music, which is characterized by close harmonies and vocal ensembles. Groups known for this type of music include the Gaither Vocal Band and the Kingsmen Quartet, but many regional performers travel the circuit as part of their personal Christian ministries, Mary Chestnut said. The music typically features hymns and praise songs that lend themselves to a singalong, or sing.
Mary and Lynn love to travel and attend sings in other states, but in 1995  they decided to organize something closer to home.
“This will be our 11th concert,” Mary Chestnut said. The first year they offered two concerts, after being disappointed with the turnout at a spring show. They organized a fall program the same year and have continued to do so.
The Chestnuts don’t make any money off of the concerts, Mary said. Admission is free. “All of the love offerings go to the singers.”
For the Great Bend couple, organizing the shows has been a labor of love.
“People have said this must be what God has called us to do ,” she said.
Many of the singers return to Great Bend year after year, and one group, The Toneys from Gallatin, Mo., has never missed a show. Mike and Carolyn Toney headed to Nashville to record their music in 1999.  They perform as a duo or with other family members. In 2006 their No. 1 song “Someone Stands By Me” made the God’s International Chart and Trio of the Year CGMG. Their newest chart topping single is “Would You Carry the Cross,” written by their son Travis.
The group 4-Told from Russell is on the program both nights. This area quartet features Don Krug, lead tenor; Sam Radke, baritone; Robert Walters, bass; and Matthew MacConnell, tenor. The group is also providing the sound system that all of the performers will use.
The Chestnuts have become friends with the performers who return year after year. There are also two new groups this year: The Musical Hammers Family Trio from Muscatine, Iowa, and the Loynachans from Winterset, Iowa. Other scheduled performers are Haskell and JoLee Cooley from Wichita, Ed Huffman and his Sanctified Sax from Maize, Lamb Watchers Ministries from Fairbury, Neb., and Praises to Him from Paris, Mo.
The show ends with everyone called back on stage for what Mary Chestnut calls a Gaither-style sing, with audience participation encouraged.