Crossroads Music Festival promises a great time tonight in Columbia City
(Talk of the Town photo by Tony Romano) Above, this marks the third year for the popular Crossroads Music Festival in Columbia City. The annual evening of fun, friends and music raises funds to support the Shriner's Children's Hospital and cleftAdvocate. Above, Doug King, second from right, and friends compete in the cornhole tournament at the Crossroads Music Festival. Tonight King and his bandmates in Huckleberry Blue will spend a good amount of the evening on stage.
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
For most people, the Crossroads Music Festival is a great party that will continue until late tonight.
For Whitley County resident Joyce Bentz, however, it is so much more than a party -- it's a way to give back to the Shriner's Children's Hospital where her son has been a patient for the entire 11 years of his life. The festival is also a way to support the cleftAdvocate, a program of AmeriFace, supporting the issues associate with cleft palates.
The festival will be held tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Mizpah Shrine Horse Grounds just north of Columbia City.
"There will be live music from local bands featuring Huckleberry Blue," said Bentz. Other activities ongoing throughout the night include a carshow, hog roast, beer tent, cornhole tournament, kids activities and a new event this year -- The Hillbilly Olympics.
"We operate on a shoestring budget so they we may give more money to these charities," Bentz said of supporting the Shriner's Children's Hospital in Chicago and cleft Advocate. "We have donated almost $12,000 over the last two years."
Admission is $5. Dinner is $5 per plate.