OneFest to lift people up in new home

CADOTT — As the Christian music festival OneFest returns for its sixth outing next week, the festival will take place for the first time in its new environs.

The idea for a Christian music festival started forming in 2016, with a nonprofit formed the next year, said founder and director of OneFest, Heather Flashinski, who was moved by the number of people who offered a myriad of assistance in getting off the ground.

“People that came to me and said, ‘I wanna help out.’ It would seem like everybody felt like it was something we needed in the area,” she said.

From an attendance of about 1,000 in its first years, attendance to the event gradually grew seven-fold, resulting in record numbers for the event’s 2023 edition, a record they hope to break again now that the event has moved from the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds in Chippewa Valley to the Chippewa Valley Music Festival Grounds in Cadott, home of Hoofbeat (former Country Fest), Rock Fest and Force Fields.

“We had a very limited availability as far as camping at the other venue. But this one, of course, has many, many, many opportunities for that and that is definitely a growth area,” said Flashinski. “And with that, we’re trying to create a camping community.”

She also noted that, with more square footage, there was the possibility of an expansion of activities, which include a build of beds by nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace and events by Trail Life USA, a Christian-focused mentoring program allowing kids to explore outdoor adventure. Being a nonprofit themselves, Flashinski stated how important it was to OneFest’s organizers to help nonprofits, such as Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Trail Life USA, that they feel are doing wonderful things for the community.

New this year is the OneVoice competition, where young Christian talent will sing in a competition similar to the TV series “The Voice.” Finalists will perform at the event this year, with winners receiving prizes including tickets to next year’s festival. Youth bands will also get a showcase of their own, with selected bands showcasing their talents on the Little More stage. Outside of these, there will be plenty of activities for people of all ages.

Being a family-friendly event, organizers are also proud to have one of the only concerts in the Chippewa Valley that is a non-alcoholic event. “We didn’t feel that we wanted to have that,” said Flashinski. “We wanted everybody to just relax and have fun, and be comfortable with their kids.”

Being a music concert, the big focus is of course on the talent that will perform on its three stages. Flashinski points out the diversity of the acts that OneFest brings in.

“Yes, it’s a Christian music festival, but we bring in all genres of music or try our best to have a wide variety. So, it’s not just worship, but there’s rock — we’ve had Skillet, a hard rock band — and we bring in rap and hip hop,” she said.

One of the headliners is TobyMac, who has sold 16 million albums and has earned seven Grammy Awards. His 2012 album “Eye On It” debuted atop the Billboard 200, only the third Christian album to do so. His latest album, “Life After Death,” garnered a Grammy nomination and features the hit song “Help is on the Way (Maybe Midnight).”

Also headlining is Jeremy Camp, who has released 12 albums between 2002 and 2023, with five of them being Recording Industry Association of America-certified as Gold.

He has received various nominations and awards, including a Grammy nomination and three American Music Award nominations. His most recent album just released this year, “Deeper Waters,” includes the songs “These Days” and “Closer to You.”

Joining them on the main stage will be artists such as Rhett Walker, Britt Nicole, Rare of Breed, Honor & Glory, Evan Craft, Tenth Ave. North, Anne Wilson and Stephen McWhirter.

While Flashinski hopes that OneFest continues to grow, the most important thing for her is the effect that it has on concertgoers.

“I would like audiences to come away feeling inspired and excited about continuing to explore their faith,” she said, “with them just going back to their communities and maybe finding the church and their home.”