Nearly 40,000 people rock out for Christ at Heaven Fest in Longmont

"As a band, we can sing about sex, drugs and rock and roll," said singer Aaron Watkins, who wears a Mohawk. "Or, we can sing about hope."

This isn't your grandma's church choir (although there are some grandmas who showed up to rock out). About 40,000 people attended Heaven Fest, the one-day Christian music festival in Longmont. The crowd count surpassed the expectations of organizers, who had expected 35,000 people would show up at Heaven Fest's gates.

The festival included seven stages, with hip-hop, rock, heavy metal, techno and indie music. Sometimes, there were group prayers between sets and artists preached to the crowds. Other times, there were mosh pits.

Sonya Otte, 15, came to the festival with her Elizabeth-based youth group. She and her friends listen to heavy metal and rock.

"There's Christian types of my kind of music," she said, pointing to the stage where the band rocked out a song about prayer.

In the "baptism" area, festival-goers swam in Union Reservoir. Vendors sold Christian-themed apparel, like the "Adam and Eve" couture line that offered hats with gold rhinestones spelling out "faith." And, skateboarders zipped up and down ramps to the tune of Christian rap.

More than 70 bands played throughout the day, spread out over 300 acres. The third annual festival has more than tripled in size since its inception in 2008. Hundreds of tents and campers set up in the dirt parking lot -- and license plates from states including Texas, California and Iowa -- hint that Heaven Fest has become a destination festival.

Music saved their lives

Over at a graffiti wall, Brittney Morgan, a cheerful 17-year-old, signed her name with purple chalk and scrawled "never give up," adding a piece of her own history next to writings that said "Jesus saves" and "God is No. 1."

She came from Loveland to the festival with her friend Cami Scovotti, 16. The teens have parallel life stories: Both come from divorced families; moved more than a dozen times, trying to fit in at different schools; and ultimately credit Christian rock as saving their lives when they were on the verge of committing suicide.

Morgan said that she had every pill she could round up next to her, and was ready to end her 14-year-old life when a song came on and ushered a calm over her. She dropped the razors that she used to mutilate herself with and said that she felt Christ's love, as if it were hugging her. Now, she plans to tattoo the word "love" on her forearm to cover the scars she has from cutting herself.

Scovotti said she hit her low point after enduring persistent teasing in middle school. Other kids called her fat, she said, and would throw food at her in the cafeteria.

She said she was ready to drink cleaning detergents when a song from Seventh Day Slumber began to play on her stereo. The lyrics spoke to her: "Don't throw it all away. I'm here tonight, to take away your pain. Yesterday is gone."

"I know that God looks at me and thinks I'm beautiful," Scovotti said. "It doesn't matter what others think because God thinks you're breathtaking."

Scovotti said that she wants to be a youth pastor and spread the message of God's acceptance.

Both young women are in the marching band at Loveland High School, and they say that music is their escape.

Blessing for businesses?

Brady Blackburn, who works the front desk at the Hampton Inn in Longmont, said Heaven Fest attendees had booked a bunch of rooms at the hotel.

"We've gotten a lot of last-minute phone calls," he said.

But, employees were waiting until the clock struck midnight -- and Heaven Fest let out -- to see whether they'd sell completely out of rooms.

Longmont officials have said that the event could infuse at least $700,000 into local businesses.

Mary Nozykowski, a hostess at the Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont, said it was a busy Saturday night.

"I can't tell you if it was all Christian business," she said. "But we picked up in business."

Over at Efrain's Mexican Restaurant, though, business was dead, especially for a Saturday night -- and employees suspect could-be patrons weren't leaving the festival to go out to eat.

Food offerings at Heaven Fest included turkey legs, Sno Cones, funnel cakes and Chick-Fil-A, a restaurant chain that is closed on Sundays because owners want their employees to be able to spend time with family and worship on the Sabbath.

Tickets to the all-day festival cost $35, or whatever people could afford.

The $5 that visitors paid to park helped raise money for charities such as "Love 146," which aims to help young women in Southeast Asia escape sex slavery.

Last year, Heaven Fest donated more than $50,000 to various humanitarian organizations such as an orphanage in Honduras and a campaign to end homelessness in Denver.

But not all in Longmont support their city playing host to the festival -- and some have raised concern at City Council meetings that closing the park for a religious event is not appropriate. Others said they worry that noise, traffic and massive crowds will damage the wildlife habitat.

The Longmont Office of Emergency Management collaborated with festival organizers.

There were six medical emergencies at the festival: Four heat-related problems, one seizure and one forehead cut, according to organizers.

Christ as the headliner

Manuel Bejarano, 17, likes hip-hop and a little bit of rock 'n' roll.

His iPod is loaded with songs that have Christian lyrics, and, he said, it's like he can feel the Holy Spirit come over him when he's listening to the music.

"I get this funny feeling in my stomach," he said. "It's awesome."

The teenager from Holly wore his fluorescent green sunglasses to the festival.

Music-goers had their checklists of bands that they wanted to watch. Crowd favorites including Disciple, a Christian metal band that has been together for nearly two decades and whose songs sell as ringtones; Mary, Mary, a Grammy-award gospel duo; and Casting Crowns, a Christian rock band started by a youth pastor in Florida.

"I'm having fun," Bejarano said. "The songs uplift me."

Ultimately, Christ was the headliner, with the festival turning into a massive worship service.

Laurie Phillips, 48, of Aurora brought her 12-year-old daughter to the festival. She said she's happy that her daughter listens to music that is so positive.

"I love that Christ is first," she said. "The music is not only about love, but about Christ's love."

Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at 303-473-1132 or anasb@dailycamera.com.