CORONA, CA. (Plan B Events/ Stage 1 at Candlewalk) - On April 17th and 21st, 2005 - Multi-platinum, award-winning chart-toppers,
Lonestar and
Olivia Newton-John were the headliners, but at the Inland Empire's brand new state-of-the-art venue, STAGE 1 AT CANDLEWALK (2331 Kellogg Avenue, Corona), Crossroads' became the 'star' for raising over fifteen thousand dollars for local charities, Kids Rock Free at The Fender Center for the Performing Arts and the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. The two inaugural concerts which were held at the "facility created for philanthropy and humanitarianism" by Crossroads Church brought out crowds, support and national media support for the venue with a purpose. STAGE 1 AT CANDLEWALK is determined to DEFINE the difference between religion and spirituality, erasing the negative stigma with positive effort with its branding of "UNIFYING THE WORLD THROUGH MUSIC IN A FAMILY SETTING," which it successfully did by creating this benchmark venue for charity benefit.
"We are a non-denominational church that is creating events bringing the communities of Corona and the Inland Empire together for some fun," said executive pastor Mark Gantt. "By providing a top quality performance venue to the Inland Empire that will also benefit several deserving non-profits in the area, we feel we are truly giving back to the community that has supported us for over 100 years."
Sunday night April 17th, Lonestar kicked off the inaugural concert event entertaining the near capacity crowd with selections from their recent greatest hits package "Let's Be Us Again," What made the evening even more special was that the concert raised $10,000.00 for "Kids Rock Free," a music education program at the non-profit The Fender Center for the Performing Arts, also in Corona. A poignant moment in Lonestar's set was when lead vocalist Richie McDonald invited a few dozen children in the audience to join him on-stage for a heartfelt rendition of the hit song co-written and recorded with Billy Dean "Let Them Be Little." Richie remarked that many of the children were certainly participants in the Kids Rock Free program.
"It was the perfect evening - Lonestar was fabulous, the audience had a great time, and we were able to give back to the community by raising funds for a local non-profit. I can't think of a better way to have launched our concert series!" exclaims Gantt. "It was wonderful to see the community come together to make this happen and we couldn't have succeeded without the support of our city council whose diligent efforts guaranteed we would open in time. For a first time event in a brand new facility, it was amazing to me that everything went so smoothly. I guess the best testament was when Lonestar asked how soon they could come back to perform again," states Gantt.
Thursday, April 21st - Olivia Newton-John not only brought out all the stops for her concert, but Greased Lightning car builder George Barris and the vehicle from the 1978 motion picture "Grease" along with longtime fans as well as breast cancer supporters and survivors, like herself.
The local Inland Empire Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation received $5,016.00 from the concert benefit, which showcased Newton-John's many hits including "You're The One That I Want" and "I Honestly Love You" with material from her new album, "Indigo-Women of Song." Opening Act, Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist, Deborah Liv Johnson, also contributed toward the cause - Johnson has released seven CDs on her own Mojave Sun Records label including "A Mountain We Will Climb" (a CD single written for breast cancer survivor and mountaineer Laura Evans), and the "Real Women Project" (another fundraiser for breast cancer). The Susan G. Komen Foundation is a global leader in the fight to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment in communities around the world.
For years, the Corona area had lacked one significant element to mark its arrival as a major cosmopolitan community - a state-of-the-art concert facility/entertainment complex to attract national talent. The mission statement for Crossroads Church is to be a church anyone can come to.
They will continue to move forward in Stage 1 at Candlewalk visibility and growth with charity benefits, increasing the development of non-profit alliances which will do greater things for the community and the world.
"Crossroads, is a non denominational church that has been a cornerstone in the community for over one hundred years," states Bettina Breckenfeld of Plan B Events, the promoter of the concerts. "There's nothing like this anywhere in the Inland Empire and neighboring communities, and as a resident of Corona, I'm excited to be a part of such a worthwhile program."
STAGE 1 AT CANDLEWALK is proudly sponsored by Crossroads in Corona and will be the new home of Crossroads Church upon completion. STAGE 1 utilizes the most advanced production available in its state of the art facility which seats 3200. The facility was designed and built from the ground up with one purpose in mind - to present the ultimate audio and visual experience.
For more information on upcoming events go to www.stage1atcandlewalk.com.
