Bands, ministries to take over park for Summer Slam

The Suffolk Summer Slam is just around the corner, and a variety of bands will be playing for the crowds at Bennett’s Creek Park.

The annual event will take place Aug. 27 from 1 to 8 p.m. at the park at 3000 Bennett’s Creek Park Road. Bands include Raiderz of the Lost, Name Above, Awaiting the Son and The Difference.

The event is sponsored by Impact Suffolk, and also will include games and a school supply drive for the Salvation Army.

Jeff Keeney with Impact Suffolk said the group chose the bands because they are local and have a variety of sounds.

“We talked about a whole bunch of different groups to have this year,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we gave local groups an opportunity to perform and connect with the community.”

The Difference is a young band that started playing together in high school. They do a lot of independent and original work, Keeney said.

Awaiting the Son is the worship band at Western Branch Community Church. Their style includes more contemporary worship music like might be heard on Christian music station K-LOVE, Keeney said.

Name Above also is a young group that has grown up playing in worship bands together, he said. Their sound is also more contemporary worship.

The featured band is Raiderz of the Lost, which plays Christian-based hip-hip with “more of an urban sound,” Keeney said.

The concert event also will feature ministries like VA Fire Team, which ministers to others through music, drama and skits; the SOAR Dunk Team from Liberty University, which does high-flying basketball stunts; Teens for Christ, a local ministry; and two branches of Christian Youth in Action, a group of children who spend their summers ministering through face-painting and games.

For more information on the Suffolk Summer Slam, visit www.impactsuffolk.org.