Country gospel concert set

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Country gospel group High Valley will bring an evening of music for the entire family when it appears in concert at 7 p.m., Thursday, in the Evangelical Bible Church, 2891 Fifth St. W.

“Our goal is to bring families together,” said lead singer Brad Rempel, speaking while on tour in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. “We’re from a family of six children with a Mennonite background. It’s all family entertainment for sure.”

The Canadian trio, which includes Rempel’s brothers, Brian and Curtis, has opened shows for Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes and Reba McEntire. They just came off the road after touring with Ricky Skaggs.

“We had our fourth song to Top 20 on the Billboard up here — it’s been a pretty exciting week,” he said.

High Valley’s album, “Broken Borders” was named Album of the Year at the 2007 GMA Canada Covenant Awards in the country category.

Their hit, “Back to You,” was honored as Country Song of the Year. High Valley has been among the nominees for Group of the Year at the Nashville-based Inspirational Country Music Awards.

High Valley’s self-titled album is a collection that may prompt soul searching about relationships and priorities, according to a release.

“We wanted a mixture of feel-good tunes and we wanted faith-based songs as well,” said Rempel. “We wanted to stay clear of any negative songs about families being torn apart. We wanted to record songs that would be great for the whole family.”

Rempel lives in Nashville, where he’s also a song writer — writing for High Valley and groups such as Black Hawk and Diamond Rio.

The Thursday concert is their fourth visit to Dickinson. This tour also will include stops at Glen Ullin and Northwood, before a show in Nashville, said Rempel.

The concert is a fundraiser for Hope Christian Academy, said Principal Shane Bradley.

The academy is celebrating 30 years of providing Christian education in Dickinson. The academy offers education for preschool through grade 8. It plans to offer high school courses, creating a need for more space.

“We are excited to see God do great things as we grow as a school and keep in step with His leadership,” he said.

No tickets are needed for the concert. A free-will offering will be taken, with all proceeds going toward the Hope Christian Academy building expansion project.

For more information, contact Hope Christian Academy at 701-225-3919 or www.hcadickinson.org.

Tags: celebrations