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Top Christian acts come to the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds for GraceFest 2007

Christian performing group Big Daddy Weave will perform at GraceFest 2007. Formed in Mobile, Ala., two brothers from the group, Mike and Jay Weaver, are originally from Gulf Breeze.

"We love keeping it on the home front," Mike Weaver said. "We're still connected [to Gulf Breeze], and they won't let us forget where we are from. I've been all over the place, and I realized that this area has some very special elements that not everyone else has. I love the hospitality of the South. I love to see the sun shine on the water as I come across the bay bridge, and I love bringing people back to where I come from," said Mike Weaver.

Big Daddy Weave is set to return to the Gulf Coast in early spring as they perform at GraceFest being held at the Pensacola Fair Grounds on April 14 at 4:15 p.m. Members of the critically acclaimed band are no strangers to GraceFest either, having performed at the event since it's conception.

"GraceFest is a mainstay for us. We may have missed one. It's like a giant family reunion, and it's been a really neat thing. We actually played GraceFest before we were signed," Weaver said.

Event planners agree with Weaver that the relationship has been mutually beneficial for both Big Daddy Weave and GraceFest. As the band's success and audience has grown, so have the credibility and audiences of the Christian music festival.

"We're really proud of them," GraceFest event facilitator Sparkie Folkers said. "We know that they want to come back home. They love playing GraceFest, and we love having them. They always have an open invitation," Folkers said.

Salvador displays creative finesse

Christian contemporary band Salvador will perform at GraceFest April 14 at 5:30 p.m. The band is currently on tour supporting their new album entitled "Dismiss the Mystery."

Salvador's sixth studio album marks a seminal point in the band's history where it is evident in their work that they are no longer fresh faced boys off the streets of Austin, Texas, but rather proven young men of experience who have developed a savvy style of musicianship that is both equally avant garde and marketable at the same time.

Over the past seven years in which Salvador has toured throughout the country and at times outside of it, a fan base began to rapidly grow. According to the members of even more surprising to them is that their fans keep coming and supporting.

Not only has growth been among the fans, but also within the group as well. Adding to the existing members of Nic Gonzales, lead vocals and guitar, Josh Gonzales, bass and background vocals, Chris Bevins, keyboards, and Jared Solis, trombone and saxophone, the band completes its family with brass man Edwin Santiago (trumpet and flugelhorn), drummer Ben Cordonero and percussionist Robert Vilera. Nic Gonzales calls the three men Salvador's "valuable acquisitions." Cordonero, a Nicaraguan from Miami, not only plays the drums but also traditional Latin percussion.

T.T. Wentworth celebrates 50th

West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc. (WFHPI) will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum April 14 from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, located at 330 S. Jefferson St. in downtown Pensacola. The Avalon Middle School Band will perform at 9:45 a.m., followed by a flag ceremony with remarks given by Pensacola Mayor John Fogg and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Seabreeze Jazz Fest this weekend

Seabreeze Jazz Fest is the weekend of April 13-15 at the Gulf Place Outdoor Amphitheater just east of Destin. Showcasing the top national talent in smooth contemporary jazz, the event attract over 10,000 people in 2006 from all over the USA, Canada, and Europe.

Details: www.seabreezejazzfestival. com.