The Summer a Valley Became a City
For nearly four decades, Creation Festival transformed Agape Farm into a temporary city of tents, campers, stages and worshippers. The four-day gathering placed the Mount Union area on the national Christian-music map and left a deep store of memories for residents, volunteers and visitors.
How Creation Came to Agape Farm
Agape Before Creation
A newspaper advertisement records a three-day “Jesus Family” gathering at Agape Camp Farm from August 25–27, 1977. The program combined Christian family-life teaching, music, youth and children's events, scheduled morning, afternoon and evening sessions, and on-site camping.
Founded at Muddy Run
Harry Thomas Jr. and Timothy Landis founded Creation East in 1979 at Muddy Run Park in Lancaster County. The event combined contemporary Christian music, preaching, teaching and communal worship. Within five years, its audience had outgrown the original site.
A New Home in the Mountains
Jesus Ministries offered Agape Farm as the festival's new home. Creation first gathered there June 21–23, 1984, the year the farm's stage building was erected. Contemporary reporting anticipated 25,000 people for the inaugural Agape gathering. Although publicity often identified the location with Mount Union, Agape Farm is near Shirleysburg at 17512 Rapture Street.
Two Histories Met at the Farm
Agape Farm already had its own outdoor-ministry story. Jesus Ministries traces the property to a 285-acre farm acquired and developed during the late 1970s for Jesus Festivals. Creation's arrival in 1984 joined that existing campground and ministry infrastructure to a rapidly expanding national music festival.
The 1977 “Jesus Family” advertisement shows what that earlier ministry looked like. Music included the Farr Family, Eastman Quartet, Ron and Shirley Lutz, the New Creation Singers and Jack Hess, with additional evening appearances by the Singing Rambos, Maria Anne Hirschmann, Doug Oldham and others. Workshops addressed communication, counseling, finances, parent-child relationships and family worship. A three-day family registration cost $35, children ages six through twelve paid half price, children five and younger entered free, and camping facilities were advertised.
An Agapé Camp Farm Postcard
This undated promotional postcard records the remarkable scale of the annual summer Jesus Event that occupied the farm before Creation arrived. The aerial view shows the stage field, campground roads and thousands of tightly packed campers spreading across the valley.
Creation '84: Building a New Home
The Daily News described the move as a response to growing camper and day-visitor crowds at Creation's former Lancaster County location. Agape was presented as capable of holding 25,000 people, with a stage, permanent bathrooms and hot showers. Events were scheduled from 9 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., followed by a coffeehouse-style afterglow.
Amy Grant, Gaither Vocal Band, Al Green and Glad were among the artists named in advance coverage. The three-day adult ticket, including camping, cost $29; children ages six through twelve paid $11, and children five and younger entered free. The program also advertised Friday-night fireworks, children's activities and after-hours events. A separate “Jesus '84” gathering was already scheduled at Agape for August 9–11, showing that the farm continued its broader ministry calendar alongside Creation.
Coverage published during the festival reported approximately 15,000 people on the grounds for Thursday's opening and another 10,000 expected Friday. Cars had been streaming along Route 522 since Wednesday evening. Director Harry Thomas described Agape as secluded, surrounded by mountains and well suited to an outdoor festival. A Daily News photograph by Kim Free showed the opening-day crowd filling the main arena.
The published schedule preserves the rhythm of the first Agape edition: Whiteheart, David and the Giants, Randy Stonehill, Josh McDowell and Al Green on Friday; Josh McDowell, Isaac Air Freight, Robert Coleman, DeGarmo & Key, Charles Mahaney, Daniel Band, Noel Paul Stookey, Michael W. Smith, Eric Delve and Amy Grant on Saturday; and a Sunday morning worship program after the advertised three festival days.
Creation '85: A Temporary City Returns
The second Agape edition ran June 27–29, 1985. Advance registration was 27 percent higher than the previous year, and organizers believed the total would exceed 25,000. More than 18,000 people were reported at Thursday's opening, with about 95 percent of attendees coming from northeastern states. At peak arrival, campers waited as long as two and a half hours to reach the main gate while vehicles flowed along Route 522 and Hill Valley Road.
Local reporting described a city of tents, campers, food stands, a festival store and a large fellowship tent. Mount Union grocer Joe Barrett Sr., who worked at Creation festivals from the event’s late-1970s beginnings through the 1980s, invested more than $23,000 in inventory and worked with two helpers from 6 a.m. until around midnight. The 1985 report offers one documented view of his longer service rather than the full span of his involvement. Ted and Loretta Nypaver of Orbisonia expected to keep their pizza ovens hot past midnight. License plates from every state were observed, with Pennsylvania and New Jersey most common.
The program mixed concerts, comedy, international speakers, children's ministry, seminars and communion. Isaac Air Freight—Dan Rupple and Dave Toole—provided comedy, while Tony Campolo, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Luis Palau, Larry Tomczak, Chuck Smith, Charles Mahaney and Mike Cavanaugh were among the speakers and seminar leaders named in contemporary coverage.
A post-festival report estimated attendance above 30,000 using registration and campsite figures. About 28,000 people were said to have taken part in Friday's midnight candlelight service, while Saturday's communion and a smaller Sunday worship gathering brought the weekend to a close. Organizers reported no major problems, even as heavy traffic carried the temporary city away along Route 522 and Hill Valley Road.
Columnist Natalie S. Love captured the human scale of the arrival: despite a line of cars stretching for miles, she observed little horn-honking or hostility. Travelers sang, talked with people in neighboring vehicles and sometimes walked the final mile to the farm.
Creation '86: A Larger View of the Stage
Organizers expected at least 30,000 people for Creation '86, held June 26–28. A new 25-foot screen suspended above the main stage was intended to give the enormous evening audience a closer view, while Nashville production company Ark 2 supplied a redesigned stage and new lighting.
Advance coverage named first-time Creation performers Russ Taff and Crumbächer, along with Petra appearing with a new lead singer. Melody Green, national director of Americans Against Abortion, was announced for a program that continued to combine music, Bible teaching, worship and fellowship.
The same report described the previous year's crowd as roughly 28,000, while the July 1985 post-festival account had estimated more than 30,000. Both contemporary figures are retained here because they were produced at different times and from different estimates.
Music, Worship and a Temporary City
A National Music Destination
Creation presented major Christian rock, pop, hip-hop and worship artists alongside emerging performers. The main stage was joined by a second venue known as the Fringe Stage, allowing performances and speakers to run across much of each day. Setlist records and contemporary newspapers presently document 36 editions and name 355 different artists, an incomplete but revealing measure of the festival's musical reach.
More Than Concerts
The program expanded beyond music to include speakers, children's programming, prayer, communion, baptisms, late-night events, extreme sports, fireworks and the candlelight service remembered by generations of attendees.
Life in the Fields
Most visitors camped on or around the farm. For several days, rows of tents, recreational vehicles, food vendors, ministries, portable facilities and footpaths turned the rural valley into a dense, self-contained settlement.
A Snapshot of Creation 2007
The 2007 festival drew a reported audience of about 75,000, following the contemporary local estimate of nearly 85,000 visitors at the 2005 peak. Its lineup included Switchfoot, Skillet, Flyleaf, Relient K, Casting Crowns, TobyMac, Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Third Day, the David Crowder Band, Thousand Foot Krutch, Kutless, BarlowGirl and dozens more. The photograph above records that year's sea of campers and the crowd gathered below the main stage.
Scenes from Agape Farm
Local newspaper photographs preserve the scale of the crowds, the people in the audience, the performers on stage and the vendors who kept the temporary city running.
The Annual Newspaper Record
A year-by-year search of NewspaperArchive located 37 page-level records for Creation between 1984 and 2022. The index below links directly to a representative page for each year where a usable record was found. Some years produced full local reporting; the thin late-period record sometimes preserves only a brief regional mention. Years with no usable result are identified plainly rather than reconstructed by assumption.
What the Annual Search Clarified
Contemporary coverage confirms that Creation '87 was held June 25–27 and concluded after Saturday night's communion service. It also documents 38,000 attendees in 1988, record attendance in 1992, an estimated 60,000 in 1993, the weather cancellation and local economic loss of 1995, the temporary Hershey moves in 1996 and 2003, the return to Agape in 2004, an influx of nearly 85,000 in 2005, and the flood cancellation of 2006.
Founding years: 1979–1989
- 1979: Founded at Muddy Run Park. No usable Creation-specific page located in the current NewspaperArchive search.
- 1980: Muddy Run edition. No usable Creation-specific page located.
- 1981: Muddy Run edition. No usable Creation-specific page located.
- 1982: Muddy Run edition. No usable Creation-specific page located.
- 1983: Final edition before the move to Agape Farm. No usable Creation-specific page located.
- 1984: The Daily News, “25,000 expected at Creation festival,” June 15.
- 1985: The Daily News, “Creation '85 attendance exceeds 30,000,” July 1.
- 1986: The Daily News, “Creation '86 draws 30,000 plus crowd,” June 30.
- 1987: The Daily News, “Creation '87 draws to close,” June 29.
- 1988: Tyrone Daily Herald, “38,000 Attend Creation '88,” June 27.
- 1989: The Daily News, “Creation '89 ends; directors thankful for neighborliness,” June 26.
Growth, weather and relocation: 1990–1999
- 1990: The Daily News, “Creation '90 visitors form temporary city at Agape,” June 29.
- 1991: The Daily News, “Creation festival attendance goes over 33,000 mark,” July 1.
- 1992: The Daily News, “Creation '92 breaks attendance records,” June 29.
- 1993: The Daily News, “Amy Grant attracts 60,000 at Creation,” June 28.
- 1994: The Daily News, “Mount Union businesses get boost from Creation crowd,” July 5.
- 1995: Festival canceled after heavy rain left the farm unusable. The Daily News, “No Creation costs county $$$!,” July 5.
- 1996: The Daily News, “Creation '96 moved to Hersheypark,” June 24.
- 1997: The Daily News, “Creation '97 was ‘largest and best; glad to be back!’,” June 30.
- 1998: The Daily News, “Creation numbers ‘maxed out this year’,” June 29.
- 1999: The Daily News, “Creation '99 director reports Agape's attendance, converts,” June 28.
A growing temporary city: 2000–2009
- 2000: The Daily News, “‘Creation’ festival to draw thousands for music, ministry,” June 13.
- 2001: The Daily News, “Christian music fills air at Agape,” June 28.
- 2002: Altoona Mirror, “Celebrating God in nature's sky dome,” June 21.
- 2003: Saturated grounds forced the festival to Hershey. Altoona Mirror, “Creation festival moving,” June 12.
- 2004: Altoona Mirror, “Creation returns today,” June 22.
- 2005: The Daily News, “Creation festival ends with no major incidents,” July 5.
- 2006: Festival canceled before opening because of rain and flooding. The Daily News, “Rain cancels Creation event,” June 26.
- 2007: Altoona Mirror, “Thousands of Christians converge on farm to celebrate God with music,” June 22.
- 2008: Altoona Mirror, “Festival goer: ‘You're out in God's creation’,” June 13.
- 2009: The Daily News, “Agape fields quiet after Creation 2009 comes to a close,” June 29.
The later Agape years: 2010–2019
- 2010: Indiana Gazette, “Creation festival draws the faithful,” July 4.
- 2011: The Daily News, “Creation rocks Huntingdon County,” July 2.
- 2012: Altoona Mirror, Creation Festival feature, June 15.
- 2013: The Daily News, “Creation Northeast 2013,” June 29.
- 2014: Altoona Mirror, “Creation Festival kicks off,” June 26.
- 2015: Altoona Mirror, “A Festival for All Ages,” July 2.
- 2016: Altoona Mirror, “Thousands expected to attend Creation Fest,” July 1.
- 2017: The Daily News, “Locals prepare for festival,” June 28.
- 2018: The only useful year-specific result located was an Altoona Mirror food-inspection record listing Creation Festival facilities at 17512 Rapture Street.
- 2019: A Titusville Herald community report, July 10, records a local church group's trip to Creation 2019, held June 26–29.
Pause and final gathering: 2020–2022
- 2020: No festival during the COVID-19 pandemic. No usable Creation-specific page located in the current NewspaperArchive search.
- 2021: No festival during the COVID-19 pandemic. No usable Creation-specific page located.
- 2022: Creation returned for its final gathering. The Daily News, Creation/Agape festival coverage, July 1.
Creation, Year by Year
Explore every Creation East edition currently cataloged by setlist.fm, supplemented by local newspaper reporting for 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1993. Together, the sources document 36 editions and name 355 distinct artists. Search for a performer or year, or open an edition to see every artist recorded for it.
How to Read This Archive
These are the artists named by the cited sources, not certified complete lineups. Setlist.fm is community-maintained: heavily documented years may contain dozens of names, while 2022 presently contains only three. Some pages record scheduled appearances even when a performance did not occur. Creation 2006 is the clearest example because flooding canceled the festival. Contemporary newspaper reporting reconstructs 1985, adds two performers to the 1986 record and supplies part of the 1993 lineup.
No edition pages are currently listed on setlist.fm for 1979–1982, 1985, 1987, 1993 or the canceled 1995 festival; newspaper coverage now supplies a substantial 1985 roster and part of the 1993 record. The pandemic prevented the 2020 and 2021 gatherings. Remaining gaps are preserved rather than filled by inference.
Showing all 36 documented editions.
2022 3 artists recorded
- Colony House
- Disciple
- Newsboys
2019 10 artists recorded
- Hillsong Worship
- Mandisa
- Crowder
- Geoff Moore
- Tenth Avenue North
- Elevation Worship
- Kari Jobe
- Andy Mineo
- LEDGER
- Skillet
2018 3 artists recorded
- Bethel Music
- North Point Worship
- for KING & COUNTRY
2017 4 artists recorded
- for KING & COUNTRY
- Relient K
- Skillet
- Tenth Avenue North
2016 15 artists recorded
- for KING & COUNTRY
- NF
- Red
- Andy Mineo
- Jeremy Camp
- Newsboys
- Stars Go Dim
- Crowder
- Disciple
- Tedashii
- Family Force 5
- KB
- Rend Collective
- Switchfoot
- VERIDIA
2015 14 artists recorded
- Colton Dixon
- Lecrae
- Phinehas
- Gideon
- Matthew West
- Silent Planet
- Skillet
- We as Human
- NF
- Peter Furler
- tobyMac
- Rend Collective
- Spoken
- Switchfoot
2014 13 artists recorded
- War of Ages
- August Burns Red
- for KING & COUNTRY
- Newsboys
- Wolves at the Gate
- Andy Mineo
- Brightwork
- Family Force 5
- I Am Spartacus
- Colton Dixon
- Disciple
- NEEDTOBREATHE
- Switchfoot
2013 46 artists recorded
- Audio Adrenaline
- Family Force 5
- For Today
- Living Sacrifice
- Petra
- Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil
- Switchfoot
- The Overseer
- The Seeking
- An Epic, No Less
- Ark of the Covenant
- Building 429
- Capital Kings
- Gideon
- Julian Drive
- Lecrae
- Matt Maher
- Newsboys
- Nine Lashes
- Project 86
- The City Harmonic
- Wolves at the Gate
- Worship Together
- Ben Cantelon
- Coastal Rise
- Crowder
- Everfound
- George Canyon
- I, the Breather
- Impending Doom
- Passion
- Passion feat. Chris Tomlin
- Random Hero
- Rapture Ruckus
- Sleeping Giant
- Those Who Fear
- We Are Leo
- Aaron Shust
- Children 18:3
- for KING & COUNTRY
- Hawk Nelson
- Holly Starr
- Mike Mains & the Branches
- Plumb
- Skillet
- We as Human
2012 52 artists recorded
- Chris Tomlin
- David Crowder
- Emery
- Kutless
- Oh, Sleeper
- Rapture Ruckus
- Switchfoot
- The Overseer
- Wolves at the Gate
- Bread of Stone
- Children 18:3
- Disciple
- Flatfoot 56
- for KING & COUNTRY
- Head
- Hyland
- Love and Death
- Red
- Sent by Ravens
- Shonlock
- Tenth Avenue North
- The City Harmonic
- The School of Worship
- To Speak of Wolves
- tobyMac
- Underoath
- All Sons & Daughters
- Becoming the Archetype
- Blissed
- Chris August
- Demon Hunter
- Family Force 5
- Group 1 Crew
- Icon for Hire
- Kye Kye
- Manafest
- Matt Goss
- Mikeschair
- Nick Vujicic
- Rend Collective
- Sleeping Giant
- The Letter Black
- The O.C. Supertones
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Write This Down
- An Epic, No Less
- Dominic Balli
- Newsboys
- Planetshakers
- Project 86
- Royal Tailor
- The Rocket Summer
2011 46 artists recorded
- Family Force 5
- Lecrae
- Newsboys
- Blissed
- Brenton Brown
- Charmaine
- Chris Tomlin
- Hawk Nelson
- Hyland
- Manafest
- Red
- Sent by Ravens
- SHINEBRIGHT
- The Museum
- Third Day
- Aaron Gillespie
- Acoustic Café
- Crossing Jordan
- Daniel Bashta
- Disciple
- Francesca Battistelli
- I Am Empire
- Icon for Hire
- KJ‐52
- Robert Pierre
- Shawn McDonald
- Skillet
- Swimming With Dolphins
- Tenth Avenue North
- The Almost
- Trailblaza
- Allistair
- Brandon Heath
- Carlos Whittaker
- Chris August
- Coastal Rise
- Emery
- Head
- Jamie Grace
- Myesha Chaney
- Owl City
- Rapture Ruckus
- Shonlock
- The Letter Black
- tobyMac
- Write This Down
2010 7 artists recorded
- Switchfoot
- House of Heroes
- The Letter Black
- Superchick
- Head
- Skillet
- Tenth Avenue North
2009 40 artists recorded
- Remedy Drive
- Bluetree
- Skillet
- Relient K
- Robin Mark
- The Sonflowerz
- Michelle Bonilla
- Fee
- BarlowGirl
- Worth Dying For
- Hawk Nelson
- Chris Tomlin
- Reilly
- Esterlyn
- Lecrae
- Stellar Kart
- Disciple
- Stephanie Smith
- Group 1 Crew
- Pillar
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Lincoln Brewster
- David Crowder Band
- Third Day
- House of Heroes
- Spoken
- John Reuben
- Joel Auge
- Unspoken
- NEEDTOBREATHE
- Red
- Family Force 5
- Kutless
- Casting Crowns
- Doubledge
- B.Reith
- Children 18:3
- Ivoryline
- The Showdown
- The Classic Crime
2008 47 artists recorded
- Flyleaf
- Leeland
- Skillet
- Switchfoot
- Parachute Band
- Britt Nicole
- Phil Wickham
- Sanctus Real
- Pillar
- Family Force 5
- Ayiesha Woods
- David Crowder Band
- Newsboys
- Ashes Remain
- Children 18:3
- Seabird
- Dizmas
- Stellar Kart
- Superchick
- Fee
- Phil Keaggy
- Disciple
- Group 1 Crew
- Hawk Nelson
- Joel Auge
- Kutless
- Amy Grant
- Chris Tomlin
- Generation Letter
- Worth Dying For
- Run Kid Run
- Future of Forestry
- The Afters
- Red
- Tenth Avenue North
- The Washington Projects
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Mike Farris
- BarlowGirl
- Harry Thomas
- Jeremy Camp
- tobyMac
- Ruth
- eleventyseven
- Fireflight
- Inhale Exhale
- The Myriad
2007 34 artists recorded
- Bethany Barnard
- Relient K
- Skillet
- Switchfoot
- Britt Nicole
- David Crowder Band
- Day of Fire
- Disciple
- Family Force 5
- Fireflight
- KJ‐52
- Pillar
- Project 86
- Salvador
- Third Day
- Tim Hughes
- Unspoken
- Casting Crowns
- Emery
- Gritz
- Hawk Nelson
- Leeland
- M.O.C
- Mainstay
- The Afters
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- tobyMac
- BarlowGirl
- Flyleaf
- House of Heroes
- John Reuben
- Newsboys
- Sanctus Real
- Stellar Kart
2006 49 artists recorded
Scheduled roster: Creation 2006 was canceled because of flooding; these names document the festival listing, not completed performances.
- Bethany Barnard
- Jeremy Camp
- Relient K
- Skillet
- Vicky Beeching
- David Crowder
- Day of Fire
- Disciple
- Family Force 5
- George Huff
- KJ 52
- Krystal Meyers
- Kutless
- Pocket Full of Rocks
- Project 86
- Salvador
- Seventh Day Slumber
- Superchick
- The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher
- Third Day
- Casting Crowns
- Flyleaf
- House of Heroes
- Joshua Harris
- Leeland
- Mainstay
- Matt Redman
- MOC
- Pillar
- Stellar Kart
- Storyside:B
- The Afters
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- tobyMac
- Worship Together
- Anberlin
- Audio Adrenaline
- BarlowGirl
- Edison Glass
- Falling Up
- Fireflight
- Grits
- Hawk Nelson
- Israel & New Breed
- John Reuben
- Newsboys
- Parachute Band
- Sanctus Real
- Starfield
2005 28 artists recorded
- BarlowGirl
- David Crowder Band
- Relient K
- Starfield
- Switchfoot
- Caedmon’s Call
- Forever Changed
- Krystal Meyers
- Michael W. Smith
- MUTEMATH
- Sanctus Real
- Tait
- tobyMac
- 4th Avenue Jones
- Casting Crowns
- Disciple
- Family Force 5
- John Reuben
- Mat Kearney
- Newsboys
- Phil Keaggy
- Roper
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Audio Adrenaline
- Hawk Nelson
- House of Heroes
- Joy Williams
- MercyMe
2004 31 artists recorded
- Jars of Clay
- Kutless
- Stacie Orrico
- Audio Adrenaline
- Casting Crowns
- Chris Tomlin
- Cool Hand Luke
- John Reuben
- Petra
- Plumb
- Sanctus Real
- Sarah Kelly
- Seventh Day Slumber
- Skillet
- Switchfoot
- The Mint
- Trevor Morgan
- 12 Stones
- downhere
- Grits
- Holland
- Jeremy Camp
- Out of Eden
- Pillar
- Seven Places
- Starfield
- Steven Curtis Chapman
- The Cross Movement
- tobyMac
- Delirious?
- Relient K
2003 49 artists recorded
- Grits
- Tait
- Rebecca St. James
- Hero
- Third Day
- Superchick
- Jeremy Camp
- 38th Parallel
- Alathea
- The Mint
- David Crowder Band
- Souljahz
- Pillar
- Switchfoot
- The Katinas
- Sixpence None the Richer
- Steve Taylor
- Newsboys
- Unsettled
- Seventh Day Slumber
- Zilch
- Sanctus Real
- John Reuben
- Bleach
- The Cross Movement
- Rock ’n’ Roll Worship Circus
- Rachael Lampa
- Skillet
- Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill
- ZOEgirl
- The O.C. Supertones
- Sandtown
- tobyMac
- Michael W. Smith
- Denver and the Mile High Orchestra
- The Benjamin Gate
- Big Dismal
- Ace Troubleshooter
- Kutless
- Tree63
- KJ‐52
- Chris Tomlin
- Lincoln Brewster
- PAX217
- The Elms
- Relient K
- Paul Colman Trio
- MercyMe
- Audio Adrenaline
2002 28 artists recorded
- Audio Adrenaline
- Point of Grace
- The Cross Movement
- tobyMac
- Ceili Rain
- Kirk Franklin
- Phil Keaggy
- Pillar
- Stacie Orrico
- Ten Shekel Shirt
- The Benjamin Gate
- The O.C. Supertones
- Third Day
- Beanbag
- Chris Rice
- Delirious?
- Michael W. Smith
- Paul Colman Trio
- Relient K
- Rock ’n’ Roll Worship Circus
- Skillet
- Ace Troubleshooter
- Bleach
- Five Iron Frenzy
- Jennifer Knapp
- John Reuben
- Newsboys
- Switchfoot
2001 48 artists recorded
- Audio Adrenaline
- FFH
- Jennifer Knapp
- The Cross Movement
- .rod laver
- Ballydowse
- Earthsuit
- Glenn Kaiser
- Jaci Velasquez
- Kendall Payne
- Living Sacrifice
- PAX217
- Rachael Lampa
- Stacie Orrico
- Stavesacre
- Switchfoot
- The Katinas
- Third Day
- Ben Glover
- Daniel Amos
- Grits
- John Reuben
- Kirk Franklin presents One Nation Crew
- Knowdaverbs
- L.A. Symphony
- Lincoln Brewster
- Newsboys
- Nicole C. Mullen
- Plus One
- Randy Stonehill
- Sammy Ward
- Sweet Comfort Band
- The 77s
- The O.C. Supertones
- Darrell Evans
- dc Talk
- Jami Smith
- Kevin Max
- Project 86
- Relient K
- Rita Springer
- Skillet
- SONICFLOOd
- Tait
- The Insyderz
- tobyMac
- Tree63
- True Vibe
2000 37 artists recorded
- Audio Adrenaline
- Newsboys
- Raze
- Rebecca St. James
- The Katinas
- The O.C. Supertones
- Beanbag
- Caedmon’s Call
- Five O'Clock People
- Gospel Gangstaz
- Larry Norman
- PAX217
- Polar Boy
- Project 86
- Relient K
- Switchfoot
- This Train
- Earthsuit
- Justin McRoberts
- Out of Eden
- P.O.D.
- Phil Keaggy
- Reality Check
- Shaded Red
- Shine MK
- Steven Curtis Chapman
- Third Day
- All Together Separate
- ApologetiX
- Avalon
- Bleach
- Delirious?
- Five Iron Frenzy
- Fono
- Plus One
- Smalltown Poets
- Clear
1999 16 artists recorded
- Avalon
- dc Talk
- FFH
- Skillet
- Smalltown Poets
- The O.C. Supertones
- Burlap to Cashmere
- Five Iron Frenzy
- Jaci Velasquez
- Jars of Clay
- Caedmon’s Call
- Larry Norman
- Newsboys
- Petra
- Point of Grace
- Clear
1998 1 artist recorded
1997 2 artists recorded
- Skillet
- Carman
1996 3 artists recorded
- Geoff Moore & the Distance
- Jars of Clay
- Rich Mullins
1994 1 artist recorded
- Michael Sweet
1993 1 artist named in local coverage
Partial newspaper record: The Daily News documents Amy Grant's closing performance but does not provide the complete festival lineup.
- Amy Grant
The Daily News, “Amy Grant attracts 60,000 at Creation,” June 28, 1993, pages 1–2.
1992 2 artists recorded
- dc Talk
- Phil Keaggy
1991 1 artist recorded
1990 1 artist recorded
1989 1 artist recorded
1988 6 artists recorded
- Honeytree
- Margaret Becker
- Michael Peace
- Petra
- Phil Keaggy
- Twila Paris
1986 4 artists documented
Newspaper additions: Advance coverage names first-time Creation performers Russ Taff and Crumbächer beyond the two artists in the current setlist.fm record.
- Petra
- The Innocence Mission
- Russ Taff
- Crumbächer
View the 1986 festival record on setlist.fm
The Daily News, “30,000 expected at Creation '86,” June 21, 1986, page 11.
1985 17 performers documented
Newspaper reconstruction: Setlist.fm does not presently include a 1985 edition page. These performers are drawn from advance and on-site reporting and should not be read as a certified complete lineup.
- Leslie Phillips
- Glad
- Terry Talbot Band
- Leon Patillo
- Denny Duron
- The Front
- Craig Marlett
- Rob Evans and Kids
- The Imperials
- Rick Cua Band
- Kathy Troccoli
- Randy Stonehill
- Eric Delve
- Michael W. Smith
- Jim and Kim Thomas
- David Teems
- Isaac Air Freight
Speakers and ministry leaders named in the coverage: Tony Campolo, Charles Mahaney, Larry Tomczak, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Chuck Smith, Mike Cavanaugh, Luis Palau and Roger Cooper.
The Daily News, “25,000 expected for Creation '85 festival,” June 22, 1985, pages 20–21.
The Daily News, “Nation's largest Christian festival begins at Agape,” June 28, 1985, pages 3 and 25.
1984 20 artists documented
Newspaper additions: Contemporary coverage gives a June 21–23 schedule and supplies nine names beyond the current setlist.fm record. The Sunday schedule prints the name “Kathy Sini”; that spelling is retained as published.
- Al Green
- David and the Giants
- Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart
- Randy Stonehill
- White Heart
- Amy Grant
- Daniel Band
- DeGarmo & Key
- Isaac Air Freight
- Michael W. Smith
- Noel Paul Stookey
- Gaither Vocal Band
- Glad
- Joe English Band
- Leslie Phillips
- Dave Fullen
- Christian Stephens
- Ralston Bowles
- Roger Cooper
- Kathy Sini
View the 1984 festival record on setlist.fm
The Daily News, “25,000 expected at Creation festival,” June 15, 1984, pages 1 and 20.
The Daily News, “Creation '84 festival attracts sea of people,” June 22, 1984, page 20.
1983 6 artists recorded
- Petra
- Sandi Patty
- Silverwind
- Joe English
- Kathy Troccoli
- White Heart
No documented edition matches that search.
What Creation Meant Locally
At festival scale, Agape Farm could hold more people than lived in the surrounding boroughs and townships combined. The annual arrival was visible and audible far beyond the property: traffic thickened, nearby businesses met waves of visitors, local residents worked or volunteered, and the illuminated stage could be seen from the mountainside. For many Mount Union-area families, “Creation week” became a recurring marker of summer.
Creation '93: 60,000 People and a Town Transformed
Local reporting provides an unusually vivid picture of Creation's regional impact. The Daily News estimated that attendance reached 60,000 for Amy Grant's Saturday performance and the candlelight service that closed the festival's fifteenth-anniversary gathering. Grant requested that the service move from Friday to Saturday so it could be filmed for her “I Believe in God” video. The paper also reported visitors from countries around the world and additional camping ground rented from a neighboring property.
When the crowd departed, traffic backed up bumper-to-bumper along Jefferson Street toward the signal near the Neu Bridge. Mount Union merchants described booming sales; Bill Ewing of the Sandwich and Buffet Restaurant said breakfast and lunch business had been outstanding. Festival leaders and local emergency-management officials planned to work together on the following year's traffic.
National accounts tended to describe a remote Pennsylvania farm; local memory supplies the other half of the story. Residents remember the lines of vehicles, sudden crowds, weather alerts, supply runs, visitors asking directions and the striking view of a fully built festival city occupying fields that were quiet during the rest of the year.
A Festival Exposed to the Elements
Creation's outdoor setting was central to its identity and one of its greatest vulnerabilities. Thunderstorms and flooding canceled the Pennsylvania festival in 1995 and again in 2006. In 1996 and 2003, it operated at Hershey rather than Agape Farm. Torrential rain and flooding also interrupted the opening day in 2014, reinforcing a familiar lesson: every large gathering at the farm depended on the condition of its fields, roads and waterways.
The festival also changed with the Christian-music industry. A Northwest counterpart began in 1998, national touring experiments followed, and Creation became involved for a time with other festival brands. Through those expansions, Agape Farm remained the symbolic home of Creation Northeast.
Leadership Crisis, Pandemic and Closure
In 2018, cofounder Harry Thomas Jr. pleaded guilty in New Jersey to sexually assaulting five minors and received an eighteen-year prison sentence. He died in custody in 2022. Creation continued under other leadership. Available sources do not establish the criminal case as the cause of the festival's eventual closure.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the planned 2020 and 2021 gatherings. Creation returned to Agape Farm in 2022, with local coverage documenting the performances, ministries and vendors spread across the grounds. In March 2023, festival leadership announced that the longstanding multi-day event would end and canceled the edition that had been planned for that summer.
Timeline
- 1977: The three-day “Jesus Family” program demonstrates that Agape Camp Farm was already hosting music, teaching, youth events and camping before Creation Festival existed.
- 1979: Harry Thomas Jr. and Timothy Landis establish Creation East at Muddy Run Park.
- 1984: Creation moves to Agape Farm for a June 21–23 gathering expected to draw 25,000 people. Approximately 15,000 attend the opening day, and the farm's stage building is erected.
- 1985: The second Agape edition draws more than 18,000 people on opening day. A post-festival estimate places total attendance above 30,000, with about 28,000 participating in the candlelight service.
- 1986: Organizers anticipate at least 30,000 people and introduce a 25-foot screen, redesigned stage and new lighting.
- 1987: Creation's ninth edition and fourth at Agape Farm concludes after the Saturday-night communion service.
- 1988: The tenth festival draws what organizers described as the event's largest crowd to that point.
- 1992: The Fringe Stage opens, broadening the range of artists and speakers.
- 1993: Amy Grant closes the fifteenth-anniversary gathering; local reporting estimates attendance at 60,000 and documents major traffic and business impacts in Mount Union.
- 1995 and 2006: Severe weather and flooding cancel the Pennsylvania festival.
- 1996 and 2003: Creation is held at Hershey rather than Agape Farm.
- 2005: Contemporary local reporting describes an influx of nearly 85,000 people, the peak figure used on this page.
- 2007: A reported crowd of about 75,000 fills the farm.
- 2020–2021: The festival pauses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2022: Creation returns to Agape Farm for what becomes its final gathering.
- March 2023: Organizers announce the end of the multi-day Creation Festival.
- 2023–2026: Agape Fest begins a new chapter at the farm. By 2026, local coverage describes an annual four-day Agape Festival built around music, healing, worship, fellowship and family activities.
Agape Farm Continues
The end of Creation did not end Agape Farm. Jesus Ministries continues to operate the property as a retreat and event center, and its history page records the launch of Agape Fest in 2023. The stage building erected for Creation's 1984 arrival remains part of the property and is used for smaller events and as backstage space for larger gatherings.
The Daily News reported that the 2026 Agape Festival would run June 25–28 as a four-day, family-oriented gathering centered on music, healing, worship and fellowship. The article described the 280-acre property as capable of accommodating as many as 40,000 guests. Its accompanying photograph also records Christian recording artist Sean Rodriguez performing on the main stage during the 2024 festival. This newer Agape event is a continuation of the farm's ministry life, not a revival of Creation Festival under its former organization.
Help Preserve the Local Record
Did you attend, perform, volunteer, sell supplies, direct traffic, host visitors or watch Creation from the mountain? Photographs, programs, wristbands, schedules and first-person memories can help document what the festival meant on both sides of the gate.
Continue Exploring
Return to the Locations homepage, browse the Landmarks directory, or view more regional images in the Photo Gallery.
Sources
- Jesus Ministries / Agape Farm, “History”.
- “Creation Festival,” Wikipedia, used as a research starting point and checked against the additional sources below.
- Time, “The Non-Believer's Guide to Creation Festival,” June 28, 2012.
- The Christian Post, “75,000 Gather for Nation's Largest Christian Music Festival,” June 29, 2007.
- Concert Archives, Creation Festival 2007 lineup record.
- Altoona Mirror, “Creation Festival kicks off,” June 2014.
- The Daily News, “Creation Northeast 2014,” June 28, 2014; photographs reproduced in the gallery above.
- The Daily News, “Crowds flock to Creation,” June 30, 2017; photographs reproduced in the gallery above.
- Associated Press, “Disgraced former pastor gets 18 years for assaults on kids,” July 28, 2018.
- The Daily News, Rebecca Berdar, “Creation returns to county,” June 29, 2022; photograph reproduced in the gallery above.
- The Sentinel, “Creation Festival returns,” July 2, 2022.
- Jesusfreakhideout.com, “Creation Festival Comes to an End,” reproducing the festival's March 2023 announcement.
- setlist.fm, “Creation East Setlists,” community-maintained festival dates and performance records.
- The Daily News, Toni Hancock, “Amy Grant attracts 60,000 at Creation,” June 28, 1993, pages 1–2.
- The Daily News, “Jesus Family,” advertisement for Agape Camp Farm, August 22, 1977, page 6.
- Agapé Camp Farm promotional postcard, undated; front image and reverse-side description supplied to Bricktown, PA.
- The Daily News, Toni Hancock, “25,000 expected at Creation festival,” June 15, 1984, pages 1 and 20.
- The Daily News, “Creation '84 festival attracts sea of people,” June 22, 1984, page 20; photograph by Kim Free.
- The Daily News, Toni Hancock, “25,000 expected for Creation '85 festival,” June 22, 1985, pages 20–21.
- The Daily News, Natalie S. Love, “Faithful flock to Agape for Creation,” June 27, 1985, pages 3 and 14; photograph by Barry Grubb.
- The Daily News, Toni Hancock, “Nation's largest Christian festival begins at Agape,” June 28, 1985, pages 3 and 25; photograph by Kim Free.
- The Daily News, Natalie S. Love, “Creation '85—a contrast in ambiance,” June 28, 1985, page 29.
- The Daily News, Toni Hancock, “Creation '85 attendance exceeds 30,000,” July 1, 1985, page 16.
- The Daily News, “30,000 expected at Creation '86,” June 21, 1986, page 11.
- NewspaperArchive, annual Creation Festival search, 1979–2022; 37 representative page-level records are linked in “The Annual Newspaper Record” above.
- The Daily News, Catherine Weld, “Agape Festival returns to Shirleysburg,” June 24, 2026.