LOVELOCK - The Extreme Tour was back in Lovelock for the fourth year Sept. 17-18. The two-day event offered local teenagers an extreme sports show and competitions and a concert in the courthouse park, both with positive messages.
Lovelock teen Edwardo Espinoza was this year's winner of the skateboard and bicycle competitions. Espinoza was the winner of last year's skateboard competition, also.
"I do it for the love of it," Espinoza said, "I go for anything that will get me pumped and going."
His father, Wilfredo Espinoza, was there to witness his son's accomplishment.
"I'm really proud of him. Every event he does, I'm there for him," his father said.
The younger Espinoza also rodeos in the high school rodeo circuit.
The following day, The Extreme Tour brought its Lovelock visit to an end with a free concert in the park. The bands and individual artists played rock and rap music with positive lyrics that got those in attendance on their feet and rocking out.
The bands were Ergo Rex, who are three young men from Oregon who called themselves musicianaries.
Katie Ainge, a 21-year-old, award-winning singer-songwriter on her first Extreme Tour, sang of God and life.
"I just write about life and I'm a Christian, so that's how it comes out," she said.
Joel Kamps from Alberta, Canada, played what he called Rocky Mountain Folk Pop music.
Soalwinna1 entertained concert-goers with his special brand of rap.
"I'm not a rapper. I'm a hope dealer," he said.
After the concert he tweeted, "#repix #Lovelock #Nevada taking #pictures with fans love these cool kids," and it was obvious the kids loved him, too.
The Lacks are a family band made up of mom and dad Paula and Scott and three daughters Debra (24), Sarah (16) and Chloe (12).
The Lacks are the mainstay of The Extreme Tour. Scott and Paula have served as the tour directors and road managers of The Extreme Tour's U.S. west leg and international tours for the past five years.
Debra said they have been playing music all of their lives. Debra's husband, Jared Aull, who serves as the band's production manager, and their 15-month-old daughter, Juniper Blue, tour with the band also.
"We love traveling and being on the road," Debra said.
She said she grew up in a normal middle class family, "except we all played music in our band and we've always been in ministry."
The family band played at churches and secular community events, she recalled.
About seven years ago the family made the decision to try out for The Extreme Tour. After two years of touring with the group, her parents became part of the tour's management team. Now they will be breaking new ground with concerts planned in Japan and India.
"I'm so excited. We leave in two weeks," she said.
Pastor Chris Wenzel of the New Life Fellowship church in Lovelock booked the tour in March.
He has been instrumental in bringing the tour to Lovelock for the last three years. He said he became acquainted with the Lacks and The Extreme Tour while a youth pastor in California.
When he came to Lovelock to pastor New Life Fellowship he thought the tour would be a good fit with the community and asked them to come out.
"They have a heart to minister to the community and they really love the kids," Wenzel said.
He said he would like to get a summer concert series going for next year featuring some of the bands that tour with The Extreme Tour.
The Extreme Tour started 20 years ago in the rural areas of Idaho. According to its website www.theextremetour.com, the events are not religious events aimed at a religious market, but rather it is extreme sports and music events aimed at the counter-culture youth movement.
In terms of the number of communities it visits each year, it is the largest and longest-running extreme sports and music tour in the world.
In addition to over 120 shows in the U.S. and Canada, The Extreme Tour also visits Iceland, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nepal and the United Kingdom, with extensive shows throughout each country.
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