FERRIDAY &8212; Bluegrass gospel music from the Joe Cook Family will highlight the Gospel Music Fest today.

The fourth monthly gospel music event will begin at 6 p.m. at Sevier Memorial Methodist Church in Ferriday. Admission for the event is free and open to the public, but a &8220;love offering&8221; will be taken.

&8220;We have people from all denominations in attendance and want this to be an event where people can get together and enjoy the singing and fellowship with one another,&8221; event coordinator Paul Reed said. &8220;Hopefully the event will grow and the crowds will grow.&8221;

Today&8217;s fest will feature the Joe Cook Family from Harrisonburg. The group consists of Joe Cook, his wife Kim and son Wes.

The Cooks have appeared at various gospel music festivals and their bluegrass music is growing in popularity, event coordinator Reed said. The Cook family has been nominated for the best new bluegrass gospel group of the year and is scheduled to attend the National Quartet Convention, where a bluegrass winner will be announced.

The presentation is a local effort from several different churches in the Miss-Lou area to promote fellowship in a hometown location, Reed said.

The first Saturday started back in March 2006 because people in the Miss-Lou area wanted a local gospel event, Reed said. Singers from Monterey, Vidalia, Jonesville, Rhinehart and McCall Creek have performed in the event since its creation.

For further information contact Paul Reed at 318-336-4690.