Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/70344
<< Continued from page 13 Reba McEntire. But its Thursday mainstage spot — a rarity for country fests, according to Irwin — is reserved for Can-rock royalty Randy Bachman and Fred Turner. Audiences are clearly in favour of the more-is-better approach. Though tickets don't sell out quite as quickly as they used to — as Irwin points out, attendance is particularly dependent on the plight of local farmers — the festival still draws more than 14,000 people each day. It also injects about $10 million into the local economy each year, a significant portion of which benefits service groups and community organizations. The Dauphin Air Cadets raise funds by handling clean-up and recycling detail (last year, the festival's on-site facility cleared 10 tons of material), while wristband and beverage services are provided by local Lions, Rotary and Kinsmen Club members. "It really fuels the economy, and civil society as a whole," Irwin says, noting Countryfest has been recognized with honours for tourism and economic development, and was recently named one of Where Magazine's Top 10 music festivals in Canada. Looking to expand or start your business? Top Reasons to Say 5 Yes 14 MBiz June 2012 to Dauphin: 1. 5% municipal tax decrease in 2012 2. Affordable retail space 3. Industrial Park incentives 4. Daily air service to Winnipeg 5. First class community facilities To find out more visit us online at www.dauphin.ca or contact us at: 1-877-566-5669 ced@dauphin.ca Irwin says the popularity and longevity can be attributed to the perks and creature comforts provided to attendees and performers alike. For the fans, there's a weekend's worth of ancillary activities like mechanical bull riding, daily poker games and lady lumberjack contests. For the talent, there's the adoration of thousands of their most ardent supporters. "A lot of these festivals are on great big flat pieces of ground, where there's really no interaction between performers and the crowd at all," Irwin says. "But in our amphitheatre, when you're down on stage, it's really like a big indoor rock show. You can feel the waves of applause coming down from the crowd. "It's exciting for the artists, and it's a really fun, relaxed atmosphere for everyone else …. It's basically like Christmas in the summertime." This year, Countryfest runs from June 28 to July 1. www.countryfest.ca Queen of country Reba (above left) and rising star Justin Moore (right) are among the headliners at Dauphin's Countryfest. PARKLAND