THUNDER BAY – Not even a little rain could dampen the spirits of those in the crowd this weekend at the first Country on the Bay music festival.
Far from it, said festival marketing manager Kamryn Winters, the sun starting to peek out from behind a rapidly vanishing cloud cover on Sunday afternoon.
Featuring the musical talents of Brett Kissel, Lee Brice, the Reclaws, Terri Clark and Johnny Reid atop the bill, Country on the Bay was a smash success, Winters said.
She was just glad they could finally bring the music to Fort William Historical Park.
“It’s gone really smooth. We’ve been trying to do this festival for two years. Of course we got hit with the thing that no one wants to talk about, so it’s nice to be able to have it. We’ve had really good attendance this year and really good support. It’s been just great.”
Organizers were hoping to average 4,000 attendees a night, and though Winters didn’t have the exact figures on hand, said it was more like between 5,000 and 6,000 tickets sold per day.
Still, it’s a little too soon to guarantee the event will return to Thunder Bay for a second year, Winters said.
She’s not ruling it out though.
“You can never really tell the complete status of it until way after the event, but I mean, from the attendance, from the excitement of the people, we really think this really is a good festival and there’s lots of potential, so there’s definitely some hope in the future that it will happen again,” Winters said.
If Tina Noyes has her way, Country on the Bay will become an annual affair. She loved it, even buying extra tickets for family on Sunday after spending three nights enjoying some of the best country music Canada has to offer.
“It was great. This means everything. I’m here with my family, so it’s nice family time. I’ve seen a few friends around, it’s great,” Noyes said.
“I’m having an amazing time. Even yesterday we sat through the rain. Everybody, all the artists were just amazing. All the vendors are good. It’s been a great experience. I’m having so much fun.”
Her grandson, 11-year-old Hayden Doherty, says he’s been to lots of concerts and Country on the Bay ranks near the top.
“It’s the best,” he said. “I love the music.”
The four-day festival wraps up on Sunday night.
