Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa boasts ‘fantastic lineup’ this year

Advertisement

Advertise with us

In his first year as president of Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa, Brian Wenham has one goal: To put on an awesome festival like the one that got him hooked 14 years ago.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

Subscribe Now

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
  • Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2017 (3084 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In his first year as president of Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa, Brian Wenham has one goal: To put on an awesome festival like the one that got him hooked 14 years ago.

And with a lineup of old favourites including Big Wreck and I Mother Earth, and newer ones like Arkells and The Trews, next weekend’s festival will not disappoint.

“I don’t think there’s a band I’m not looking forward to seeing, it’s a fantastic lineup,” Wenham said. “I’ve heard lots of good things about the lineup this year from people. Winnipeg is a hard place to try and crack and get people to come out to the festival, but I’ve heard quite a few Winnipeggers saying they’re going to come out this year, so that’s really positive.”

CP
The Arkells perform during the 2017 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday, June 18. The band is playing Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa.
CP The Arkells perform during the 2017 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday, June 18. The band is playing Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa.

Ticket sales are already up 10 per cent from this time last year, Wenham said, with approximately 900 weekend passes sold. He is hoping that last-minute sales and day passes at the gate will push that even higher.

“There were years where we weren’t sure we were going to be having another year. We’re still not as big as we want to be, but seeing that steady growth every year is very promising,” Wenham said.

Planning the festival is a year-long endeavour, one that wouldn’t be possible without the 300 dedicated volunteers that come out to help, Wenham said.

“We rely on all those volunteers to run. There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle to make this happen,” Wenham said.

“As soon as the snow melts, there’s a bunch of people who love the site that come out every year and start prepping the place and fixing things that got wrecked in the winter … and the site is absolutely looking beautiful this year, everything is coming together.”

This year’s lineup has a nice variety of genres spanning all time periods, Wenham said.

“Friday is kind of more classic rock, and Saturday is the newer classic rock, then on Sunday we have Arkells and The Trews, which are a little bit newer bands with a different demographic,” he added.

A new twist to this year’s festival will be performances by Chris Funk “The Wonderist,” a magician seen on “America’s Got Talent” and “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.”

“He’s going to be performing under the tent on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, as well as a quick little thing on stage between our openers and headliners,” Wenham said. “He’s a great magician, I’ve seen him before, so we’re excited to have him out here.”

Performances kick off on Aug. 4 and run until Aug. 6.

Online tickets are no longer available, but passes can still be purchased through the office by calling 1-888-330-8333 as well as at the gates.

» edebooy@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @erindebooy

Report Error Submit a Tip

Local

LOAD MORE