Rock rules at Minnedosa music festival

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This article was published 06/08/2019 (2499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MINNEDOSA — Rockin’ the Fields featured classic rock icons lighting up the main stage over the long weekend, filling the hills of Minnedosa with powerful rock and roll beats.

“The weather’s been fantastic, nice and warm, and our attendance numbers are up from last year,” Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa president Allan Logan said. “It was a great weekend.”

The lineup for this year was fantastic and the picturesque setting was the perfect opportunity to revel in rock n’ roll, Logan said.

Guests this year included Platinum Blonde, April Wine, Sam Roberts Band, Collective Soul, 54-40 and Tom Cochrane & Red Rider rocking the FP Genetics Main stage.

The rock heroes drew many new faces to the event, Logan said, and a number of first-time guests told him they were already planning for next year’s festival.

The event would not be possible without the help of the more than 150 volunteers and service club members who ensure the festival is a success each year, Logan said.

The group has worked with marketing and promotion to encourage people to come party in the fields, and have found that word-of-mouth has helped boost the event’s popularity.

“I love the bands, but I really like watching the crowds and their reactions,” Logan said, adding that it is especially fun to see fans when they attend the meet-and-greets with performers.

He described a girl he saw this year who wanted to meet Collective Soul as a way to celebrate her birthday.

“She was very excited and said it was a thrill of a lifetime,” Logan said.

Rockin’ the Fields also serves as a great opportunity to feature local bands on the Heritage Co-op Hilltop Stage, providing a platform for them to engage with a new audience, he said.

“It’s a great venue for them to come and play at,” Logan said.

Dauphin based band Refusion played the Hilltop Stage throughout the weekend.

The classic rock band is made up of Kamryn Winters, Joey Angus, Levi Winters, Paul Refvik and Brendan Malowski.

“It was awesome … this crowd is the best crowd,” Kamryn said.

The group began playing together in high school eight years ago.

Their chemistry and camaraderie paired with love of classic rock was electric as they played for the crowd in between main stage sets.

The event proved to be the perfect opportunity to showcase their favourite original and cover songs, Kamryn said.

This was their first time playing Rockin’ the Fields, but it was a bittersweet experience as it will be their last performance as they’re set to take a one-year hiatus.

“It feels nice to cap it off on something incredible like this,” Angus said.

The organizers of Rockin’ the Fields will be taking a month off, and then it’s back to work planning for 2020, Logan said.

They will be making band announcements around February or March. Logan recommends keeping an eye open so they can book their tickets early.

“Next year is going to be even bigger and better,” Logan said. “We’re looking forward to getting started on next year.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

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