By Paid Partnership

Music Festival

Country at the Creek

Jun 17, 2022 | 12:48 PM

Country at the Creek started as many labours of love do, with friends sitting around a table kicking around an idea.

“In 2012, sitting around a table with some friends having some friendly talks and a few beverage, the topic of a Country Music Festival surfaced. I remember the words…‘Well Jeanette you get it organized and we will help, “recalls organizer Jeanette Wicinski . “Build it and they will come. My dream began. I started thinking and imagining of what it would be like to get to meet people in the industry and possibly learn the music from them. I got in touch with a few friends who got me in touch with some of their music friends and the rest is history.”

The first Country at the Creek was at the Ness Creek site at Big River, Saskatchewan in 2012.

Since that time the festival has received the Sask Tourism “Community Event of the Year” in 2016 and the SCMA award for “Festival of the Year” in 2019. They have featured more than 50 Saskatchewan artists, with eight of the headliners going on to be nominated for and winning awards for Canadian Country Music Awards and Junos ensuring that Country at the Creek has become a nationally recognized and respected festival in the country music industry.

No dream is without its challenges, but Country at the Creek has persevered through competition with a busy Saskatchewan summer filled with festivals, weather, and of course the pandemic. The festival also moved locations in 2021 to better meet the needs of their demographic.

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The community of Big River has long been known for its culture of music. Wicinski, herself, grew up in a household with music. From an early age watching her parents get together and some played a piano (adding thumb tacks to the hammers, giving it a Honky Tonk sound) guitars and singing.

“Although I was young, I remember sneaking out of my bedroom to listen to the music, there was something that would draw me to wanting to hum along or try to sing if I knew the words. In school I was involved with our singing club, and I remember trying to very hard to sing harmony (it was something that resonated with me),” she says. “Music concerts in my 20’s 30’s and 40’s was something that gave me the desire to want something more in music.”

Country at the Creek organizer Jeanette Wicinski (submitted photo)

Wicinski herself has developed an interest in playing music through the years which has added to her passion for Country at the Creek festival.

“I never gave up on believing that this was gonna take hard work, and a real dedicated and hard working and passionate team along side me. The team has changed along the way, but I could never ever say, that there was one of them that didn’t belong. Along the way, they had their passions, and desires and goals. They stayed as long as they needed to and moved on.”

Her passion for music and the festival have resulted in her nomination, twice, to the Country Music Person of the Year, and while this is encouraging, her motivation still comes from the festival, its performers and it’s audience.

“I continue to dream of the Legacy and all that it has, as we move into the 10^th anniversary of CATC. I keep beleiving that we will continue to build this event.”

This year’s Country at the Creek is July 7 – 9.

To see full details about the festival, its’ line-up and to buy tickets, check out their website https://www.countryatthecreek.com

Or check out their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/countryatthecreek/

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*This content was created by paNOW’s commercial content division.