Josh Stumpf and his band perform at the 2023 Sunset Country Music Festival. (Submitted Photo/Josh Stumpf)

By Nick Nielsen

PA singer Josh Stumpf hosting unique concert

Small town charity concert set to play again in Macdowall

Aug 7, 2024 | 12:02 PM

A small town just south of Prince Albert is set to host a charity concert event for the third straight year. Prince Albert country singer Josh Stumpf is hosting the Sunset Country Music Festival slated to take place this Friday on a farm just outside of MacDowall.

According to Stumpf, this series of concerts started simply as a way to get musicians together to keep playing during the pandemic.

“Originally it started out as it was during COVID and I just wanted to play. So I got a group of my friends together, we got together at my grandparent’s farm in MacDowall, so that was just kind of a place we could do it. The next year, we said ‘Why don’t we team up together and actually make it a thing where we can give all the money away?’ Like I don’t want to do this for money, but we can give it all away and it kind of just carried on ever since.”

The concert has supported different charities in the past, starting with the Victoria Hospital Foundation in their first year and raising over $6,000 for the Ronald McDonald House charity in 2023. This year the concert is supporting Ranch Ehrlo, a Saskatchewan based non-profit that operates group living, clinical, family, community, and educational programs across Saskatchewan with an office in Prince Albert.

“We decided to partner with Ranch Ehrlo and we’re taking all the money that we make from this festival, buying a bunch of guitars and keyboards and music booklets and that kind of stuff to give to the youth there so that we can get more young people into music.”

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The venue itself is one close to the heart for Stumpf not only because of the family connection, but what they are allowed to do while they are there. Even though it is a small concert, they’re still able to pull out all the stops to make it an entertaining show.

“I like keeping the aesthetic out there, last year we had a guy bring his semi out there and we parked it beside the stage and we get to light off fireworks every year and pull the tractors out kind of just for the look and all that and it’s really fun.”

A number of artists from Saskatchewan are coming for the event, but one musician in particular has done a ton of work to make sure the show goes on.

“Last but certainly not least is Mercy Glover who is a co-organizer along with me. She arguably has done more work this year than I have and she’s fantastic. Her and I share the same band.”

The Sunset Country Music Festival opens at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Details on how to find the event can be found here.

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Nick.Nielsen@pattisonmedia.com