Dauphin’s Countryfest’s return to the hill is only days away and, after a two year absence, festival president Ann Ransom could not be more excited.

“It is just wonderful. We’re a little rusty, but it is so good. Being a community person in the City of Dauphin and working in the Parkland here for so many years, I just can’t wait to see that new money flowing in to give a boost to these poor businesses that COVID has just been so hard on,” she said.

In the past Countryfest has kicked off with a Thursday night party open to everyone. This year things will be a bit different.

“It’s a smaller Thursday kickoff,” Ransom said, adding the evening will be for those who have rolled their tickets over while the festival has been cancelled the last two years. “Just because we wanted to show our appreciation to those folks that knew that we were going to be struggling without having our big revenue, being the festival, for two years. It’s been a bit of a struggle and thankfully those people recognized it and said ‘hey we believe in you. We’re going to keep our funds in there.’ And really, we wouldn’t be where we are without those folks. So we just wanted to do a bit of an appreciation just to say thank you, you’re keeping us running.”

The festival hits full stride Friday with a Canada Day celebration “like no other,” Ransom said.

“We’re finally getting together and I just can’t wait to feel that energy off the amphitheater. People coming together, having a good time, singing along and just getting together with our friends. I’m already getting goosebumps,” she said.

Don Amero gets things started on the Club Regent Casino and Event Centre Main Stage at 3:30 p.m., followed by Jess Moskaluke at 5 p.m.

Washboard Union gets the evening celebration going, hitting the stage at 7 p.m., followed by Terri Clark at 8:30 p.m. Paul Brandt takes over the show at 10 p.m. to round out Friday’s entertainment.

“It’s just going to be a fantastic, nice way to kick things off,” Ransom said.

Saturday’s main stage entertainment gets underway at 2 p.m. with Nate Haller, followed by Jade Eagleson at 3:30 p.m. and The Reklaws at 5 p.m.

Chad Brownlee kicks off the evening at 7 p.m. followed by Dean Brody at 8:30 p.m., with Dallas Smith taking to the stage at 10 p.m. to round out the day.

On Sunday the main stage gets underway at 1 p.m. with Madeline Merlo. Tyler Joe Miller takes over at 2:30 p.m., followed by Doc Walker at 4 p.m.

Michelle Wright opens the evening show at 6:30 p.m., followed by Hunter Brothers at 8 p.m.

Johnny Reid closes out the weekend with a 9:30 p.m. start.

As always there will be lots to do away from the main stage with a full lineup of entertainment set for the Bell MTS Stage and Credit Union Corral Stage. And a full range of food vendors will carry on the Countryfest tradition of offering a wide array of culinary delights.

Ransom said basically all of the pieces are in place for the weekend, although additional volunteers would not be turned away.

“We’re still looking for volunteers here and there. But thankfully people have really come out. I understand it’s been two years that people haven’t really gotten together and I get that there might be some hesitancy in that. But we put a call out there for volunteers and, Dauphin being Dauphin, they have come out and supported us,” she said.

“It’s nice to see people coming back and wanting to volunteer. They understand how important Countryfest is to the community and it’s so great to see people coming out and just going ‘yep, we’ve got to make this happen.’ It just feels like a great big team effort.”

Ransom added there are still some tickets available for the festival, both day tickets and weekend passes, although she thinks that might change quickly.

“Tickets are going to be a hot commodity, especially when people start seeing what the weather’s like and once folks are starting to post on social media,” she said. “I think we’re going to see people going, ‘you know what, let’s maybe take a day from the lake and go and visit friends that might be up there’.”

Either way, Countryfest is back and that means big things for small groups and organizations fund-raising for their year’s activities or local businesses recovering from the effects of the COVID pandemic.

“So businesses out there in Dauphin just a heads up that we’re basically causing a population boom for the city,” Ransom said, adding the festival will provide exposure to other attractions in the area such as the Northgate Trails. “It’s always just nice to see that injection into fund-raising that’s not out of everybody’s pocket here in the city, but that’s new funding coming in. That’s always a nice little boost to all our great non-profits we’ve got in the Parkland.”