This year, the Vilna Cowboy Fest will be celebrating the cowgirl, with a wide of performers on hand at the fifth annual event.
“We have a weekend of great entertainment,” says Jackson Mackenzie, one of the main organizers with the event, and a past performer himself.
The event will be held from July 17 to 19 at the Vilna & District Cultural Centre. On Friday, doors open at 5:30 p.m. in time for people to grab supper, with the show starting at 7 p.m.
Saturday starts bright and early with a breakfast at 8:30 a.m., then a show that runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a dance to follow until midnight. Sunday also starts with breakfast, then cowboy church at 10 a.m. and an afternoon show to wrap up the weekend.
“We have a lovely small town atmosphere, good high quality entertainment,” says Mackenzie. He says the event offers spectators the opportunity to get up close and personal with the performers, which isn’t always possible.
He adds that this type of event also doesn’t happen in small communities very often. The idea for the Cowboy Fest came from an event Mackenzie used to be involved with when he was a performer and on the board of the Stony Plain Cowboy Gathering Society.
When he moved to Vilna, he became involved in spearheading the Cowboy Fest and has remained involved over the past five years.
Some of the performers for the weekend will include names like Eli Barsi, Kayla Patrick, The Carolines, Bryn Thiessen will be doing the cowboy church, and then there will also be some local names involved, such as Adele Johnson.
“We’re looking forward to seeing everybody,” says Mackenzie, adding, “We always have a good time.”
Weekend passes for the Cowboy Fest are $59, but there are also day passes available to be purchased.
