The wait is finally over for thousands of country music fans as Boots and Hearts officially kicks off today at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds. The festival promises three days of live music, camping and unforgettable summer memories. Now in its 15th year, leading the way tonight are the Jonas Brothers, who are making history with their first-ever performance at a country music festival, headlining Friday night’s Main Stage with Russell Dickerson and Dasha. Fans will also get a taste of Canadian homage across the full weekend with Brett Kissel, James Barker Band, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and emerging talent like Thelma and James, Savannah Jade, Tony Stevens, Mitch Zorn and School House. With tens of thousands of people expected to travel to Oro-Medonte this weekend, the Ontario Provincial Police are reminding drivers to plan ahead and prepare for traffic delays, especially during peak arrival and departure times. Officers say they will maintain a large presence around the venue to help keep traffic moving and respond to any emergencies. Festival organizers note they have also arranged on-site medical teams, private security and emergency response crews. Part of the festival is the emerging artist showcase and School House won the event last year and will now play as a main act on Friday night. “It was such a unique thing to be in, kind of a pressure cooker, with a bunch of different talented musicians that are all kind of vying for the same prize, so that was a super unique experience, and it was all of our first times at Boots and Hearts,” the band said. The band is ready to put on a show on the Front Stage. “It’s pretty cool to see our name on the poster is pretty wild and we’ve seen a lot of artists that we look up to over the years on the posters, so it’s pretty wild to see our name on there,” they said. “And we’re going to bring our best, we’re just going to be ourselves up there and, have as much fun as we can and hopefully get people dancing.” National Pure Country Radio host Shannon Ella describes the uniqueness the emerging artist showcase brings. “Boots and Hearts has always been great, they’ve always had the emerging artist showcase that they do really put a spotlight, like right at the beginning of the weekend on all of the talent that comes out of here,” said Ella. Musician Dasha will be on stage tonight and calls her performance at Boots & Hearts a full circle moment. “ I specifically asked my agent to book me here because I’ve wanted to play this festival for so long,” Dasha said. “It’s like the Stagecoach of Canada and I love Stagecoach. I’ve always wanted to go to Boots and Hearts, and so I’m like, the best way to go is to play it.” Concertgoers are encouraged to visit the Boots and Hearts website for event information, like travel routes, parking details, venue maps, prohibited items and festival guidelines.
