Organizers say Country Fest is going to sound great this year.
Karen Lee Batten is feeling upbeat about the lineup of entertainment she has assembled for Maple Ridge's annual agricultural fair.
Batten is best known as a performer who is the eight-time BC Country Music Association female vocalist of the year, but her new KLB Entertainment won three BCCMA awards in 2023, including Country Event of the Year for the Gone Country cancer fundraiser.
Batten is bringing some of that energy to Maple Ridge, along with an impressive lineup of acts to the stage at the Albion Fairgrounds on July 27 and 28.
Her headliner is Chris Buck, who has been nominated for a CCMA award. His music has more than 13 million streams, and he's living full-time in Nashville as he pursues country music stardom.
"I feel really lucky that I was able to book him for Country Fest," said Batten. "He's a little old school, a little new school, and some rock covers – that's what people want. His show is a good time."
Batten herself could be a headliner, and she will be singing at Countryfest.
"I love getting up on the stage – when it's in your blood, you can never get rid of it," said the former finalist on Canadian Idol, who has a million Spotify streams.
Jackson Hollow is nominated for a Juno Award this year, and the bluegrass band has a CCMA Fiddle Player of the Year nominee among its many accolades.
"They're very entertaining, and their harmonies are outstanding," said Batten.
The Appaloosa Band was the 2020 Country Club Act of the Year, and know how to get a crowd up and dancing.
There are even more acts, and more information about them all, and a performance schedule, can be found on the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Country Fest website at mrpmcountryfest.com
"There is a lot of talent coming to that stage this year," said Batten. "It's going to be epic."
