‘Music is the language of the soul’: Energetic County Fair brings live country performers to Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Crowds came from all over northeast B.C. and beyond to enjoy the three-day live country music festival in Fort St. John. 

The annual Engergetic County Fair, which started in 2022, took place this year from July 17th to July 19th at the rodeo grounds in Fort St. John. 

A variety of musicians and bands performed at the event, such as Darby Mills, Brayden Watson, Kalsey Kulyk, Garry Oker, Skyler Rowsell, Blackbird, Jackson Hollow, Paulette Carlson and more. 

The festival also included headliners Wynonna Judd and Johnny Reid on Friday and Saturday night respectively. 

The event also had food trucks, a beer garden, wood chainsaw carving, vendors, puppet shows, face painting, balloons and more.  

Additionally, there was a trailer parking area for camping. 

Garry Oker, a First Nations performer at the festival, sang a country music song in the Beaver language. 

He said: “Music is the language of the soul. [The event] is getting better and better.” 

Meanwhile, Charlie Frie, Jackson Hollow’s bassist, told Energeticcity.ca: “Music is in my blood.” 

This was the band’s first time at the Energetic County Fair. 

Despite some rainy weather, the crowds donned cowboy boots and hats, and others got up from their seats to do two-step dancing. 

Cristal Hampel, a Fort St. John resident, said: “I’m not made of sugar, I’m good.” 

Hampel said her favourite part about the festival is “getting to see friends and making new ones, maybe get a little bit of sunburn, get a little bit of wet.” 

Tammy Shenton, festival manager of fair, told Energeticcity.ca: “Rain or shine, especially in the north, people here are just troopers and it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or snowing, we’re out there. 

“We want this to continue. It’s going to get bigger, every year it goes up about a thousand people.

“It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun.”

Over 100 volunteers were involved in this event.

Sponsors included Moose Media – parent company of Energeticcity.ca – as well as Coca-Cola, Co-op, Pomeroy Lodging, AAA Safety and Field Services, Halfway River Ventures and Peace Country Rentals.

For more information about the Energetic County Fair, visit its website.