Shortly after Sunday headliner Travis Tritt took the stage, Country Stampede President Wayne Rouse was finally able to sit down and relax…for just a few moments.
The twentieth anniversary of the country music festival had gone off as smoothly as he could have hoped. “It was a great weekend. A lot of fun. Had some really great artists. Just a really good time”, he said. As for the artists, crowds were excited to see acts like Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, and Travis Tritt on the Stampede stage.
And for anyone who has attended the Stampede, the event is much more than just concerts. “We’re becoming a lifestyle event”, said Rouse. “It’s not just about the music. You develop relationships with people and it’s like a big family reunion”. Many campers have had the same site for years, and have looked forward to seeing the same neighbors every June at Tuttle Creek State Park.
You might think that Rouse would be able to relax…unwind a bit before he and his staff begin putting together next year’s festival. Actually, they’re already working on the 2017 Country Stampede.
Wait! Did he just say the 2017 Stampede??
“Oh yeah”, said Rouse. “You know, you have to plan a couple years out. You’re looking down the road and you’re thinking ‘Wow, that’s a long ways away’, and then the next thing you know…it’s over”.
So you see, this weekend-long event can’t be thrown together in just a short twelve months. Most of the acts for next June have either already been booked, or are in the process of being booked. That means it’s time to start on the 22nd annual Country Stampede.
And Rouse and his team have been doing this for two decades. “Our first event was in June of ’96. And here it is twenty years later and time has just flown by really fast”. Still, it’s hard to believe that this festival has grown to what we know today. Every summer, we have come to count on thousands of fans to flock to Manhattan to be entertained by some of the biggest names in the business.
For the record, gas prices for that first Stampede were about a buck twenty five a gallon. Bill Clinton was living in the White House. Bob Boone led the Royals to a 75-86 record…good for the cellar in the American League Central. That really does sound like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
So, we’ll look forward to seeing you June 23rd, 2016 at Tuttle Creek State Park. Tickets are already on sale.
And if it’s not too much trouble, could someone ask Mother Nature for more of the same weather that we had this past weekend?
