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Boots and Hearts is Canada's largest and North America's second largest music festival, attracting upwards of 45,000 people daily over four gorgeous nights in August. Started in 2012 by Stan and Eva Dunford, it has morphed into a legendary four days of summer fun and fabulous music. The couple's daughter, Brooke, books the talent and this year had no shortage. Friday August 11th was sold out for the first time ever with rock band Nickelback as the headliner and hard-core country music star Hardy as the artist just before them. It was a brilliant strategy, combining rock with country on a gorgeous Friday night in August. The atmosphere is one of a carnival, and the people attending are all having a really good time. Booze flows freely and the air is ripe with the smell of marijuana and cigarette smoke. Given the outdoor venue, though, nothing is unpleasant or overwhelming and the concert goers are all focused on one thing - the absolutely great music. Everyone attends the concerts, whether you are dancing in the pit like my eldest the entire weekend, or sitting on the lawn enjoying the show from your folding chairs like my other three. We made it a family event, with all six of us each attending at least one day. My daughters attended the first three days with my eldest most excited about Nickelback and my youngest most excited about Kylie Morgan and Danielle Bradbery. I attended all four days with my sons and their girlfriends. My husband came to see Riley Green, and my nephew and his girlfriend joined us for three days and my niece joined us for one. It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Thursday night was a tribute to Canadian artists, with Owen Riegling, Josh Ross and Tim Hicks revving up the crowd as the featured acts. They all three put on really good shows, and I notice my children are listening to more of their music since the festival ended. The exposure for all artists at the festival was significant. Friday night was a huge party, with a sell out crowd and Bailey Zimmerman and Cory Marks warming up the crowd for Hardy, who was incredibly authentic and beloved by the country crowd. Nickelback put on a truly amazing show replete with fireworks and pyrotechnics, noise and banter. They resonated with everyone there, being blunt, real and immensely talented. Saturday night featured Lauren Alaina, Breland, Dallas Smith and Keith Urban. Smith was a great warm up to Urban, and Urban was electric, winning over the crowd with his Australian charm and great music. He is a true showman, and at 55 showed little signs of slowing down, engaging the crowd at their level and revving them up to enjoy a superb show. As the weekend progressed, the outfits went from skimpy to cozy, and the age went from mid-20s to a lot more mid-50s, such that by Sunday I was feeling perfectly at home in my "mom" outfit and my lawn chair on the grass. Tim McGraw obviously attracted an older crowd, and the mid-20s partygoers were all exhausted by Sunday and thus a little more subdued. Travis Denning was amazing, connecting with the crowd, and Riley Green was a complete stud in all aspects of the word, making the women swoon and the men jealous. He put on a top drawer show with great music and even greater stage presence. The closing act, Tim McGraw, at 56, did not disappoint. He rocked and rolled, crooned and cajoled the crowd into thoroughly enjoying his show and his stellar music. Everyone was singing along to Live Like You Were Dying and Humble and Kind. Even the sky gave a benediction, breaking into a spectacular sunset to close out the weekend of great music, family, friendship, and fun. Starving by the time the festival ended, and completely exhausted in that wonderful way of having swayed to great music all weekend long, we went to one of the only places open for food - Domino's in Orillia - and "waited in the truck". The pizza hit the spot and it closed out a wonderful weekend of country and rock.
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Norma WaltonEntrepreneur and mom to four amazing kids New Day
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