More than 50,000 people are reported to have touched down in Oro-Medonte to attend the Boots and Hearts Music Festival. Republic Live, the company that hosts the event, confirmed attendance numbers to CTV News on Monday. The festival began Friday with a mix of popular country names that included Alberta’s Brett Kissel, Russell Dickerson, and Dasha, who set the stage for pop group, The Jonas Brothers. Multiple rainstorms and thunderstorms rolled into the area on Saturday, forcing fans to seek shelter and delaying set times until after 5 o’clock. But things got back on track Saturday with as Jack Wharff Band and Thelma and James, a married country duo, took the stage. “We were at home one night and I was just having a night that I wanted to be creative,” Thelma told CTV News on Saturday. “We wrote a song that night, the next day posted it online and that’s kind of how it all started, the rest is history,” she said. The Saturday show was then headlined by country superstars, The Chicks. Sunday’s lineup featured B.C.’s Mitch Zorn and up-and-coming Quebec artist Savanna Jade. “I come from a town of like, a thousand people, so I still can’t believe anyone listens to my music,” Zorn said, adding, “It’s something new every day, it’s insane, it’s a dream come true.” The James Barker Band and Tucker Wetmore also took the stage before the show was closed out by Rascal Flatts. Boots and Hearts will be heading to Edmonton for an inaugural West Edition at the end of the month, which will feature a two-day festival on August 28 and 29 headlined by Russell Dickerson and Shaboozey.
