Bow Valley Boot Stomp’s International Women’s Day songwriters’ round sold out ahead of the event, showing growing support for Cochrane’s expanding country music festival.
With a sold-out songwriters’ round set to take place this weekend, Bow Valley Boot Stomp’s expanded format is showing promise of becoming a signature country music celebration in Cochrane.
The International Women’s Day Songwriters’ Round will take place Saturday, March 7, at Found Books & Shop. Tickets for the event are sold out.
“We’re excited to see that,” said organizer Kailey Mitchell. “Hopefully we’ll see that continue for the other Boot Stomp events in May.”
Bow Valley Boot Stomp is a fledgling event, now in its third year, that aims to highlight a wide variety of country music talent.
“It’s not just twangy country that you might expect,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a good mixture of music, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Mitchell said the event strives to highlight a curated list of talented local and up-and-coming artists. However, Boot Stomp remains relatively unknown in some circles.
“The festival is locally produced here in Cochrane by a very small team,” Mitchell explained. “There are still a lot of people — even in Cochrane — who haven’t heard of it.”
In response, the Boot Stomp team has expanded the festival by introducing three supplementary events. The fact that the first of four events sold out was especially encouraging.
“It’s exciting to see this first one sell out so many days in advance because it’s not typical for Cochrane,” Mitchell said. “We see a lot of last-minute ticket sales at events we do throughout the year.”
The event will feature four female songwriters: Ashley Law, Hayley Isabel, Berlyn and Jennie Harluk. Each performer will share insights about their work alongside live performances.
Timing has been critical, as ticket sales have become more important for the festival’s continued operation, particularly with reduced funding allocated to Boot Stomp this year.
“Producing a festival means securing artists, rentals, staging and infrastructure months in advance, long before ticket revenue is guaranteed — which is especially nerve-wracking as a small, locally owned business,” Mitchell said. “We believe deeply in what Boot Stomp brings to the Cochrane region, but this is the year the festival truly needs its community to show up.”
On March 2, it was announced that tickets for the main festival, scheduled for July 24–25, are now on sale, with early-bird pricing available until April 30.
While the Found Books event is sold out, tickets for the Festival Fits Fashion Show at the Lions Events Centre on May 30 will go on sale March 7.
“It’s multiple local boutiques showcasing their western wear, festival wear or Stampede-style clothing,” Mitchell said. “It’s a really fun event supporting local businesses in town, and as a Boot Stomp-branded event, we’re planning to have music there as well.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://bootstomp.ca
Original source: https://www.cochraneeagle.ca/local-news/boot-stomps-women-songwriters-round-sells-out-11947646
