The 2023 Sask Country Music Awards, hosted in Assiniboian. File Photo
Saddle up for an unforgettable weekend of award-winning musical talent!
The Vic Juba Community Theatre will be the backdrop for the 35th Saskatchewan Country Music Association (SCMA) awards on June 20-22. It’s the first time the SCMAs will be held in the Border City.
“Typically, these kind of award shows will usually stay in the bigger centers in Saskatchewan. The association has decided that they are going to start doing them outside of the bigger centers,” said Vic Juba Theatre general manager Jen McConnell, adding that last year they were held in Assiniboian.
“We were super excited that for the 35th awards, they would choose Lloydminster.”
Names of the host and headliners have not been released quite yet, but McConnell says they will be soon.
“That’s kind of a big piece that people will be interested in,” said McConnell.
“The good news is if you look at the award nominees from last year, there’s a lot of quality entertainers that come from Saskatchewan—like Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River boys who were here on January 18, and sold out the entire theatre, well in advance of the show.”
McConnell says it’s important to consider the fact that there are many hard-working, talented artists on the Prairies that shouldn’t be overlooked.
“In Alberta and Saskatchewan, I feel like you have to work a little harder than folks that are maybe geographically located in different places. I always applaud the folks that actually take the risk and dedicate their life and energy to pursuing those things because it’s definitely a lot of work,” said McConnell.
“That’s what I can’t wait to showcase—how cool it is to have all of this talent in our own backyard, and really applaud them for doing what they do.”
The event will be a great chance to see artists you’re already a fan of, and to discover new talent to add to your playlist.
“I think that sometimes when people see SCMA awards they think, oh well—that’s no-namers or up-and-comers … when really it can be very-much established artists already. Or up-and-comers that are just phenomenal musicians, that you may not have heard of in mainstream media yet,” said McConnell.
So we’re hoping that it’ll be a good mix of the well-known names and well as the up-and-comers. So regardless of if you know the name or not … it’s going to be a really good show with quality entertainers,” said McConnell, adding, “It’s always fun to say that you saw someone before they made it big in Nashville.”
For more information and updates on the event, visit vicjubatheatre.ca or the Saskatchewan Country Music Association website.
