The provincial government has confirmed that Dauphin's Countryfest is receiving a one-time, $500,000 grant.
Provincial Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism minister Nellie Kennedy said Countryfest is an important event for the City of Dauphin, which she added relies on the festival's success to provide important investments that drive economic activity in the region.
Countryfest president Duane McMaster says they have been working on this grant for some time.
"The province has come through in a big way for us this year, and we really appreciate them acknowledging how important Countryfest is to this area and to Manitoba as a whole."
McMaster adds that this announcement, along with a strong run of sponsorships so far, has led to more optimism around the Countryfest board table.
"For a while there, the excitement was waning a little bit. But having these different organizations and people step forward, such as the strong sponsorships and the city stepping forward and the province stepping forward, it was all a show of support for us. It has really convinced us that this festival is going to happen and it is going to keep happening. We know that people believe in this event."
McMaster is now hopeful that the rest of Manitoba will show their support by buying tickets for this year's festival, which goes June 26th to 29th.
