The Saskatchewan Country Music Association (SCMA) will hold its 34th annual Awards Show in Assiniboia at the town’s brand-new Southland Co-op Centre for the weekend starting June 9.
SCMA President Steve Huber celebrated the return to an in-person event — the first since 2019 — and said this year’s show would be world class.
“We are excited to showcase Saskatchewan’s country music talent and the next generation of country music stars,” Huber said. “And if you look at the pedigree of (headliners) The Washboard Union, it’s almost unbelievable that they’ll be here. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of these artists.”
The weekend will kick off on Friday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m. with a concert featuring Justin LaBrash, Karissa Hoffart, Jordyn Pollard, and Shantaia.
Country music superstars — and four-time winners of the Canadian Country Music Association Group of the Year award — The Washboard Union will then close out the concert portion of the evening, with a cabaret afterwards featuring performances by Lisa Moen and Tyler Lewis.
On Saturday, the SCMA Awards Show will start at 7:50 p.m., hosted by The Washboard Union and presenting many of Saskatchewan’s country music stars. The show will be televised by Access Communications.
Following the awards show, the after-party promises spectacular performances by The Washboard Union, JJ Voss, and more.
Sunday’s Christian music celebration is free and will be held in the Prince of Wales Centre.
Check out last year’s SCMA winners at scma.sk.ca/past-awards/2022-scma-award-winners.
With the day itself still several months off, the artist and performance schedules are subject to change.
The Southland Co-op Centre is Saskatchewan’s newest state-of-the-art concert and recreation complex. The centre features Saskatchewan’s only outdoor tailgate plaza, with a 27-foot outdoor screen. Patrons also get access to a teen centre, rock climbing wall, walking track, ice surface/concert arena, 21-foot high-definition indoor video scoreboard, color LED event lighting, and over 10,000 watts of digital sound.
Curtis Nelson is the president of the Assiniboia Civic Improvement Association, which oversaw the building of the Southland Co-op Centre. He called the SCMA Awards a scoop for the facility and said the town was excited to show it off and welcome crowds of concert-goers.
“It’s a huge boon to the economy, obviously. The hotels, the restaurant industry, the gas stations, all that stuff,” Nelson said. “It also shines a spotlight on Assiniboia and what we have to offer. People are usually very surprised when they come to the community, just to see the amenities we have.”
Nelson is a country music fan himself and feels the Saskatchewan scene has blossomed over the last few years with acts like the Hunter Brothers, Tenille Arts, Jess Moskaluke, and JJ Voss, to name only a few.
Nelson and fellow volunteers form the Assiniboia SCMA Awards committee, which is helping to plan the weekend.
“It’s an evolving thing,” he added. “Seems like every day we have more stuff planned. We’ve got food trucks coming out here for the weekend, and bouncy castles for the kids as well, and there will just be entertainment for people of all ages, that’s for sure.”
