Small town, big money: How Country Thunder became a multimillion-dollar business

Janani Whitfield · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

This week, the tiny colony of Craven, Sask. volition detonate from a colonisation of astir 260 radical to much than 25,000 acceptable to stone retired with immoderate of state music's biggest names.

What started arsenic Big Valley Jamboree successful 1983 has morphed and changed, becoming portion of a Country Thunder marque that present includes 5 multi-day festivals crossed North America. At the helm sits Country Thunder president and CEO Troy Vollhoffer, who was calved and raised successful Regina, but is present a immense sanction successful Nashville.

"I emotion what I do. I aftermath up each greeting and I don't consciousness similar I'm going to work, which is simply a existent blessing," Vollhoffer told host Sam Maciag on CBC's This is Saskatchewan podcast.

LISTEN | The backstory down the Country Thunder euphony festival: 

Coming from humble beginnings — his dada was a carpenter astatine the archetypal festival — Vollhoffer said he's sometimes blown distant astatine the beingness helium gets to lead, bumping elbows with movie stars, pro athletes and, of course, musicians. 

"There's benignant of a infinitesimal of starstruck, you know, erstwhile I tin beryllium and [think], 'I'm playing play with Gretzky!'... That's a infinitesimal wherever I pinch myself and go, 'That's beauteous darn cool.'"

So conscionable however did Country Thunder pull large names similar Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Blake Shelton – and this year, headliners Def Leppard, Jason Aldean and Bailey Zimmerman — to this sleepy colony conscionable northbound of Regina?

Vollhoffer describes his vocation way arsenic a dilatory but dependable ascent to the top. Back successful the 1980s, erstwhile the festival was inactive called Big Valley Jamboree, helium helped by gathering the stages and being a stagehand, learning the concern from the crushed up.

By the clip helium was 20, he'd already collected lighting and signifier equipment. He launched his ain institution successful 1987, acknowledgment to a signing bonus helium received arsenic a hockey subordinate from the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead of buying a fancy location oregon a vessel similar his teammates, helium lived frugally with the anticipation of gathering a vocation successful music.

"That's wherever I thought, physique it, they volition come," helium said.

In 2000, the Craven festival had moved distant from its state roots and into rock, rebranding arsenic Rock 'N The Valley with Kinsmen, arsenic it attempted to boost its profitability. It didn't work.

When Vollhoffer came on, helium saw an accidental to bring the festival backmost to its state roots, calling it Craven Country Jamboree. He became the concert's promoter and wheeled and dealt his mode into booking Tim McGraw successful 2005.

"At this time, Tim McGraw was the biggest sanction successful state music," helium said.

That booking was a large turning constituent for the festival's future.

"That was the rebirth of Craven." 

In the 20 years since, Vollhoffer has re-branded the festival to Country Thunder and expanded to see festivals successful Alberta, Arizona, Florida and Wisconsin. He's besides launching a caller festival successful Edmonton, Rockin' Thunder, the aforesaid play arsenic Country Thunder Saskatchewan. Vollhoffer besides owns Big Valley Jamboree successful Camrose, Alta.

"You know, we walk astir apt adjacent to $22- to $23-million a twelvemonth connected endowment and truthful we're a beauteous large player," helium said, adding that agents are present pitching acts to him, alternatively of him chasing talent. "I mean, we're not Live Nation, but from an autarkic standpoint, we walk a batch of wealth and the acts are costing a batch of money."

Sometimes that endowment comes with a analyzable nationalist representation for stars. That includes Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean, who person weathered storms for idiosyncratic acts and/or governmental views.

But Country Thunder isn't astir the musicians' lives, Vollhoffer said.

"At the extremity of the day, it's each astir the music," helium said, adding that's the quality of a festival similar the 1 that volition instrumentality implicit Craven this week.

"You're expected to beryllium the happy, feel-good pill. And I deliberation we should enactment with that."

Vollhoffer said it's a joyousness to give people that privilege of enjoying astonishing euphony wherever helium grew up and wherever his roots inactive prevarication — successful Saskatchewan. 

"I conscionable convey the bully Lord for giving maine this accidental to beryllium surviving my dream."

This communicative is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your transportation to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, the podcast covers section issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping argumentation and fuelling creativity successful Saskatchewan.

Tune into This is Saskatchewan every Wednesday connected CBC Listen oregon wherever you get your podcasts.