Return of music festivals to provide relief for people’s mental health

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - COVID-19 and its impact on mental health has become a real stressor in people’s lives, including the lack of interaction with family and friends. That’s why the ability to attend sporting events and concerts in-person has brought a sense of relief and normalcy to many.

The return of live events including Country and Rock Fest in Cadott has given people something to look forward to this summer. The pandemic deprived music fans from gathering for more than a year. So what better way to heal than through the power of music.

According to Country and Rock Fest General Manager Wade Asher, the two festivals will also bring more than $25-million dollars to the local economy.

“Thank you for bringing back the economic impact. Thank you for bringing back the power of healing through live music because nothing heals better than live music. Nothing brings people together than live music. Everybody has division in sports, politics, you name it, but live music brings people together,” says Asher.

Asher says improvements have been made to the 7,000 camp sides on the festival grounds. New signage will help people get to their sites quicker which will allow for a better overall camping experience. More importantly, Asher asks fans to be respectful to their neighbors when it comes to COVID protocols.

“Everybody has a different feeling when it comes to the virus. Some people got vaccinated while some people didn’t get vaccinated. And everyone has a different feeling about it. And we have to respect everyone’s thoughts and feelings. So people are going to make their decisions if they want to come to the festivals they had to buy a ticket so that’s a decision they would have to make. So it’s respecting everybody’s decisions so overall that’s what we’re asking all our fans to do,” explains Asher.

Asher believes Country and Rock Fest have always been a summer destination for all types of music lovers. A place where memories are made.

“People have found long lost friends out here that they never knew they had as friends. It’s family reunions, weddings, bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, you name it. Everything you can think of, and there’s a special tie to the festivals that they connected with themselves personally. There’s a reason why we call it your happy place. There’s a reason why we call it a place where you just rock because those are the truest phrases that people describe to what people connect emotionally with the festivals.”

Country Fest kicks off next week in Cadott while Rock Fest runs from July 15th through the 17th. Here are links to Country Fest tickets and Rock Fest tickets.

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