KENOSHA COUNTY — After being postponed due to the pandemic, Country Thunder is back in Kenosha County this weekend.
The music festival includes headliners Dustin Lynch, Eric Church, Kane Brown, and Blake Shelton.
Of course, after a year without it the fans, organizers, and performers are more excited than ever for the weekend to start.
"We've been pent up for a year. It's to get back out and be together. I think it's in our DNA to gather in crowds and cheer and laugh and sing and have a great time," said Country Thunder Media Relations Director Gerry Krochak.
Although it's not required to attend, festival organizers have been encouraging people to get vaccinated.
"It's something we like to see. It helped us get back to live music again," Krochak said.
If you bring your vaccination card with you to Country Thunder and present it at the customer service booth you have the chance to win prizes including seats on the stage and a signed guitar.
The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said it's excited to have the festival back in the area and has implemented some new measures to ensure everyone stays safe while enjoying the music.
Sheriff's deputies will all be wearing body cameras, a tool that was introduced to the department a few months ago. The department is also utilizing a new communications tower, and worked with the festival to make rideshare services more accessible.
"A few years ago we didn't think too much about Uber and Lyft and those types of rides, but the last few years it has become more prevalent. [The festival has] been very good to us about adding a very big parking lot with gravel to accommodate everyone that uses rideshare," said Captain Daniel Ruth with Kenosha County Sheriff's Department.
The sheriff's department will also be keeping a close on the weather and said it has plans in place to help festival-goers evacuate or shelter in place if need be.
In terms of overall safety, Captain Ruth said it's best to "stay with a partner and remember where you park at the end of the night."
Ultimately, it's all about bringing the country music community back together and enjoying the shows.
"Music and sports, they bring people together. But they're not the same without fans. Fans make it," Krochak said.
