New Brunswick Country Showcase's Final Twang

0:00After 38 years of 20 guitars and packed houses, the New Brunswick Country Showcase is hanging up its hat with one last show this. Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Frederton Playhouse, Tom Hoyt, the 74-year-old producer who's run the show for nearly four decades, is calling it quits to reclaim his life outside the buy. Spalaya. The roots go back to the 1950s with a capital co-objambory, but it really kicked into gear in 1982 under Jim Burns, who renamed it the New Brunswick Country Showcase in 1988. Hoyt jumped in during the 1990s as right-hand man, then took full control, turning a casual jam into a polished production. Folks loved it back then, five shows a year, pro setups with seven cameras, drawing crowds who stomped their boots to heartfelt ballots. But Hoyt turned it pro, adding structure and rehearsals so audiences always got their money's worth, evolving it from amateur night to a real event. Lately though, attendance has dipped as younger crowds skip theaters and older fans struggle

1:02to get out. No one stepped up to take over, so the whole operation winds down this summer, Hoyt admits everything has a shelf life, even this labor of love. It's bittersweet for him, and hears and hugs at the finale, missing the artist and fans most, but glad to ditch the endless admin grind. Catch that last twang if you're nearby, and who knows, something fresh my rise from these country ashes. I'm Corey with The Story, and you've been listening to Canada News Today, AI-powered