By Madeline Master

Cowboy hats, boots, and flannels filled Comerica Park and the grounds surrounding it this past weekend at the much anticipated Downtown Hoedown. The 32^nd annual country music festival was a huge success and broke the record for the largest crowd ever seen at the event.

Detroit’s number one for country music, radio station 99.5 WYCD, hosted the event and had multiple booths set up at the entrance of the stadium including one that they were broadcasting live out of. DJs met up with the performing acts in between sets and conducted brief interviews to talk about their past successes and future plans.

“It was so weird, but so cool to see some of my favorite country music singers casually at the radio booth doing these laid back interviews. It caught me off guard a little bit,” said Notre Dame Prep junior Lauren Caramagno.

The pathway to the main stage was lined with carnival style food trucks and promotional booths. In addition to the food and activities, a Ram truck test drive course was constructed to give people the opportunity to feel what it is like to drive/ride in the new and renowned Ram 1500. People who test drove the truck received a “Ram Party Pit” t-shirt which allowed them to stand in the gated area directly in front of the stage.

“Friday was the most crowded night, but Sunday was the best performance wise and the most fun because I had a ‘party pit’ t-shirt that day. However, Chase Rice who performed on Friday was my favorite act of the weekend because he is perfect,” said country music concert fanatic and soon to be college freshman Lindsey Wagner.

Chase Rice, Chris Young, and Dierks Bentley rocked the stage on night one and got fans excited for what the rest of the weekend had in store. Night two headlined by Tyler Farr was also a huge success and drew a rowdy crowd, in the best way possible. The last night was headlined by The Band Perry and they definitely went out with a bang.

“I only got to go to the first night, but it was so much fun! The crowd was a lot of fun too. Chris Young was my favorite performer because I knew most of his songs and he is just great on stage. I can’t wait for next year,” said Caramagno.

The huge success this year brought has Michigan country fans even more excited for next year! Stay tuned into 99.5 WYCD for the announcement of the lineup for Hoedown 33 and more information about the upcoming Faster Horses Festival.