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FARGO—There's no denying country music is big here.
Two of the top five FM stations in town play modern country. The Fargodome drew 73,000 people and made more than $500,000 from four Garth Brooks concerts in May, and the venue's list of most-attended shows also includes George Strait and Shania Twain.
And that's not even mentioning WE Fest, the annual country music festival in nearby Detroit Lakes, Minn., that kicks off Thursday, Aug. 4, with headliners Eric Church, Kid Rock and Tim McGraw and is expected to once again draw a crowd of tens of thousands.
So why is it that our community's apparent love of the genre hasn't translated into a full-time country venue—especially when a Facebook group named "Fargo Needs a Country Bar" has more than 700 likes?
The answer won't be found in lyrics about dirt roads and pickups—but it could have a lot to do with changing music listening habits, the nightlife that today's young adults look for and savvy business owners who don't want to limit the appeal of their establishments.
Rather than have a country joint, Chris Daniels, brand manager and on-air personality for Froggy 99.9 FM, said several bars and clubs in town are "a little bit country" with plenty of country music, as well as a healthy mix of rock, pop and more.
"The days of line dancing have kind of gone away, and it's really more about the party atmosphere," Daniels said.
Mix of genres
Fargo-Moorhead lost its lone country bar, the Cadillac Ranch inside the former Hub complex, more than two years ago—but the big crowds that flocked there are still around.
When Cadillac Ranch closed, Mike Hlebechuk intentionally retooled his live music venue The Windbreak to appeal to those patrons, he said.
"That's a big reason why our Thursdays picked up so much," he said.
The owner and general manager of The Windbreak, 3150 39th St. S., said the venue draws an average crowd of 700 on Thursdays, when he brings in a live country band while also offering free drinks to women from 9 p.m. to midnight and drink specials for the guys.
There might be a few line dancers and cowboy hats there, but Hlebechuk said the average age of Thursday night patrons is 25. Instead of a classic honky-tonk experience, these young adults and 30-somethings are looking to dance, have a drink and meet new people.
Even with that shift, he said The Windbreak is still only "about 70 percent" country.
"We've always kept a mix here," he said. "It's actually geared more towards country now, but that's not to say we won't change with the times."
Warren Ackley, too, has seen his nightclub Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse respond to changing musical tastes since opening about 25 years ago.
At the time, Garth Brooks' popularity brought a new generation to the country genre, and Bucks was "maybe 80 percent" country. The slogan at the time said it all—"It's cool to be country"—but it's not like that in 2016.
"It's still cool to be country, but we can be cool with other stuff at the same time," Ackley said, with Bucks now playing country music in addition to oldies, Top 40 and more.
"It's really just a place where people come and dance," he said.
The country look
It wouldn't work very well for a small town to have a bar narrowly focused on country music at the expense of patrons who don't like the genre, according to Esmeralda Reyes.
The bartender at Cattleman's Club Lounge in Lisbon, N.D., said despite the countrified name, people want variety, not just one kind of music, when they come to the bar.
"Living in a small town, you can't just cater to one kind of person versus the other," she said.
A new bar in south Fargo that will open soon also will boast a country name but a mix of music and events meant to appeal to everyone.
The Round Up Saloon, expected to open by early September near 31st Avenue South and 45th Street, will feature an Old West-style look and style—but it won't be a country hall.
Still, there are signs of country style still being prevalent in the community.
Boot Barn in West Acres Shopping Center gets a boost in sales leading up to most major country concerts in the area, according to sales associate Samantha Laderer, with customers looking for boots, hats and accessories.
"It's probably a good two weeks to a month out that we start seeing people come in just for the event," she said.
While locals still have a nearby option for their country needs—Arthur's Barn, the replacement to Johnson's Barn near Arthur, N.D., still hosts concerts and dances northwest of Fargo—Laderer said it seems most people shopping at Boot Barn before WE Fest and other major country concerts are more concerned about looking good at a party than pulling off an authentic look or living a full-time country lifestyle.
"You don't want to go to Garth Brooks and be wearing tennis shoes," she said.
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