Country-roots performer Erin Ross returned to West Stettler Park to perform at the town's weekly Entertainment in the Park series on Wednesday, July 20, continuing a tradition of performing at the event as she has for the past five years.
Ross performed a mix of original and cover music in the country, blues and folk genres for the audience. The weather, which had been damp for several days prior, stayed sunny, though the ground was still damp from the excess of rain.
For just more than a decade, Ross has been performing her music and covers in public, and in 2005 released her first album, No Rhyme. Several songs from that debut album, which received a fair amount of play on college radio stations across Canada, were part of her set at the park on Wednesday.
She also included songs from her 2008 release Sweet Thing, which like her first album, received serious play on college radio.
Ross has been a staple at Entertainment in the Park, coming back to Stettler yearly to perform in the summer series since her first appearance about five summers ago. The small crowd and open-to-nature venue appeals to the performer, she said.
"Everyone is here to enjoy the music," she said. "Then there are those who discover it while in the park."
Ross said she stuck close to her country-folk roots because that's the type of music she liked to listen to.
"It's just real natural," she said. "I like to sing and play the songs I liked growing up, share those songs with my fans."
Ross' music is available on iTunes, or via her website at www.erinross.ca.