HUNTER – The Taste of Country Music Festival is occurring for the second year in New York State and is a huge event for country music fans. Taking place on June 13-15, 2014, at Hunter Mountain Resort in Hunter, NY, the festival is featuring well-known country stars like Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Randy Houser, Craig Morgan and Thompson Square – the list goes on. Tickets are still for sale and on-site camping packages (tent and RV) are available. Tickets range from one-day passes to three-day passes and VIP packages.

“The Taste of Country Music Festival is the first and only three-day country music camping festival in the Northeast,” states a Taste of Country press release. “The festival features world class entertainment, camping in the renowned terrain of the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County, outdoor recreation, top-notch food and beverage service and luxury mountainside accommodations unique to host Hunter Mountain.”

Dhruv Prasad, Executive Vice President of Live Events at Townsquare Media Group, explained that his company produces other festivals and runs numerous radio stations in New York State, including 'Big Kat' WBKT based in Oneonta. His company also runs FrogFest. According to a press release, Townsquare owns 241 radio stations, 250 companion websites and music and entertainment digital properties that reach over 50 million visitors a month.

The Taste of Country Music Festival will be held just after the Mountain Jam Music Festival, which is scheduled for June 5-8, 2014. Details can be found on www.moutainjam.com.

Such experiences provide those running the event a great understanding of what music is popular with listeners, as well as connections to top artists and artists on the rise.

“We're focused on major country headliners, but also focused on finding emerging talent,” Prasad said in regards to choosing artists for the festival.

Last year cemented the festival as a huge event for country fans as there were between 20,000 and 25,000 attendees over the course of the three day event. This year's headliners and other lead acts are just as great and Prasad expects a large turn out.

“I think everyone is pretty excited about Brad Paisley (performing Saturday night),” said Prasad. “I'm also excited to see Dierks Bentley and Brantley Gilbert co-headlining Friday night.”

“We have very, very dynamic performers right now,” said Prasad. “I think country music is really resonating right now, especially with the nation as a whole.”

This is evident if one looks at Brad Paisley's success. Wrote Chris Willman of “Entertainment Weekly,” “Brad Paisley is so quintessentially a country star, it's almost as if he has been engineered by twang-happy research scientists or tobacco-chewing aliens to encapsulate everything great about the genre. He's a sentimentalist, a rocker, a traditionalist, a singer of gospel and goofy novelty songs, a proponent of family and fleshly values, and a flame-shooting Telecaster hero.”

A “Rolling Stone” review states, “Compared to what gets played on country radio, Dierks Bentley can almost sound like a traditionalist, with his hickory voice and songs about drinking, and whose tones range on his seventh album from tormented (‘Bourbon in Kentucky’) to goofy (‘Drunk on a Plane’).”

Those who wish to see Paisley, Bentley or others perform are encouraged to purchase tickets beforehand by visiting www.tasteofcountryfestival.com. First-come, first-serve camping spots are open from noon until 11 p.m. on Thursday, June 12. Campgrounds will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 13. Perks of coming early include getting a prime camp site and an extra night of music and camping for free.

“This is a good family experience,” said Prasad.

The festival is produced by Townsquare Media Group and by Chet-5 Festivals, LLC, in association with TasteofCountry.com.