Sharing a beer after a charity concert on Vancouver Island earlier this year, country music artist JoJo Mason – who’s done a lot of work with Gone Country through the years – invited the fundraiser’s co-founders Chris and Jamie Ruscheinski back stage.
Little did the twin brothers and Langley philanthropists know that invitation would lead to booking that event’s headliners – the James Barker Band – to the top billing at this Saturday’s (July 11’s) Gone Country: Jamestown Edition 2026.
“I saw them at a fundraiser up island, and I had a few beers in me, shall I say,” Chris shared. He started rambling on about Gone Country, showing band leader James Baker and a few of the band members pictures of the old-west movie set of Jamestown (where the annual fundraiser is now held).
Chris recalled talking incessantly about the charity project, which is now in its 15th year and how it has raised millions for those living with cancer. He especially boasted about how hundreds of volunteers come together throughout the year to make it all happen, and how sponsorships have ensured more and more of the money raised goes directly to the cause.
“I vowed I was going to get them out to perform one day, and now, here we are, they’re booked… you’re going to love them. They’re so awesome,” Chris said, excited to be showcasing the James Barker Band and a number of other country music favourites on a new 60-foot “mega” stage being added for this year’s event.
Just ahead of rolling into town, Barker and his posse were asked why they leapt at the chance to be part of this event, and he credited Chris with being so persuasive that night back stage.
“We’re so excited to be able to come back to Langley and support a really great cause,” said Barker, the lead vocalist and guitarist.
“Every band member has been affected by cancer, so it’s a cause that is very close to our hearts. We’re glad to be able to help raise some funds and give people a chance to have a good night out!” he added.
There are so many different entertainment elements to the one-day Gone Country event – everything from food trucks to saloon-style beverage servers, from fun fast draw competitions to fishing derbies, and from a mechanical bull rides and street-side barber shavings, to standup comedy acts and a burlesque show, plus Indigenous dancers and even a fashion show.
But the backbone of the fundraiser has always been the music, and almost from Gone Country’s inception Langley’s own Karen Lee Batten has played an important role, said Chris.
This year, however, her “job title” – if you will – has grown. Her role is larger and more challenging, but more fun and rewarding than ever, as she and her team have taken over pretty much complete organization of the entertainment.
Batten was psyched to share information about this year’s lineup, but moreover was was quick to clarify the importance of this event for her is that it is such a massively important cancer fundraiser.
“For me, this day is so much more than a concert,” she said.
“I feel like the concert element is a very, very cool portion of the experience we try to give our audience. There’s so many different aspects to the day that are obviously worth coming out for. But at the end of the day, why we do it is that every single person there, every single person I know, has been touched by cancer… we are doing it because of your mom or your dad, or my sister or my brother, and all the friends and family we have around us who have passed or are suffering, or are fighting right now, or are in remission thank goodness… we all go into overdrive for them.”
Upon the insistence of the Ruscheinski twins, Batten will adorn her singing-songwriter hat and take her turn performing on the main stage Saturday afternoon, along with several other well-known regional artists including Surrey’s JoJo Mason, Abbotsford’s Morgan Griffiths, and Port Coquitlam’s Nette Genereux.
But most of her time, Batten noted, will be dealing with all the moving parts that go into coordinating an entertainment event of this magnitude, with an expected audience of 3,000 predicted to show up at the North Langley movie set, brewery, and family farm.
This year, the main stage – which was moved into place today (Friday, July 10) – is being pushed back from the old-west main street, onto a fully grassed area to allow more than double the space for the audience.
“Everyone is going to be able to chill out on the grass again, like they did in Cloverdale,” Chris interjected, noting the main stage is expected to be a little crazier and louder than last year, while a new second “Outpost” stage – being sponsored by tbird – will offer a more low key level of music at the opposite end of Jamestown.
Also from Langley is the Bargain Shoppers Club, a six‑piece Canadiana band weaving together the easygoing charm of folk, the grit of rock, and the storytelling heart of country. They’ll be alternating on and off with Squamish’s Dakota Pearl on that outpost stage at the other end of main street throughout the afternoon and evening, Batten explained.
In addition to the stage entertainers, there will be two disc jockeys, Johnny Love and Jack Daniels on site, and musician Brad Routledge will be playing piano in the wine bar.
“There’s just so much going on this year at Gone Country Jamestown,” Batten said. “We can’t wait to show people everything we’ve been working on, to share in the experience with them, and to come together for this important cause.”
Gone Country: Jamestown is being held Saturday, July 11, from 4:30 to 11 p.m. with only a few dozen tickets available ahead of the event at twinscancerfundraising.com.
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