Organizers are looking back on the first ever Country Thunder in Saskatchewan.

The annual country music festival in Craven, formerly known as the Craven Country Jamboree, came under new management in October of 2016.

The new owners are an American group called Country Thunder, that have operated outdoor country music festivals in Arizona and Wisconsin for over 20 years.  Last year they purchased not only the Craven event, but launched Country Thunder Alberta in Calgary.

Among the noteable changes at Craven this past weekend - Main Street was paved and widened, and sod was laid on the ground between the stage and grandstand (an area that formerly featured wood chips covering the dirt).

While the Craven festival ran fairly smoothly, organizers say there are a few minor things, mostly behind the scenes, that they will look to improve upon. 

"There are those bumps that you get through in terms of getting things exactly where you want," said Marketing and Communications Manager for Country Thunder, Gerry Krochak. "We always joke that things are perfect by the time you close the festival on Sunday."

Krochak was quick to point to the operational staff as one of the many positives from the event. 

"All of the site crew, all of the stage crews, the people who look after washroom facilities, the grass, the cleanup, the garbage..all made it a pleasant environment out here."

"We still know there are things we want to improve," Krochak continued. "But overall it's been a great year."

Country star Luke Bryan has already been announced as the Sunday night headliner for the 2018 Country Thunder festival in Craven, July 12-15.