After a weather-related postponement last fall, Country Campout Weekend is making its long-awaited debut July 18-20 at Prado Regional Park in Chino.

And while the festival may be branded as its “second annual,” organizers and artists alike are calling this its true inaugural run after last year’s cancellation turned into an extended buildup of anticipation.

The three-day outdoor fest promises boots, brews, bonfires and a lineup of country performers, games, camping and themed activities.

For Franklin Wall, the country duo hailing from Huntington Beach, the weekend marks a celebration of resilience, community and music born from personal transformation.

“We’ve got 16 shows in July alone,” said Dan Franklin, who makes up half of the duo alongside partner Stephanie Wall. “And this one is definitely special. It’s close to home, and we love how much it brings people together.”

The two first met in 2012 performing in Disneyland’s Mad T Party band, a high-energy rock show.

But it wasn’t until the COVID-19 lockdowns — when both were navigating divorces and family hardships — that they began writing music together. “We found ourselves talking about everything we’d been through and realized, why haven’t we written music together?” Wall recalled. “That’s where Franklin Wall was born — from pain, but also from healing.”

Wall’s theater background — she performed on Broadway in “Frozen” in 2017 — and Franklin’s work as a producer and musician outside of country music gave them a wide creative foundation. Still, it was country songwriting that struck the deepest chord.

“Country music let us be vulnerable,” Franklin said. “It was a way to tell our stories — and maybe help other people through theirs too.”

They started dating shortly after they began writing songs, building on a decadelong friendship that’s still at the core of their performances. “Our shows are rowdy and high-energy,” Wall said, laughing. “We were friends before we were in love, so there’s a lot of playfulness on stage. Dan’s jumping off the front of the stage with his guitar; I’m running around getting people to dance. It’s a blast.”

Country Campout Weekend is expected to offer that kind of lively, down-to-earth vibe. With themed events like Rhinestone Rodeo Night, the debut of the Hops & Holler Craft Beer Fest, family-friendly games like mechanical bull riding and a Nerf blaster zone, and headlining performances by Sawyer Brown, Kylie Trout, Anderson, and Franklin Wall, the event is positioned as a summer experience.

The weekend also holds personal meaning for the duo, who opened for Anderson last year and are thrilled to be reuniting on the same lineup. “Coffey is just such a good guy, and his audience is always so open and fun. It’s like performing among friends,” Franklin said.

While Southern California may be miles from Tennessee, home to America’s country music capital, Franklin and Wall say they’ve found a tight-knit, thriving scene right at home.

“There’s such a strong, beautiful country music community here,” she said. “From Redneck Rodeo to JT Harker, everyone’s so supportive. We don’t need to go to Nashville to find that. It’s right here.”

Family also keeps them rooted in Southern California. Wall helps care for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, and her brother, who is paraplegic.

“We love it here,” she said. “This is home.

“And honestly, you can really build something from here.”

With upcoming original releases like “The Life You Thought You Had,” Franklin Wall continues to tell personal stories through songs, which at their core reflect the spirit Country Campout Weekend hopes to ignite: connection, celebration and the healing power of live music.

“Pain is useless unless you use it,” Wall said. “We’ve been through some hard things, but we’re turning it into something joyful. And that’s what we hope people feel when they see us on that stage.”