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MADRAS, Ore. -- A band that helped define late-1960s and early 1970s popular music is heading to Madras, where The Cowsills will perform a benefit concert to help the Jefferson County Historical Society turn a historic church into a museum.
The band that inspired "The Partridge Family" sitcom is known for their hits "Hair" and "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things," both of which hit No. 2 on Billboard's top 40.
"We're going to be doing a whole rock show just with a couple of acoustic guitars, and then we're just going to be singing, singing and singing. And it's going to be a night of harmony," said Paul Cowsill.
The Historical Society bought a church building last May and is turning it into a long-awaited museum.
"This has so much history," Cowsill said. "I mean, look at this town, it still looks like it did in the 1800s, practically. And that's the joy of this place."
"There is a lot of history here," said Historical Society President Lottie Holcomb. "The train, when it first came through, brought a lot of homesteads and settlers to the area early on. So we have a lot of history we can share."
The historical society has been around since the 1960s, but has been without a museum since 2011, meaning historical items have been locked away in storage.
"I am dying to see the stuff that I hear has been in storage for like 20 years. So that's what we want to do. We want to get that out of storage, dust it off and get it in here so people can see it and enjoy it," Cowsill said.
Jefferson County granted the historical society $100,000 to help fund the $300,000 purchase of the church. Half of that purchase price has been paid, with the remaining $150,000 due by May 2027.
The society is also planning some improvements on the 118-year-old building. It starts with raising money from the Cowsills concert.
"There are a lot of young generations that don't even know who the Cowsills are," Holcomb said. "But I bet that if they joined in or pulled them up on YouTube, they would go, 'Oh my gosh, I know their music. That'll be fun. We should all go."
The Jefferson County Historical Society hopes to create a museum that will attract visitors, teach them about the county and help them enjoy the Madras community.
The concert is April 11, 7:00 p.m. at the Madras Performing Arts Center. Tickets are general admission at two tiers -- $50 or the $100 ticket that includes a commemorative lanyard.
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