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The Cowsills - the family band behind huge hits in the late 1960s and the inspiration for the "The Partridge Family" television show - will stage a benefit concert for the Jefferson County Historical Society at the Madras Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 11.
The society is raising money to transform the iconic Methodist Church on D and Eighth streets in Madras, built in 1908, into a county museum.
As a three-person group, Paul, Susan and Bob Cowsill perform many concerts each year. For 14 years, the group has been part of the "Happy Together" tour, which includes several popular bands from the 1960s. The Cowsills had two monster hits in the 1960s - "The Rain, the Park & Other Things" (1967) and "Hair" (1969) - which both reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard chart.
Other big Cowsills hits included "Indian Lake" (No. 10 in 1968) and "We Can Fly" (No. 21 in 1968). They also sang the original theme song to the television show "Love American Style" in 1969.
The Madras show includes a 90-minute performance complete with their hits, plus they apply their magnificent family harmony in covering beloved classic songs from the 1960s and early 1970s. Along with the great music, they sprinkle in plenty of humorous tales from their storied history. After the show, Paul, Susan and Bob will hold a meet-and-greet, be available for photos, and Cowsills music will be available for purchase.
There are two tiers of seats for the show: premium front seating (to include a commemorative lanyard) is $100, and general seating is $50 per ticket. Seating within those two sections is general admission.
Tickets are available online at www.Zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-cowsills-benefit-concert. Tickets purchases can also be made through the Madras Performing Arts Center website (mpac.509j.net). There may also be tickets remaining at the door, but that is not guaranteed.
To make this event occur, the historical society had an "in" with the band. Paul Cowsill and his wife, Lou Ann, have lived in Gateway for a bit more than 20 years. It happens that Paul is friends with some historical society board members and is a big fan of the effort to establish a county museum. He also thinks it's important to contribute to the community you live in.
"We are so thankful for Paul for 'volunteering' his brother and sister to join him for this concert in Madras," said historical society chair Lottie Holcomb. "It is such a generous thing for all of them to do, and it will be a major help to our museum project."
The museum project
Since purchasing the building in May 2025, the historical society has rented it to church organizations while moving forward on raising funds through grants and other means to address the upgrades the building needs before becoming a county museum.
Among the improvements the historical society is targeting for the building are a new HVAC system, restoring the original wood exterior siding, addressing sidewalk and entrance issues, making the bathroom Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standard, and installing new floor covering.
"We are more than a year, maybe two, away from opening a museum, but we're making great progress. Between this show and other grants that we're seeking, 2026 is going to be an important year for us," said Holcomb.
Jefferson County has been without a county museum since 2011, when its small museum at the old courthouse site on Sixth and D streets was shut down due to building stability concerns. That building was saved and refurbished by a private owner but now has other uses. Since leaving that site, efforts to partner with other organizations to establish a broader-scale local museum have not worked out for various reasons.
"Jefferson is the only county in the state without a county museum," said Holcomb. "Our mission is to change that, and we are hard at work to do so."
The Cowsills benefit concert will be a great kickoff to the 2026 fundraising year for the historical society.
"It's going to be such a great show, and we're so very thankful for Paul and his family," said Holcomb. "Hopefully, we'll pack the PAC and make it a great night."
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