Music on Main set for Memorial Day weekend

Blues, Southern Rock and Country sounds are destined for Main Avenue in Historic Downtown Ritzville on Sunday, May 26, 2019. Free live entertainment is being made possible through the efforts of Brenda Owens and her H.E. Gritman Building Nonprofit organization.

The new event is free to all ages and will include music, vendors and raffle drawings. Music on Main will coincide with the annual Ritzville Classics on Main car show hosted by the Ritzville Classic Car Club. The stage will be located on Washington Avenue adjacent to Main Avenue where the car show's participants have their vehicles on display.

Horse-drawn wagon rides will also be taking place throughout the day, beginning at 11 a.m. Face-painting is also sure to be a hit.

Music begins at 12:05 p.m. with four Pacific Northwest bands gathering to liven up the Memorial Day weekend Spring Fest events in Ritzville. Sheri Roberts Greimes with JoMomma opens things. The Hankers take over at 1:45 p.m. The Sara Brown Band turns up the heat at 3:30 p.m. At 5:15 p.m., Sammy Eubanks and special guest Peter Rivera comes on board to take us out with a bang.

Owens is combining her love of music with a passion for restoration of the H.E. Gritman Building, which she owns. The classic structure is located at the heart of Ritzville's Historic Downtown. While Owens resides in Montana, she has spent the past year implementing a plan to fully restore the two-story brick building constructed in 1902 by Harry E. Gritman. A corner turret with conical roof and a corner tower room on the second story make this building a true icon.

Music has long been in Owens' veins. She currently helps coordinate the Big Sky Blues Festival in Noxon, Montana. Knowing how popular the former Ritzville Blues, Brews & BBQs was during its 18-year run, Owens set out to bring music back to Main Avenue. Memorial Day Weekend is the perfect opportunity. It's the annual gathering for the Ritzville Alumni on Saturday. The weekend features Art in the Park on Saturday and Sunday, Alumni Banquet on Saturday night, Classics on Main on Sunday and the Ritzville Fire Department Pancake Breakfast on Monday. And now, Music on Main!

For a first effort, Owens' has ensured that the music will be epic.

Sheri Roberts Greimes has a beautiful, powerful voice worthy of any blues stage. In fact, it has been said that Sheri "can sing the Blues like nobody's business." She will be joined by her band, JoMomma.

Earlier this year Sheri competed in the International Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category. Her powerful voice and bluesy, country rock sound has earned her many accolades. She has been nominated for the Washington Blues Society's 2019 Best Female Blues Vocalist and Best Solo/Duo Performance.

The Hankers deliver a strong mix of Country, Southern Rock and Blues and they do so using a powerful combination created by a wicked fiddle player and a fiery, vivacious lead vocalist that has a sultry southern voice.

Front man Keith Niehenke uses his fiddle and bow to energize the stage. Julie Layne Niehenke turns that up a notch when she lets loose with her vocals. This band brings extraordinary vocals and powerhouse instrumental talent.

The Sara Brown Band, based in Kettle Falls, can take an audiences' breath away. When you hear "Don't Mess with a Redhead from Stevens County," don't take the lyrics for granted. That tune can only be about Sara Brown. She packs powerhouse vocals in with a stylish, traffic-stopping stage presence. Her musical influences should provide a few clues. She pays homage to some legendary vocalists, listing Etta James, Billie Holiday and Beth Hart among her top inspirational favorites.

Rounding out the night is Sammy Eubanks, and he and Ritzville have some serious history. Eubanks played there at least 10 times during the previous festival's run. He even anchored the Friday night kickoff parties at the fairgrounds. Special guest Peter Rivera from Rare Earth will be joining him for his set.

Sunbanks Blues Festival coordinator Billy Stoops sums it up: "If you can look up 'cool' in the dictionary, you'll see this cat's picture."

Sammy's often referred to as "The Voice." He's won Best Male Vocalist 12 times and is a Hall of Fame member on the Inland Empire Blues Society, an organization he helped create.

He's spent a lifetime thrilling audiences and building a music legacy that has evolved into a national touring band. Earlier this year Sammy Eubanks & The Work'In Class advanced to the finals of the 35th International Blues Challenge and captured second overall out of a field of 260 Blues acts.