Holiday Mart stages live bands thrice a month

Two Tuesdays a month, the Holiday Food Mart on General Booth Boulevard replaces the lettering on the outdoor sign that towers over the station's gas pumps.

Down come the words "Home Cooking." Up go the letters that spell "Live Music."

The unlikely music venue is set against a backdrop of bagged breads, snack racks and a lunch counter and tables. Tucked in a corner, with the store's coin-operated video games, is a modestly built wooden stage where open mic nights attract local performers.

On the first and third Tuesday nights of every month - and the last Fridays too - musicians come here to fine tune their acts and entertain small crowds and passers-by.

Visitors are likely to hear a little bit of everything, from classic rock favorites to cha-cha to folk.

Evan Eldridge, a member of the local group The Lost Souls, said it's fun to watch the reactions of customers who quickly walk in to pay for their fuel.

"They're just coming in for gas or food or something and there's this puzzled look on their face," he said.

"People's eyes kind of light up. They never expected to hear live music."

Some customers meander over after making their purchases, pull up a chair at a nearby table, or stand by the cash registers, enjoying the performance they happened into.

About five years ago, owner Kitty Bosher decided to turn her family-owned convenience store into a part-time entertainment.

"I love music," she said.

"I was thinking about how I was going to get through the winter successfully. I said, 'maybe we could turn this into a music venue and we could use it at night.' "

Bosher began building - and setting - the stage.

For a year, musical acts came and went. But soon, interest declined and then sputtered.

Bosher had nearly given up on the idea when local guitarist Al Powers stopped by one evening looking for the music.

Instead, he found himself in the middle of an employee party. He asked Bosher where the musicians were; she said they had discontined the performances.

"And I said, 'I have some experience doing this and I wouldn't mind doing it for you,' " Powers recalled.

Since 2004, he's run the musical show.

He has brought renewed interest to the project - as well as hardware and wiring. For show nights, Powers spends about an hour setting up - dragging in extra speakers, amplifiers, microphones and cords. He also plays there with his own band, KAM Acoustic.

"I don't do this for any money," Powers said. "I just do it for people to have fun.

And they do.

Evan Eldridge's The Lost Souls even has an unofficial fan club. His 22-month-old daughter, Mandy, can be seen dancing onstage at nearly every performance.

Jackie Hoggard, 75, is a regular too. She's at every Tuesday night performance, as well as the FridayNightOut shows.

"I don't miss any of them," said Hoggard, a loyal fan since 2003. "I love live music and I just love the people. They're the best bunch of people I've ever seen."

Hoggard often picks up a tambourine and joins the performers onstage.

Powers likens music-making at the food mart to having funwith friends.

For guitarist Patti Schmitt, half of a cha-cha duo, it feels more like family.

Her partner is sister-in-law Laurie Schmitt. The two said they never imagined they would fulfill their teenage dream of performing for an audience.

"Music is truly the universal language," Schmitt said, "and it has pulled people of different ages and walks of life together."

Poets, lawyers, nurses, engineers and students all moonlight at the food mart as open mic performers, said Bosher, who attends every show. She often can be spotted sitting off to the side, sewing a blanket, or just relaxing.

Nine-year-old Evan Button may be one of the youngest performers at the food mart. He is an accomplished guitar player, as well as a singer and songwriter.

His song, "I've Got to Find Out" is a crowd favorite. As he croons out his soulful tune, the audience can usually count on at least a few tosses of his long, blond hair.

"It's about somebody getting rich on something," Evan offered, "but it's not money."

Other performers include Mike Ross of Kongalicious, who pounds out music on his conga drums, and Terry Breen, who plays a rendition of "These Boots Were Made for Walking," on the mandolin.

Eldridge said in the year since he started performing at the mart, he's noticed more performers taking to the stage.

"These days you have to get here early to get your name on the sign-up sheet," Eldridge said.

Schmitt's teenage daughter jokes that her mom plays guitar at a gas station. But, for the performers, it's an energy source not found in a tank.

"That's the bond with all of us," Eldridge said. "We love music. As soon as you come here, if you love music, you automatically have something in common with everyone else."

Rita Frankenberry, 222-5102 or rita.frankenberry@pilotonline.com