Sweet N Juicy plays Aug. 3 at Side A in La Grande.

The bandits are coming!

SUMPTER — The High Country Outlaws are on the move and aiming to rob a train near you.

But don’t worry — it’s all just for fun.

The bandits even give you advance notice and this time they’ll “rob” the Sumpter Valley Railroad on June 1 and June 2.

There will be two round trips on both days — 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. — that leave from the McEwen Depot, located just past Phillips Reservoir on Highway 7. Passengers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to departure. The ride is about 2½ hours. Tickets are $28 adults, $19 ages 3-17 and $25 for seniors/military/veterans.

Looking ahead, the SVRR will run trains on Father’s Day weekend, June 15 and 16, with rides at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. These trips include roasting hot dogs and marshmallows at the Sumpter Station.

Make reservations online at sumptervalleyrailroad.org. Click on “Book Now.”

Jane Kirkpatrick visits John Day

JOHN DAY — Painted Sky Center for the Arts will welcome award-winning author and speaker Jane Kirkpatrick on June 5, 5:30 p.m., at the center, 116 NW Bridge St.

Kirkpatrick speaks internationally about writing and the power of stories. A book signing will follow the presentation. Books will not be available at the event but can be found at local bookstores or jkbooks.com.

Take a scenic ride along the river

ELGIN — The Eagle Cap Excursion Train follows the Grande Ronde River and a special event on June 8 just might include an extra element.

The “Seeking Bigfoot” train is the Two Rivers route that follows the Grande Ronde River to Rondowa, where it meets the Wallowa River. Bigfoot experts Scot and Hannah Violette will ride along to talk about the elusive Sasquatch. A boxed lunch is included. The train leaves Elgin at 10 a.m. and returns around 1:30 p.m. Cost is $85 adults, $80 seniors and $40 for ages 3-16.

Later in the month, the train offers a Father’s Day Eve train robbery on Saturday, June 15. The High Country Outlaws are out in the hills and looking to flag down the train. A boxed lunch is included. The train leaves Elgin at 10 a.m. and returns at 2 p.m. Cost is $85 adults, $80 seniors and $40 for ages 3-16. Those looking for a longer trip can check out the Minam Bonus excursion on June 22 that goes from Elgin to Minam for a round trip of 52 miles. This train leaves Elgin at 10 a.m. and returns at 4 p.m. Cost is $100 adults, $95 seniors and $50 for ages 3-16.

The fruity musical trio returns

LA GRANDE, ENTERPRISE — Sweet N Juicy, the musical trio that appears — and plays — in fruit-themed costumes is returning to Eastern Oregon.

The band plays Thursday, May 30 at HQ, 112 Depot St. in La Grande, starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance at lagrandehq.com or $12 at the door. The next day, May 31, they will play at the Range Rider, 107 NW First St., on Friday, May 31, 7-9 p.m.

The band prefers to be known by their stage names: Sweet the Banana, N the Pineapple and Juicy the Strawberry.

Sweet and Juicy are the original members of the band, which came to be after Sweet bought a costume for Halloween — a yellow banana — that wouldn’t scare his son.

“I never thought I’d be a bass playing banana,” he said with a laugh.

Logging about 200 shows a year, Sweet N Juicy plays around the west and south. And, with more than five hours of material, they can tailor a set list to the ages of their audience.

“We have fans as young as four years old,” Sweet said. “Our job is to be as entertaining as possible for the audience in front of us.”

Electric Sundown sizzles with Denver rapper

PENDLETON — A Denver-based conscious rapper is touring with Def Jam-signed rapper Mark Battles during a 14-stop tour, including Pendleton.

Malcolm Whyz3 will perform Friday, May 31, 7 p.m. at Electric Sundown, 14 SE Third St. Tickets for the 21 and older show are $25 for general admission and $65 for meet and greet passes. They are available via bit.ly/4bT0sIV.

Although he was born and raised in Colorado, he spent summers in Harlem, visiting jazz clubs with his dad and falling in love with music from a young age. Whyz3 went from being a hip-hop fan watching from the sidelines to performing as a headliner.

He released his debut EP, “Before the Streetlights Come On,” in 2021. Whyz3 anticipates releasing his second EP after completing the tour. For more information, search social media platforms.

Catch a bluegrass concert in Spray

SPRAY — The Muddy Souls Band will bring their bluegrass sound to The Spray General Store, 208 Main St., on Thursday, May 30, starting at 6 p.m. Admission is by donation.

Formed in 2018, the band has four albums of original music. The band has played nearly 300 concerts across the Pacific Northwest, Canada and the Northeast including festival sets at Freshgrass, Bridge City Bluegrass, Oregon Country Fair and Wintergrass. They are currently planning their first European Tour for 2025.

This concert is sponsored by the Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce.

BHS presents ‘Pops and Pies’ fundraiser

BAKER CITY — The Baker High School music students will present “Pops and Pies,” an annual fundraiser to support traveling to choir competitions and festivals, on Thursday, May 30.

Doors open at 6 p.m. at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. Soft drinks or coffee will be included in the admission price of $15 for all ages. Dessert items will be for sale as well as auctioned off to the highest bidder. Additional beverages will be available to purchase.

Tickets are available at churchillbaker.com and at the door.

Comedy night set at Flying X

PENDLETON — A comedy night featuring Billy Ray Scott and Jenni Watson is happening Friday, May 31, 8:30 p.m. at the Flying X Speakeasy, 220 SW First St. General admission is $20 and tickets are only available at pendletontickets.com. Seating is limited. For information, call 541-215-8466.

Discover your inner poet May 30

LA GRANDE — Art Center East invites you to discover your inner poet with “Beyond the Sonnet.”

On May 30 from 6-8 p.m., teaching artist Amelia Diaz Ettinger will lead the journey to explore writing poetry with lesser-known forms.

Poets and non-poets will create pieces of literary art through tanka, lipogram, aubade, and outlaw poems. Participants will leave the class with four possible starts of poems or maybe even polished poems.

Ettinger is a Latinx BIPOC poet and writer. Her stories and short stories have been published in anthologies, literary magazines and periodicals. She has an MS in Biology and an MFA in Creative Writing. Now living in Eastern Oregon, she says that her literary work is a marriage of science and her experience as an immigrant.

Classes are open to ages 18 and over. The cost is $20 for ACE members and $25 for nonmembers. Please enter through the Fifth Street door.

Register in person at ACE, 1006 Penn Ave., between noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, call 541-624-2800 or online at artcentereast.org.

Get ready to glow for mother-daughter dance

PENDLETON — Pendleton Parks and Recreation is hosting “Let’s Glow Girls” for mothers and daughters on Saturday, June 8, 6-8 p.m. at Sunridge Middle School, 700 SW Runnion Ave.

Attendees are encouraged to wear neon or white and come ready to dance. The venue will have black lights, glow sticks, a photo booth, glow-in-the-dark temporary tattoos, desserts and music.

All ages are welcome. Tickets are $20 through the parks and recreation website or by calling 541-966-0228.

Take a tour of the quilt show

JOHN DAY — The Grant County Piecemakers Quilt Guild stitches together its two-day extravaganza quilt show this weekend in Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day.

Hours for the event are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, May 31 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. Admission is $3 per person, good for both days, or $5 for two people.

Anyone interested in displaying quilts at the show can bring them to the pavilion from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 30.

A “best of show” prize will be awarded each day, as well as random drawings for visitors and a prize for “Best Oregon Trail Quilt Challenge.”

The event’s workshop will be Sunday, June 2, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., also in Trowbridge Pavilion. The subject this year is Laura Heine’s “Teeny Tiny Collage #5,” taught by Laura Heine certified teacher Joy Helfrich, of Boring. The cost is $65 per person, which includes the $40 workshop fee, the $25 pattern, plus a soup lunch. And there will be even more prizes during the workshop.

For more information about the show or to sign up for the workshop, call Hinton at 541-620-0120, Ersela Dehiya at 541-620-4475, Shiny Thimble at 541-932-4111 or email gcpiecemakers@gmail.com.

EOU presents ‘She Loves Me’

LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon University invites you to step back in time to 1936 in Budapest, Hungary, for the musical “She Loves Me.”

“It’s a fun show. Definitely romantic comedy by every sense,” said Kenn Wheeler, associate professor of theater at EOU.

The cast of 14 includes both EOU students and community members.

“She Loves Me” was scheduled late into the school year, so Wheeler had to work around other events already planned at EOU. The 11 performances are spread over three weekends, and times vary from past shows.

Shows are set for May 31 at 7 p.m. and June 1 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The final chance to see the musical is 7 p.m. June 6 and 7, and June 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are $15 general, $10 for seniors/military and free for EOU students with an ID. Advance tickets can be purchased at eou.edu/theatre or by calling 541-962-3757. The theater is limited to 95 seats and advance tickets are encouraged, although Wheeler said some may be available at the door.

‘Spring into American Classics’ May 29

LA GRANDE — The Grande Ronde Symphony will present its spring 2024 concert with the theme of “Spring into American Classics.” Under the baton of maestro Zachary Banks, the orchestra will perform on Wednesday, May 29, at Eastern Oregon University’s McKenzie Theatre in La Grande, beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available online at GrandeRondeSymphony.org and at Direct Music Source in La Grande and Betty’s Books in Baker City. Prices are $15 adults, $12 seniors, $5 college students and $1 for grade school students.

Special pricing is available for families and groups — inquire about “Grace Notes” at info@GrandeRondeSymphony.org.

Fiddlers plan show in Joseph

JOSEPH — The Blue Mountain Old Time Fiddlers will have a show on Saturday, June 8, at the Hurricane Creek Grange, 82930 Airport Lane.

Dinner will be served at 5 p.m. ($16) and the music starts at 6 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door, $4 for association members or free for ages 12 and younger. For information, call Robyn Burns at 503-423-7730.

Farmers market opens in Hermiston

HERMISTON — The Maxwell Market kicks off the 2024 season on Thursday, May 30, 4-7 p.m. at the Maxwell Maxwell Siding Event Center & Pavilion, 225 S. First Place, Hermiston.

In addition to locally grown produce, the weekly farmers market features arts and crafts vendors, beer, food and live music. The opening market features Tiphony Dames and Rob Barrett, who perform with the Coyote Kings.

The market will run each Thursday, except July 4 and Aug. 8, through Oct. 3. For more information, search www.maxwelleventcenter.com or www.facebook.com/theMaxHermiston. For questions, contact 541-561-1047 or maxwelleventcenter@gmail.com.

Library friends change venue for Hermiston book sale

HERMISTON — The annual book sale hosted by the Friends of the Hermiston Public Library will be held at a different venue in 2024.

The event begins for members only on Thursday, May 30, 5-7 p.m. at Hermiston City Hall, 180 NE Second St. It includes cookies and punch. People can learn more about joining the group by calling 541-567-2882.

The sale is open to the general public on Friday, May 31, 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m. to noon. It concludes June 1, 1-3 p.m.(it will be closed from noon to 1 p.m. to prepare) with a bag sale.

Check out the farmers market

LA GRANDE — The 2024 La Grande Farmers Market season is under way and continues until Saturday, Oct. 19.

Markets are on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and on Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m. at Max Square at the corner of Adams Avenue and Fourth Street.

The market features local produce, artisans, live music and special events, as well as Double Up Food Bucks, an incentive program that matches SNAP (food assistance) dollars spent at market.

Learn more at lagrandefarmersmarket.org and on the market’s Facebook page.

Register soon for princess pageant

MILTON-FREEWATER — A princess pageant is planned during Weekend at the Blues on Aug. 2 at Yantis Park and the deadline to apply is July 21 at 5 p.m. A princess will be crowned for different age groups: 5-8; 9-13 and 14-18. For information, visit weekendattheblues.com or call Lynn Birdwell at 509-876-1113.

Horse show celebrates 120 years

MILTON-FREEWATER — The Weekend at the Blues horse show is set for Aug. 4 and both participants and spectators are encouraged to mark their calendars for this event, which is the 120th celebration of the Milton Horse Show.

The show will be at the WW Arena, 85207 Telephone Pole Road. Admission is free for spectators. Participants can register online at weekendattheblues.com. The pre-entry deadline is July 28.