The Strangers will be bringing a little country western fling with a dash of humor to the Hague Centennial.

The group consists of three members: Frankie Thomson, who plays the lead guitar plus the fiddle; Lloyd Thomson, who plays rhythm guitar and sings, and Pete McPhee, who specializes in the fiddle and mandolin.

Pete has been with the group for about three years, but Frankie and Lloyd, who are brothers, have been on the country western music scene for around forty years. Frankie used to be a part of a country western band that played all over the country.

The Strangers play for a variety of different events, including weddings, anniversaries, dances and other special get-togethers. They play regularly at the Mobridge Care Center and have played for the Mound City art festival. They have also played quite often for the annual Mobridge Beef and Fun Day and the Braddock Threshing Bee.

The group has performed all over North and South Dakota, but Frankie especially has seen a lot with his former country western band.

“I‘ve played in every honky-tonk joint around,” Frankie commented.

Frankie himself has played guitar since he was a kid, and today he just has a blast entertaining people with his crew. Many times he and Lloyd get a team of horses and a wagon hitched up and just go take a trip to Mobridge, since Frankie and his wife live about 45 minutes outside of Mobridge. They usually invite some people along, grab their fiddle and guitar and just have a good time. They also enjoy having kids along who can learn a few things about life just by being out with the horses and the wilderness.

Frankie is retired and lives on the farm. Pete McPhee is also retired and goes to Arizona for the winter but stays in Mobridge for the summer months. Lloyd works as a school bus driver on Standing Rock Reservation.

“We just have a lot of fun doing what we do,” said Frankie. With sometimes being booked two to three times per weekend, Frankie and Pete can hardly be labeled as retired. They just keep going for the joy of playing.

The Strangers will be performing at four o’clock on Friday, July 4, at the Hague Centennial.