Singer/songwriter Kristy Kruger performs in Seaside at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16, as part of a 50-state memorial tour for her brother. Photo from www.kristykruger.com

SEASIDE – Texas singer/songwriter Kristy Kruger has launched a 50-state memorial tour in remembrance of her brother, Lt. Col. Eric Kruger, who was killed in Iraq Nov. 2. Her goal is to better appreciate the land her brother died for and share her family’s story. Lt. Col. Kruger was one of the highest ranking officers to have been killed in the war and was in Baghdad for only one day when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Her Seaside memorial concert is at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at Lil’ Bayou.

Kruger’s performances are nonpartisan and she welcomes people from all political backgrounds to join her in remembering Lt. Col. Kruger. There is no cover charge, but donations to the memorial tour, a memorial fund for Lt. Col. Kruger’s four children, and the Fisher House, which provides comfort homes for wounded veterans, will be accepted. Donations can also be mailed to The Memorial Fund for Children of LTC Eric Kruger, 6460 Crystal Mountain Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80923.

Kruger was named Best Female Vocalist by the Dallas Observer and has been described by the Dallas Morning News as a “female Tom Waits.” Her latest album won the 2007 Independent Music Award for Best Americana Album of the Year. Leslie, of Leslie and the Badgers, opens the show.

Lil’ Bayou is located at 20 N. Holladay Dr. For more information, call (503) 717-0624 or visit www.kristykruger.com