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Mayor Bosbous proclaimed Friday to be KISS Appreciation Day...

“It may be the biggest event in the history of Sault Ste. Marie,” said Mayor Tony Bosbous of the coming invasion scheduled for Friday.

Since early April when tickets first went on sale at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie The KISS Army has mobilized in full force. A spokesperson at DreamMaker's Theater said tickets were still available for the outdoor concert and the weather appears as though it will be perfect for Friday's concert.

“So far it looks good,” she said adding the forecast indicates it will be “Nice and hot.”

Bosbous said the influx of KISS fans coming to Sault Ste. Marie might only be rivaled by one of the early I-500 Snowmobile Races in attendance.

“It will certainly provide a tremendous economic benefit to the motels and restaurants,” he said commending Kewadin Casino for putting together an event of this stature.

Underscoring the significance of the event, Mayor Bosbous proclaimed Friday to be KISS Appreciation Day here in Sault Ste. Marie and while unable to attend the concert has assigned a willing representative in the form of Commissioner Ray Bauer to take his place.

“I was completely surprised when Tony asked me to do this,” said Bauer, who will present the band with a Key to the City of Sault Ste. Marie at some point during their visit.

Bosbous noted this is a pretty rare honor.

“It's significant,” he said. “We kind of guard those.”

Having attended a number of rock concerts and having a good feel for those who will be in attendance Bauer admitted he would keep his comments to a minimum.

“No one wants to hear a politician talk,” he said of those who will gather for this event.

Bauer recalled his days as an assistant program director with a North Carolina radio station where he spent some time backstage with the band in 1990 - procuring a hat autographed by Gene Simmons during the memorable visit.

Bauer also recalled that management was reluctant to play a lot of KISS music well into the 1990s, but he still kicked off each weekend with “Rock and Roll All Nite.”

“I have seen, over the period of my career, a lot more acceptance of their music,” he said.

In proclaiming Friday, July 20 as KISS Appreciation Day the City of Sault Ste. Marie listed a number of reasons for bestowing this honor including:

€ The contributions Kiss has made to the world of music since releasing its first album in 1973.

€ The sale of over 75 million albums worldwide.

€ The band's dedication to its fans and its support of The United States Military.

Another message at the site, courtesy of Pioneer Press' Robert Loerzel:

As the lead singer of KISS, PAUL STANLEY became famous for wearing paint on his face - mostly white, with a black star surrounding his right eye.

These days, Stanley usually performs without makeup, but paint is still a big part of his life. The rocker has joined a growing list of entertainers who paint. Stanley will make an appearance Sunday (July 22nd) at the Wentworth Gallery in Schaumburg to sell and sign paintings and limited-edition prints.

KISS lead singer Paul Stanley doesn't wear the famous makeup much anymore, but he does use paint for another purpose - art. His work is being shown at the Wentworth Gallery in Schaumburg.

Celebrity artists - whose ranks include Tony Bennett, Martin Mull and Yoko Ono - sometimes earn good reviews from critics, although they often raise questions about whether they'd be in galleries if they weren't already famous for other reasons.

Michael O'Mahony, the owner of the 21-gallery Wentworth chain, acknowledges that Stanley's fame as a musician is a selling point. But he also says Stanley's an accomplished artist. The Wentworth Gallery Web site compares the KISS singer's paintings to the work of Kandinsky, Mondrian, Paul Klee and Mark Rothko.

"First and foremost, it's very good art," O'Mahony says. "It stands on its own as art. It doesn't hurt that it's a famous guy and a rock star, but if it wasn't good, I wouldn't carry it."

O'Mahony says that entertainers aren't just cashing in on their fame when they branch out into fine art. They're also expressing their creativity.

"It's amazing how many entertainers are multifaceted," he says.

In addition to singing, writing songs and playing guitar with KISS, Stanley, an art major, played a key role in designing the group's album covers, stages and apparel. After painting for years, he decided to get his art into galleries after receiving compliments for a painting he had hung in his house.

"He didn't sign it, and people would go, 'Wow, great piece of art,'" O'Mahony says.

Stanley's paintings use bold and bright colors. Many of them are abstract, although some feature recognizable iconic shapes such as the human heart.

"They're very, very emotive," O'Mahony says.

The price range for the art by Stanley at the Schaumburg gallery is $1,550 to $60,000. People who buy one of Stanley's artworks ahead of time will have the chance to meet with him during a special VIP hour before the public event begins at 3 p.m. Sunday.

"He's a very, very cool guy," O'Mahony says.

The Wentworth Gallery at Woodfield Mall is also making plans for another art exhibit by a rock star. Grace Slick, former singer of Jefferson Airplane, will be at the gallery Sept. 8 and 9 with a collection of original paintings and limited-edition prints, including portraits of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger and Jerry Garcia, as well as art inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

Paul Stanley - 3 - 6 PM Sunday (July 22nd) at Wentworth Gallery, Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg. (847) 995-1190 or www.wentworthgallery.com.