A nearly 50-year-old Manhattan band is being inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.

Mainstreet, a horn-based band, has performed throughout northeast Kansas since 1979. The group has seven active members, and three were former music professors at Kansas high schools and colleges. Richard “Felix” Smalley is a founding member, and said being inducted into the hall of fame by his peers is humbling and exciting.

“It’s pretty dang exciting and quite an honor,” Smalley said. “The band has played all over the state and in the area for 40 years, and to be recognized is an honor.”

Kansas is one of the few states that let hall of fame members vote annually on bands or artists they think deserve to be nominated.

The band’s saxophone player Andy Bell said it was an honor being nominated and that he never thought this was possible when first starting out.

“We’ve been at this a long time, since 1979, for me since 1987,” Bell said. “We’ve never really thought about it until recently, so it’s an honor.”

KMHOF officials said they award the musicians and music that have made a significant contribution to Kansas and the Greater Kansas City area. All inductees must have lived in the state or the KC metro area while performing for 20 or more years and substantially contributed to the music scene, either locally or statewide.

Over the years, Mainstreet has played at many different events. Bell said the band played in a lot of weddings, corporate parties and even traveled to Minnesota once. Smalley said they played in various clubs around Manhattan and in Wamego.

Nowadays the band members are spread out across Kansas, with one member living in Colorado. They haven’t played as a group in quite some time, with most members participating in separate groups.

“The last couple years haven’t been very active,” Smalley said. “We’ve all kind of done other things.”

Bell said the band has no concrete plans for the future.

“We all play with different groups now, but I definitely think we’ll keep playing.”

Smalley said he views success for Mainstreet as keeping the band going and making a little extra cash while having fun doing it.

Mainstreet will perform on May 30 at the KMHOF induction ceremony in Lawrence at Liberty Hall. The general admission fee is $40. Doors open at 6 p.m. and performances start at 7 p.m.