Singer-songwriter Chuck Suchy will perform a benefit concert to support a local nonprofit Feb. 16.

“Songs and Stories of a Prairie Troubadour” starts at 7:30 p.m. at the former United Church of Christ, 204 Seventh Ave. W., Kalispell. The family-friendly concert will benefit the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation’s education programs.

Suchy’s songs and stories have earned him broad acclaim and performances at esteemed venues such as the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution and on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”

As a working North Dakota farmer, his music is rooted in a universal theme of connection to the land conjuring images of the Great Plains region and praising its lifestyle. Suchy’s music also includes songs about human relationships, spirituality, motorcycles and even sailing.

Folk music magazine Dirty Linen writes about Suchy: “Ya gotta love this guy! He writes a great song, plays solid guitar, sings with rare confidence and lives his material!”

Well-known Flathead Valley musicians Andre Floyd and David Griffith will open for Suchy. Floyd is a guitar instructor and leader of the band Mood Iguana. Griffith is a multi-instrumentalist and popular performing musician in the Flathead.

Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

A donation of $15 is suggested. Seating is limited.

Sponsored by the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation and Plum Creek Timber Company, the concert will wrap up Suchy’s three-day visit in the Flathead Valley.

Proceeds from the concert will support the foundation’s educational programs that Suchy will be providing to Whitefish High School, Columbia Falls Junior High and Flathead Valley High School students. Suchy will introduce the students to his renowned style of songwriting and guitar playing.

For information about the concert or about the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation and its 2013 Guitar Workshop, visit www.cocguitarfoundation.org or call (406) 407-5962.