Virgil Bonham and his band, City Moon, are preparing to go to a concert in Germany on July 22. The concert at Schleusingen, 150 miles north of Frankfurt, is a one-shot deal this time, and all expenses will be paid by the sponsors of "Country Festival." While Bonham and City Moon are being limited to the one appearance at Schleusingen on this trip, Bonham, who is a Department of Public Safety driving examiner in everyday life, hopes the appearance will provide the impetus of a European tour later. He said the tour sponsors are advertising their appearance at Schleusingen as the only place Europeans can hear City Moon, precluding a tour while they are there this time. However, he said an agent inGermany has contacted them about the possibility of touring later, but it couldn't be on this trip. "We've been getting a lot of air time," said Bonham whose band has produced a CD which is played extensively in Europe. City Moon will be the only American band on the concert roster this year. Bonham said City Moon was selected because it does traditional bluegrass music, and the band members write their own songs. They will leave the U.S. on July 17, flying from Dallas to Pittsburgh, then to Frankfurt. They will fly back home on July 24. They will be doing "some media stuff" - newspapers, radio and television, before and after the concert. "The next time we go back, we will be able to do more," Bonham said. The concert producers learned details about the band through City Moon's web site www.citymoon.net. "It just took off from there," Bonham said. He said the band is in the process of writing material for another CD project. Their current CD, "Way Too Hot!", is now being heard in Europe. Bonham said the band's web site is getting lots of "hits." We got one yesterday from Australia and got a call today from people in Ohio," he said. Band members, besides Bonham who plays lead guitar and fiddle, are Clifford Parrett of Oklahoma City, bass-guitar; Cory Wyatt of Purcell, drums; Wayne Rinker of Checotah, guitar and fiddle, and Steve Robinson of Durant, steel guitar. Also a sound man and a promotional manager will go with them on the trip, a total of seven. All the band members, except Wyatt, who joined the band after an audition in 1992, are lifetime acquaintances. "We grew up together," Bonham says. Besides the Germany date, the band has a busy second half of 2000 planned. This is first year the band will play all three weekends of the Oklahoma City State Fair. One of their local appearances will be to provide entertainment for the Cimarron Electric annual meeting on Aug. 10. They are visiting Nashville three times a year, writing with Shawn Camp, who wrote "Two Pina Coladas" for Garth Brooks, and Chris DuBois, one of the writers and producers for Brad Paisley. "We will go back to Nashville in August to do that again," Bonham said. They have several Oklahoma dates before leaving for Germany, and will work with Willie Nelson at the International Blue Grass Festival on Oct. 5-7. "That will be a good experience for us," said Bonham, who is a member of the Academy of Country Music out of Hollywood and also a member of ASCAP, headquartered in Nashville. Members have to be nominated for those positions by members of the organizations. The band now has its tour dates on its web site and has T-shirts, pens, CDs and Cassettes, and pictures which can be ordered.