By LOIS KINDLE
If you’re in the mood for a wonderful evening of lighthearted comedy and entertainment, make plans now to attend A Walk Down Memory Lane, Friday, Jan. 3, at Community Hall and Saturday, Jan. 4, at Kings Point.
Tickets are still available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at the kiosk in the Sun City Center Atrium Building off North Pebble Beach Boulevard on North Course Drive and weekdays between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Kings Point North Clubhouse Box Office, 1900 Clubhouse Lane.
They’ll also be available at the door. The cost is $30 per person.
COURTESY PHOTOS
HCSO Community Resource Deputy Jeff Merry, seen here during a rehearsal for the final dance routine of A Walk Down Memory Lane, is one of 13 men in the Sun City Center Men’s Golden Review performing Jan. 3 in Sun City Center and Jan. 4 at King’s Point.
A Walk Down Memory Lane is a major fundraiser to aid the Alzheimer’s Association’s research for a cure. All proceeds will go to the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and will be funneled to various research facilities throughout the Tampa Bay area, including the U.S.F. Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.
“It’s about neighbors helping neighbors,” said organizer Renee Bray, who began planning the event earlier this year. “That’s what makes Sun City Center such a great place to live. Our committees have done a tremendous job building props, sewing costumes, collecting donations, gathering items for gift baskets and more in preparation for the event.
“Area clubs and businesses have been so supportive, knowing our goal is to raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s,” she said.
Karen Fredricks, chairwoman of the gift basket committee, agreed.
“In spite of two major hurricanes, we were amazed at the generosity and responsiveness of the community,” she said.
“There’s such a personal and immediate connection to a cause involving Alzheimer’s, a horrific disease that touches everyone in one way or another.”
The BYOB event features performances by award-winning, age-appropriate comedian Gid Pool and the Sun City Center Men’s Golden Review, plus a basket raffle (26 tickets for $20), Purple Costume Contest and a 50/50 drawing. Tickets for the latter are $20 for 21, $10 for nine and $5 for three.
Both evenings begin at 6:30 p.m., with the fun starting at 6:45 as Pool cracks jokes for the next hour. A 15-minute intermission is set to give guests the opportunity to bid on more than 80 gift baskets and other items, which will then be followed by a 30-minute, high-energy dance/skit performance by the Men’s Golden Review, involving instantly recognizable music from the 1950s through the 1980s, including hits like “Jailhouse Rock,” “YMCA” and “Let’s Get Physical.”
The stars of this improbable, community dance troupe are choreographer Jeff Marshall, Mike Bardell, Jeff Merry, Tim Broad, Ron Clark, Bob Quartucci, Greg Eisman, Greg Hanson, Jay Bowman, Mike Barkman, Eddie Jacobs, Stan Serbin and Randy Early.
These are among more than 80 gift baskets and other donated items to be raffled off in A Walk Down Memory Lane. The BYOB event also features performances by award-winning, age-appropriate comedian Gid Pool and the Sun City Center Men’s Golden Review, a purple costume contest and 50/50 drawing.
“We’ve got a great group of guys having fun while bonding and building lifelong friendships – all in the name of charity,” Marshall said. “We’ve had so much fun rehearsing for this performance, which we’re doing to give back to everyone who’s supporting us, and this wonderful cause. The costumes alone are fantastic and so era-correct. They just jump out at you as the guys perform.
Sponsors include the Sun City Center Pickleball Club, Care Access, Freedom Plaza, FirstLight Home Care, CC’s Grill, the local McDonald’s, Spirit Entertainment and the Sun City Center Shellcrafters.
A Walk Down Memory Lane will be a great way to kick off the new year, so get your tickets now while they’re still available. In doing so, you’ll have an incredibly fun evening while supporting a cure for the most common form of dementia and the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
