FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Paul Ruby
July 25, 2008 (630)208-7433
FOUNDATION UNVEILS PLANS FOR 2ND ANNUAL
CONCERT FOR A CURE
Country Music Legend Robbie Fulks to Headline Eclectic Music Festival to
Benefit Parkinson’s Research
The Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson’s Research will hold its second annual “Concert for A Cure” and auction Saturday, September 6th at Tanna Farms, 39W808 Hughes Road, Geneva.
“Last year -- our first as a foundation -- we netted more than $70,000 to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the most raised by any single Team Fox fund raiser in the country. While success like that is hard to top, I think with this year’s line up we have every reason to believe we’ll do even better,” said Paul Ruby, general manager of the Herrington Inn & Spa in Geneva. Ruby founded his namesake foundation in 2007 following his own diagnosis of early onset Parkinson’s, the same form of the disease that afflicts actor Michael J. Fox.
Headlining this year’s concert will be country music legend Robbie Fulks.
“Robbie’s music transcends alternative country rock to include jazz and bluegrass not to mention some very extraordinary songwriting,” Ruby said.
Also appearing that night will be HOSS, a popular local Kane County band. Their songwriting and music can best be described as a blend of rock, Americana, bluegrass, jam band and punk.
“HOSS was one of our bands at last year’s fundraiser. Pure and simple, they’re back by popular demand,” Ruby said.
Rounding out the evening’s performances will be rising star Noah Gabriel, singer/songwriter/guitarist from Aurora, and the Gaddis Girls from Springfield, Illinois. Although the sisters sing all kinds of music, they’re probably best known for the belting modern country duet-type music.
“Their father has Parkinson’s, too, so their participation is especially meaningful. Besides that, they’re awesome performers,” Ruby said.
Lisa Dent, morning co-host at US99, America’s Country Music station, will emcee the event. The show itself is being produced by Rank Entertainment and Richard Milne, host of WXRT’s Local Anesthetic and Regular Guy.
Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the 7th. General admission tickets are $25.00 for adults; $10 for children 12 and under. Sponsorships are still available and monetary donations to help defray costs are being accepted. For more information or to reserve tickets, go to the foundation website at
www.paulrubyfoundation.org. Concert tickets can also be purchased at Kiss the Sky Records (301 W. State), Park Place Interiors (407 S. Third St.) and Mill Creek Market in the Mill Creek Village Center, all in Geneva.
Parkinson’s is a progressive disease of the central nervous system that involves the death or impairment of vital nerve cells (neurons) in an area of the midbrain called the substantia nigra, which normally produces the chemical dopamine. When dopamine is missing, messages that enable the body to move smoothly and with coordination cannot travel across the nerve connections in the brain. Although everyone loses dopamine as they grow older, with Parkinson’s the rate of loss is greater.
Currently, more than 1 million, and perhaps closer to 1.5 million people in the United States have Parkinson’s disease, making it one of the most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States, second only to Alzheimer’s disease.
Proceeds from this year’s Concert and Auction will go to benefit the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwester Memorial Hospital. The money will be used to increase clinical research toward the end of extending knowledge, improving treatment and finding a cure for Parkinson’s.