ROCKWOOD – Next month, for the 12th consecutive year, the Good Brothers will play a charity concert at the Rockmosa Community Centre.
But this time around, the event will benefit a member of the band.
Fiddler John P. Allen, 66, is currently on the waiting list for a heart transplant due to cardiac amyloidosis, a disorder caused by deposits of abnormal protein in the heart’s tissue.
Rockwood’s Doris Ens, who has organized the Good Brothers fundraisers from the start, didn’t originally plan on having an event this year, but she wanted to do something for Allen.
“He’s done this every single year, along with the Good Brothers, without ever asking for anything back,” said Ens.
“I believe it is only appropriate that Rockwood steps up to support him.”
Ens estimates the Rockwood concerts have raised an average of $4,000 to $5,000 each year.
They were originally held to help fund the participation of her late daughter Colleen, and others, in One Walk to Conquer Cancer, a 25km walk through Toronto to support the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
Now, the focus turns to Allen, a 66-year-old London native who has played with the Good Brothers for over four decades. He is also well known for playing with Prairie Oyster, Great Speckled Bird and Tommy Hunter.
The Oct. 20 Rockwood event benefitting Allen has been expanded to include “six straight hours of music,” Ens told the Advertiser.
In addition to the Good Brothers, musical acts will include: Sylvia Tyson and Cindy Church, Lou Moore, The Allen Family Band, Kinfolk, former Prairie Oyster members, and more.
The event starts at 4pm (doors open at 3pm) on Oct. 20 and will include a pasta bar, silent auction, 50-50 draws and door prizes. A cash bar will be operated by the Rockwood Lions Club.
Tickets are $50. For more information call Ens at 519-856-9419.
