Rock 4 Alzheimer’s Fundraiser Takes Over Bad Habit on Sunday

ST. JOSEPH -- Music will be taking over the parking lot at Bad Habit Brewing in St. Joseph on Sunday for the annual Rock 4 Alzheimer's event.

Organizer Tommy Velline says he and his brother Jeff got the idea for the fundraiser after their dad, Bobby Vee, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011 and passed away in 2016.

My brother and I got the idea to start this event after watching my dad.  With many Alzheimer's patients one of the last things they lose is music, they seem to be completely gone everywhere else but an old song comes on the radio and they are right there singing along. We do music so we thought let's do a music event.

Velline says the event on Sunday is a fundraiser, but it is also a time to raise awareness about the disease. He says it is free to attend.

You can come for free.  It's a very family-friendly event, we have ice cream and lemonade for the kids.  There will be purple buckets around that you can donate in, there is also a QR code.  But, it is as much about raising awareness and showing support as it is about raising money.

Between 2000 and 2019 deaths from Alzheimer's have increased 145 percent and is now the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia.

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Bands performing include Anderson Daniels, Collective Unconscious, Slip Twister, and the Killer Vees. Music starts at 1:00 p.m. and runs until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday.  There will be two stages with live music.