Bash for a cause

Brian Laures will take at least one special memory from the 2016 Beach Bash to End Alzheimer’s.“I had a little boy come up to me this week,” the Big Ed’s Firehouse owner said, “and give me a dollar. He looks up at me and says, ‘Give this to fight Alzheimer’s.’ I mean that’s what it’s all about.”So even though the 2016 event, which was the fifth Big Ed’s had hosted, came with some disappointment, Laures can live with the results.“It doesn’t matter if it’s a quarter or a dollar or $10,000,” he said, “every cent goes to research and to help people dealing with this awful disease.”Laures said the final “totals” for this year’s Bash won’t be known for a couple of weeks.Still, it was one of the tougher years for the Beach Bash. Laures readily admitted that attendance was down, but he said the committee that puts on the event each July was appreciative of those who turned out for the day-long event on Saturday.They played in the sand, competed in games ranging from bingo to beanbags  to sack races, heard three musical acts and took part in an auction that raised money for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeast Iowa.For the complete story see the 8/2/2016 New Hampton Tribune.