Beach Bash hopes for big year

Brian Laures has been through enough of these to know what to expect, but that doesn’t mean the proverbial butterflies aren’t fluttering this week for the owner of Big Ed’s Firehouse Restaurant.This is Beach Bash to End Alzheimer’s week, and Laures is “tying up the loose ends” before Saturday’s big party that supports the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeast Iowa.“I still get nervous before every single one of them,” Laures said Wednesday afternoon. “It’s probably because this is so near and dear to my heart. We want it to go well because 100 percent of everything goes to fighting this disease.”In its first four years of existence, he Beach Bash has raised more than $65,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association, and Laures’ goal for 2016 is a big one.He’d like the Beach Bash to raise $35,000 so that it can reach the $100,000 mark.“We know it’s a big goal,” he said, “but we might as well strive high. We have a great committee of people so dedicated to this event. Whatever happens, it makes me feel good knowing so many people care and want to tackle this.”— For more on this story, see the July 29 Tribune