PartyPast

The Back To The 80's Party last night was great fun. Jeff Smith and his partners and staff hosted a totally awesome event. When we arrived in the time machine, the building emptied out into the chilly parking lot and we were surrounded by a crowd with big hair, neon leg warmers, and lots of smiles. Inside, Jeff doubled as D.J. and had prepared hours of vintage 80's videos which played on the screens throughout the club, including a nice tribute to Back to the Future and the Huey Lewis video 'Power of Love.'
At one point, the space-time continuum was endangered when a second Marty McFly arrived and a paradox occurred. (See Photo.) But things seemed to work out just fine. 'Zack' is a huge fan of the film and a really nice guy.

80's Party!

Here's a last minute surprise!
Join us at Tequila Mockingbird, 3140 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet, SC on Friday, December 12. The DeLorean Time Machine will be on public display from 9:30pm until after midnight! Dress in your favorite 80's apparel (or Back To The Future costume!) and prepare to enjoy a fun evening. 80's music videos will be shown, and the restaurant will have plenty of dancing, and a full menu for a 'totally awesome' party.
Admission is free, however, donations to the Michael J. Fox for Parkinson's Research are always welcome.

Appearances

We've been scheduled to make a few private appearances in the first part of next year. We'll be in Huntersville, NC, on January 4th, and then Lake Lanier Islands, GA, in April. There's a possibility we may be time traveling to Massachusetts in late January for an event and fund raiser, but we'll have to see how things develop. . .
-Oliver

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. (Turkeys being the exception, I guess!)
Black Friday came quickly and we brought the DeLorean Time Machine out for display to a mall here in Myrtle Beach. We were able to hand out literature about Parkinson's disease and the mission, and even took in some donations from generous shoppers!
-Oliver

Blue Mountains Majesty

The Time Machine took Terry and I to the Carolina/Tennessee mountains on November 8th. We were anxious to see Fall colors and the car was eager for a drive. Everyone was satisfied! There is nothing quite like the roads flowing through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Gatlinburg was chilly, but the curvy-winding road (known as the 'Tail of the Dragon' ) from there to Cherokee is so much fun to drive! Lower gas prices added to the enjoyment.

And the results are in. . .

The Incredible Pumpkin Patch has faded once again until next year, but the great news is that the display raised over $500. again this year for Parkinson's research!

We doubled our efforts, advertising and length of the event, but just reached half of our hoped-for goal.  -Another reflection of the economy!  I'm so glad we did double our efforts so that the results at least matched the previous year!  We unknowingly countered what would have surely been a big drop.  So many people showed up to see the display, take photos and enjoy the spectacle.  And it's nice they felt compelled to give.  They were getting something for their donation!

A note for anyone who might consider collecting donations for the cause:  It is SOOOO easy to put out a collection jar.

-O.

Cable Show

Here's a photo from the shoot Monday morning. There were three cameras and lots of lights. I wish I could have felt as comfortable as Jeffrey did. He seemed quite at home!
O.

Hollywood, Southern Style.

On Monday, October 20th, Terry and I appeared on a local show to talk about ToTheFuture.org and the mission.  Diane D. Stokes is the host of 'Southern Style', which has been on the air for more than 20 years.  She is an amazing host who can instantly perceive the important parts of a story, develop smart questions on the fly, while remembering the names, dates, times, and other critical information of the topic at hand.  -And she's really good at making her guests feel at ease and very welcomed.  

It just so happened that Jeffery Weissman (George McFly in BTTF 2,3!) was in town and generously offered to join us for the taping.  I was a bit nervous, but Terry and Jeffery did well!  As soon as it airs, I'll post the clip here.

-O.

Nice smiles!

Met two really nice couples tonight from the Washington D.C. area who complimented us on the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser.  One of the wives asked me about what our connection with Parkinson's disease was (expecting an affected family member).  I told her simply that we admired Michael J. Fox and his acting work, and we chose his foundation as our charitable focus.

She introduced me to her husband who revealed that he had lived with Parkinson's for 10 years now, and was grateful for the medications that certainly helped his symptoms.  We all agreed that a cure will be discovered soon.

-O.

Pumpkins and Politics

Happy October!!!! The Incredible Pumpkin Patch is up and running, with plenty of people coming by and taking photos. Hector is coughing pumpkin seeds on 'victims', (who seem to really enjoy it!) -Check out the video I've added:
Donations are at about half of what they were this time last year, which seems to reflect the overall economy. Most businesses around us are suffering and I can only imagine this is also why support for the mission is strained. We'll keep on working and planning, even if we have to set a launch date for later than we had wanted. Although I'm not a 'political person', I'm thinking after the elections are over, worry and uncertainty will diminish and the welfare of the nation will improve.
-Oliver

Fund Raising!

We watched some of the Labor Day telethon and was amazed at the record $65 million raised for the Muscular Dystrophy Association!
Although we're told over one million Americans suffer from Parkinson's (more than Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease -combined,) there are parallels among them all. A cure for one, might translate into treatment for others which is an exciting thought.

Parkinson's doesn't have a telethon, but we're going to make sure it has a year-long marathon, -featuring a DeLorean Time Machine!

The Mission has been blessed.

Over the weekend Oli and I traveled in our Time Machine to Albemarle, North Carolina. We were asked there to be part of a Back to the Future sermon at the Encounter Christ Church. We went to help this new church and in the end the church offered to help us. Our mission was blessed by Pastor DiDio and his congregation will pray for us. Thank you Encounter Christ Church.
(That's Pastor Alan and his wife Tera and little Evan in the photo.)

Each day some one tells me of their family's struggle with Parkinson's. I sometimes wish that we had started our mission sooner. But I'm reminded even by those that have lost a loved one that we are on our mission now. It's not a wish; it is happening and I want to thank all of you for your support, and prayers.

Say a prayer for us, think kind thoughts, make a donation or write to us. Each effort helps us on our way to reaching our goal: Finding a cure for Parkinson's.

-Terry

Pumpkins For Parkinson's!

We've been hard at work on a seperate Team Fox project for the fall season.
For the past 5 years, we've decorated with jack-o-lanterns, and it has grown to be such a spectacle, that guests come from all over to take photographs. Last year, we made a sign that suggested, 'Take Photos, and Give Hope', with a collection jar nearby -and we raised $500!
This year our goal is $1000.
We've got over 500 jack-o-lanterns to rig and light, along with corn stalks, hay bales, fog, lights, scarecrows, fall leaves, etc! It's a lot to coordinate, but at least we've turned it into an easy opportunity for visitors to turn their delight into help finding a cure for PD.
-O.

Put Your Mind To It.

Just finished a video of our wonderful friends from the 'Back To The Future' films.
I'm no Spielberg, but I think it turned out nice enough.
Let me know what you think. It's on the videos page.
http://www.tothefuture.org/Video.html
or you can view it below!

-O.

Tango Time Machine!

Tonight was the Tango Charity Ball, and we showed up a little early, around sunset.
The club was quite retro, and really came to life after 9:00pm. We met several members of the Grand Strand Tango Society and other dancers and passersby. There were a few vacationers who stopped just to see the car and make a donation, which was great!
The dance floor was roomy enough to move about, but not too crowded. Two screens overlooking the dance floor played the Back To The Future movies. Really fun to see people dancing while the 'Enchantment Under the Sea dance' is going on!
-O.

Donation! -and Charity Ball!

The Ball is 5 days away and we've received our first donation, a check for $500 from Edward M. Gore Sr. Thanks Ed!!
The Ball is Friday August 1st, at 2001 Dance Club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. All proceeds will be donated to the Fox Foundation.

Our DeLorean Time-Machine will be greeting folks at the front door for photo ops and Mr. Compassion is ready to receive donations. Wear your dancing shoes, Oli and I hope to see you there.
Terry

Time and MJFF

January is coming quicker than I imagined! The mission is still on track and we continue to prepare -from routes, to puppy-care while we're away.
Communicated with Dana Barden with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and she has been most helpful with suggestions and general support.
I'm preparing a press release to get the ball rolling and officially 'announce' what is about to happen!
-O.

Meeting People

Terry and I met a nice family who were vacationing in Myrtle Beach. They were fascinated with the time machine and made a kind donation. As we talked, the wife/mother told us that her father had died from Parkinson's disease.
They said they were enjoying the beach and she caught me a little off guard when she thanked us for doing what we're doing.
To say the time machine is a great conversation piece is an understatement, indeed.
O.

Team Fox!

Received a nice phone call today from Sam at Team Fox. He was encouraging and complementary about our 'ToTheFuture.org' website.
It gave a nice boost to our tired bones. (It's Summer Season here at the beach, and we're working 14-15 hour days.)
O.

Tango!

We're going to attend the Grand Strand Tango Society Charity Ball!
August 1st, Friday night, 8pm at "Club 2001," Myrtle Beach, SC.
Suggested donation is $10 and 80% of the door proceeds benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. (The other 20% pays for the drinks and other expenses.)
We'll be there with the Time Machine to support the event, and I'm told the 'Back To The Future' movies will be shown on the screens inside the club.
Ballroom, Tango, Swing, Salsa. Sounds fun!

-On a related note: In this July 2008 issue of "Scientific American" on page 80, it states under 'Tantalizing Tango Finding:"
In a study by Gammon M. Earhart and Madeleine E. Hakney of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, it was found that tango dancing improved mobility on patients with Parkinsons's disease. Researchers found that after 20 tango classes, study subjects 'froze' less often. Compared with subjects who attended an exercise class instead, the tango dancers also had better balance and higher scores on certain physical tests.

Interesting!
-O.

4th of July

Happy Independence Day!
Last night we drove the car to Barefoot Landing for the evening and it drew quite a crowd. The lights on the car really shine at nighttime and make for nice photographs. We met a tourist who was in town with family because doctors had given his brother 24 hours to live. The brother has Parkinson's, but as he described it to us, he said he didn't shake. The disease freezes his muscles. -It affects each person differently. Seeing the car seemed to lift his spirits a little and he made a donation and we wished him well.
O.

Rehearsal

Terry and I drove the time machine to a few 'hot spot' locations in Myrtle Beach, SC.
It was very encouraging and we learned a lot in just a few hours of speaking with folks.
Just one example of a 'noteworthy' encounter was a young man who is an actual research scientist from West Virginia who works on Parkinson's studies (as well as other neuro-muscular challenges.)
Although part of our mission is to raise awareness, I believe we'll be learning more ourselves than we ever imagined.
-O.

If you're gonna cure Parkinson's disease, why not do it with some style?

My wife Terry and I are driving our DeLorean Time Machine to all 50 states to raise awareness and funding for Parkinson's Research. Our website is:
http://www.ToTheFuture.org
This is our blog to report about our mission and hopefully, we will receive encouraging words from YOU to help us along the way.