Hallmark stars Ashley Williams and Nikki DeLoach hosted the seventh annual Dance Party to End ALZ: Halloween Edition on Sunday, Oct. 27 at AVALON in Hollywood, which raised $250,000 and counting for the Alzheimer's Association research grant program.
The event founded by Kimberly Williams-Paisley was emceed by Jonathan Bennett and Melissa Peterman.
Williams and DeLoach opened the evening with a surprise performance of “Thriller.” The duo welcomed guests and shared why co-hosting the event meant so much to them after both losing a parent to dementia. Williams’ mom, Linda, passed away with Alzheimer’s in 2016, and DeLoach’s dad, David, passed away with Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia, in 2021.
Dressed in a variety of Halloween costumes, performers took to the stage covering their favorite hits. Accompanied by house band Casual Encounters, performances included:
Caleb Polaha’s versions of “Friends In Low Places”
Charles Esten's take on “Break on Through,” “What I Like About You,” and “With or Without You”
Eliza Pryor’s spin on “Valerie” and “…Baby One More Time”
Kayden Muller-Janssen’s take on “I Feel Like a Woman” and “9 to 5”
Paul Freeman’s renditions of “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Mr. Brightside,” and “Sex On Fire”
Paul Greene’s spin on “House of the Rising Sun,” “Monster Mash,” and “Take On Me”
Riley Weston’s versions of “I Love Rock ’n Roll,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer”
Sarah Drew’s sing along of “Lean On Me” with Andrew Walker, Benjamin Ayres and Paul Greene
Thomas Lennon channeled Brad Paisley for a Halloween rendition of his song “Mud On Tires”
And, a group sing-along and dance to “The Time Warp”
“It was fantastic to come together again for the seventh annual Dance Party to End ALZ, and for the first time in Los Angeles,” said co-hosts Ashley Williams and Nikki DeLoach. “The energy at the AVALON was electrifying! We are forever grateful to the talented performers, attendees, sponsors, and donors who danced, sang their hearts out and supported this year’s event. Too many of us – including our families – have been touched by Alzheimer’s and dementia. Through the Dance Party to End ALZ, the money we raise funds diverse and exciting research that is supporting our shared goal of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.”
Event committee included:
Ashley Williams, Actor, Writer and Director
Nikki DeLoach, Actor, Producer and Writer
Katie Conway, Emmy Award-winning Producer
Annie Howell, Chief Communications Officer, Hallmark Media
Shaina Julian, Manager, Talent Relations and Events, Hallmark Media
Cassandra Troy, Co-Founder of Little West
Andrew Walker, Actor, Producer and Co-Founder of Little West
Featured sponsors included:
Hallmark Media
Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley
And, many more
Additional notables in attendance included:
Amanda Schull
Aimee Parker
Anna Holbrook
Benjamin Ayres
BJ Britt
Brooke D’Orsay
Erich Hover
Erin Cahill
Heather Hemmens
Jonathan Bennett
Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Kristoffer Polaha
Melissa Peterman
Nicole Sullivan
Rachel Lindsay
Sharon Lawrence
Funds raised through the Dance Party to End ALZ will directly support the Alzheimer’s Association’s research grant program. To date, Dance Party to End ALZ has raised more than $2.35 million to fund diverse and exciting Alzheimer’s research — from studying the impacts of genetics and sleep on the brain, to developing a smartwatch-based intervention for dementia risk reduction.
This year’s event featured two auction items that are available for bidding until Sunday, November 3:
A signed guitar by the “Queen of Country,” Reba McEntire
A walk on role for a Hallmark movie including a hotel stay in Vancouver, Canada
For more information and to donate, visit alz.org/DanceParty.
