No Road Back Music Event gears up for November 16th fundraiser at the Legion

By Casandra Turnbull

The Paris Legion and an army of local musicians are gearing up for this year’s No Road Back fundraiser, in support of local cancer patients, taking place next month. You don’t need a ticket to attend the event– just a desire to take in the tunes while raising money to help local citizens who appreciate the support in some of the most-dire days of their lives.

The No Road Back Music Event has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2013 when it was first housed at the Alex Hotel in Brantford. Event organizer and local musician extraordinaire, Jim Young, recalls how it all started.

“The moustache campaign was on in November, and I can’t grow one at all. However, I wanted to do something to assist the Canadian Cancer Society,” he shared. Young turned to his friend, the late Scott Johnson, who’s father-in-law owned the Alex Hotel. Together, in a dressing room at the Wayne Gretzky Centre following a scrimmage game, the duo concocted a plan that is still going strong over a decade later. “I asked some other musicians to come by the Alex and play and then have people drop a few dollars to donate. I called it Music for the Mustache I did that until 2016 when (Scott) my friend passed away ”

Recognizing that many of the key players came from Paris, for the most part the Legion, Young moved to event to Branch 29 Legion, who offered up the venue free of charge. They rebranded it the No Road Back Music Event and the rest is history, as they say.

The benefactor of this annual event is the Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope program.

Bobby Banks, one of the many musicians who has performed at a previous No Road Back Music Event. This year’s event is November 16th at the Paris Legion. Submitted photo

The volunteer-based driving program provides people with cancer rides to and from their cancer treatment appointments. Volunteers donate their time and the use of their own vehicle to help people lessen the burden of stress from ongoing appointments, where in some scenarios, there’s an absence of a family support system Young has his own special connection to the program as his father-in-law was a Wheels of Hope driver, so supporting the cause was an easy fit

“The Legion is a wonderful host as the layout is inviting,” said Young, who gives tremendous credit to Greg Gingerich for taking care of all the sound and technical aspects of the evening.

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Young also recognizes the time that local musicians donate in kind to perform and ensure the entertainment line-up is top notch.

“All the acts donate time on Saturday and Saturday is a big day in the entertainment field. More acts have come forward and that is highly appreciated.”

Not wanting to spoil the big reveal too much, Young did tease that there’s a non-stop musical line up from 12:30 pm to 8:00 pm with The Grand River Men as the finale. If you want to see who else will hit the stage, you’ll have to pop by the Paris Legion on Saturday, November 16th for a day/evening of music, camaraderie, and fundraising Young said volunteers will accept donations throughout the event and they’re actively looking for more corporate donations from the community. If you’re interested in making a monetary donation or being an event sponsor, please reach out to young via email to offsideyoung@gmail.com

This year’s goal is to raise $3,200. Since rebranding as the No Road Back Music Event, organizers have tallied just shy of $15,000 in local donations, an amazing feat for a community driven initiative. To further help the cause, they’re also selling No Road Back t-shirts (pictured to the right) for $20, available as of November 5th via email (offsideyoung@gmail.com) or at the Legion the day of the event

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