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FROM THE PALM BEACH POST Venetian Carnevale to benefit Parkinson's nonprofit group By Stephanie Slater, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Wednesday, December 31, 2003 When her 50-pound dog's legs weakened, Fran Landes carried the pup up and down five flights of stairs to avoid putting her to sleep. But now the strength of Landes' legs is failing. Parkinson's disease will do that to you. "It changes your life," said Landes, 50. The one thing it hasn't changed is her bond with her sister, Allison Landes. If anything, the non-preventable, chronic and progressive neurological disorder brought the two Boca Raton women closer. Following her sister's 1998 diagnosis, Allison Landes founded Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, a grass-roots effort focused on quality of life issues, as well as raising awareness and money for research. "It affects so many things... movement, the digestive system, the voice. They have to concentrate on chewing and swallowing so they don't choke," Allison Landes said. "It's a difficult thing to deal with." Merriment will overshadow the disease's gloom Thursday, Jan. 15, when masked dancers, fortunetellers and Charles Pitt, the man Madonna dubbed the "sexiest tenor alive," lend their talents to Landes' cause. The Shops at Boca Center will host a Venetian Carnevale from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to benefit the organization. Jesters, mimes, wenches, violinists and accordion players will stroll through the upscale shopping plaza on Military Trail, which will be transformed into the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. A $25 donation ($22 in advance) offers samples and sips of Italian food and wine from local restaurants such as Cucina D' Angelo, Bocadora, the Sundy House and Maggiano's. Venice's most popular drink, the Bellini, also will be served. Created and served at Harry's Bar on the St. Mark's bay waterfront, the drink is a mixture of white peach juice and champagne. Revelers will find a replica of Campanile, Venice's iconic bell tower on display, as well as a 12-foot-tall leaning tower of pasta. There will be a contest to guess how many pieces of pasta were used to build the tower. Competitive types might also get a kick out of the grape stomping contest. Teams of two will have three minutes to crush grapes in a wooden wine barrel. "It's just like what Lucy did," event coordinator Roz Gatewood said referring to the infamous I Love Lucy episode. There's a limited amount of grapes, so register for the stomp by Jan. 10. Call 271-8102. Since November, stores in the shopping center have been promoting Venetian Carnevale with displays of hand-painted wooden boxes in their front windows. The Bella Scatolas (beautiful boxes in Italian) were designed by Florida artists and filled with items donated by celebrities, including boxing gloves autographed by Parkinson's patient Muhammad Ali, Gatewood said. The boxes, along with a bubble-gum pink Vespa scooter, will be auctioned at the event. Proceeds from Venetian Carnevale will help Take Care! Cure Parkinson's continue its exercise classes at Sugar Sand Park and yoga classes at Boca Yoga, Allison Landes said. The nonprofit, which in October received a $4,000 grant from the city for its classes, also wants to start a support group and get an office for administrative purposes. The organization now works out of volunteers' homes. On Friday, Jan. 16, the group joins forces with the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Foundation, offering a free lecture and demonstration to patients and their caregivers. A lecture on speech, voice and swallowing disorders begins at 12:30 p.m. in the Boca Raton Marriott at the Shops at Boca Center. At 1:30 p.m., doctors will demonstrate the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, a speech therapy for treating voice disorders associated with Parkinson's. Reservations are required. Call 620-1970. "We're really working so hard," an emotional Allison Landes said. "People have to know how horrible this disease is." For information and tickets, call 392-2577. OR CALL Alison Landes Founder/ President Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, Inc. 1489 W. Palmetto Park Road Suite 442 Boca Raton, Florida 33486 Tel: 561.620.1970 Alison Landes Founder/ President Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, Inc. 1489 W. Palmetto Park Road Suite 442 Boca Raton, Florida 33486 Tel: 561.620.1970 E-mail: [log in to unmask] Web site: www.cureparkinsons.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn