LAKEMOOR — Think pink and ready those vocal cords: Oct. 10-11 at the McHenry Outdoor Theater will be all about making some joyful noise on behalf of breast cancer awareness.
Presented on the big screen that weekend will be a “Grease” sing-a-long followed by the 1986 musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” said Joe Cicero, president of marketing and promotions for the theater at 1510 N. Chapel Hill Road, just east of McHenry.
Cicero encouraged attendees that weekend to dress in pink in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as well as in support of Maura’s Minions, a group that will participate in the upcoming Care4 Breast Cancer 5K fundraising event Oct. 19 in Woodstock. There will be raffles at the Outdoor with proceeds going to the team, as well as other opportunities to donate, Cicero said.
This is the 25th year for the Care4 Breast Cancer walk and run that benefits the Family Health Partnership Clinic, which serves McHenry County’s 15,000 to 20,000 uninsured residents in many ways.
“We are thrilled that the Outdoor has included us in this event,” said Kristina Nemetz, event coordinator for the FHPC. “It benefits so many people in the community by providing early detection and routine preventive care.
“Breast cancer is something that affects all of us in some way,” she continued. “Either we know someone or have a loved one who’s been impacted. It just feels good to be able to do something positive to help.”
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, and an estimated 316,950 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the U.S. in 2025.
Maura Ann Kirchner, the person for whom Maura’s Minions was named a decade ago, passed in July after years of treatments, periods of remission, and a more recent renewed struggle with the disease, said her daughter, Chrissy Christiansen of McHenry.
The family, she said, is touched that a team once again will participate in the 5K as Maura’s Minions. She and the FHPC’s Nemetz credited Cicero — a longtime supporter of and troop rallyer at the event while he was a morning show personality at Star 105.5 — with continuing to shine a spotlight on the clinic’s work in his new role at the Outdoor.
“We loved musicals, and we loved going to the Outdoor,” Christiansen said, noting that singing was one of her mom’s favorite pastimes. She also noted that the Lemonade Brigade, a group that Christiansen and her daughter Aubrey founded, has been welcomed for numerous fund-raising events at the theater.
Christiansen said a large contingent of her family members have supported the 5K for years, and she’s thrilled the Outdoor is joining forces. “It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said. “The Family Health Partnership Clinic’s mission is such a great thing, and to support it in this big way is commendable and heartwarming.”
Cicero, whose mom, Anne Panezich, died of breast cancer in January 2008, said the FHPC’s work warrants the support.
“I’ve seen what the clinic does for breast cancer awareness and providing services to those who may not be able to afford them,” he said. “Knowing that the money stays local is a big part of why supporting the Family Health Partnership Clinic is so important.”
The McHenry Outdoor Theater is currently open weekends only, with movie showings planned through Christmas. View the updated movie schedule at goldenagecinemas.com. Admission is $15 per carload for the rest of the season, with the exception of “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” weekend Oct. 3-4, when it will be $15 per person