‘Princess Party’ partnership to promote Parkinson’s awareness

A partnership will fill platters to promote awareness of Parkinson’s disease during four “Knights to Remember” this week.

Four Denny’s restaurants across the Grand Strand, and Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, have paired up for a “Princess Party,” 5-7 p.m. daily at a rotation of eateries: Monday at 1200 U.S. 17 Business N., Surfside Beach; Tuesday at 124 Loyola Drive, off U.S. 17 Bypass, a mile south of S.C. 544, west of Surfside Beach; Wednesday at 800 S. Kings Highway (U.S. 17 Business), Myrtle Beach; Thursday at 730 U.S. 17 S., North Myrtle Beach.

Diners on those evenings will have a bevy of free activities, all to promote the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, including visits by, and photos with, Princess Catalina and knights from Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, as well as door prizes, raffles, and princess coloring sheets, stickers, beaded necklaces for girls, and sword/helmet/medieval sets for drawing, stickers and horse pictures for boys.

Cheryl Herman, who with husband Craig Herman, operates these Denny’s sites among seven as franchisees, quoted a line from a recent awareness Fox foundation poster: “It’s more than a hand shaking; it’s about a life.” She remembered her better half seeing his father cope with Parkinson’s, a nervous system disorder that progresses and affects a person’s movement. She also raved about a paperback memoir by Nancy Whitfield, a retiree in Wilmington about living with the disease, “Broken Places,” published in July by BookBaby, with sale proceeds going to the Fox foundation.

Some famous people affected by Parkinson’s include Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, as well as the Rev. Billy Graham, Muhammad Ali, Linda Ronstadt, and the late Estelle Getty, Johnny Cash and Charles Schultz.

The Hermans, who have three grown sons and six grandchildren, hope this themed week of events will develop into a monthly effort to help and promote various charities, including service dog training causes for veterans with disabilities, and Cheryl shared some insight why.

Question | How has this merging of forces with Medieval Times for Parkinson’s awareness gotten in stride?

Answer | The Princess Party is open to all ... and not just for little ones; it’s for everybody. I even have a book, “Princesses Are Not Perfect” by Kate Lum and illustrated by Sue Hellard – I want to read that in a corner for story time. ... Everybody needs a magical place. Nancy Whitfield would would love to wave a wand, and not have to deal with this, but that’s how life is; we just have to keep moving forward.

Q. | Any other inspirations, besides seeing Parkinson’s impact on your own family, for this initiative?

A. | I am in a book club, ... and I said, I want us to do Nancy’s book, so we started talking about it, and all of the members turned to me and said, “You’re the one with the passion, and you need to keep the voice going.” ... My husband’s father: He was the most funny man, so loving and caring.

Q. | How much more have you learned about Parkinson’s in the decade since your father-in-law’s passing?

A. | What is really amazing to me, with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and all its information, is there’s early onset Parkinson’s, and there’s a blog and webinars, ... all with a focus on getting a cure as soon as they can.

Q. | What is the next step in getting more publicity for Parkinson's?

A. | I spread the word through the franchisee community by handing out books of Nancy’s and explaining what we can do. ... What is hard with charities is there are so many people in need. Yes, my story might be one, but there are so many other ones. I really want to reach out and see if we can work as a team, and like going to Medieval Times, say, “Let’s partner together.” ... I want this to be like, we’re preserving the past, but we’re making footsteps in the future. People have memories, but you also have to moving forward.

Amanda Coy, local marketing and sales manager for Medieval Times, also weighed in on the message and importance of this series of evenings for this cause, with something for girls and boys alike to enjoy with their families.

Q. | When Medieval Times ambassadors engage in such community outreach, what extra reward does such service provide the show participants on a few nights outside the usual routine of hopping on majestic horses for guests partaking in dinner as an audience?

A. | The King is extremely passionate about giving back to the community. We call these givebacks our “Chivalry In Action.” From food drives to breast cancer awareness, we seek out and embrace opportunities year round to partner with the community and local nonprofits. It is an honor to serve the Kingdom through acts of kindness and awareness.

Q. | Medieval Times does a ton in giving back to the community through food drives for discounted admission and the like. Is this series of “Princess Party” nights an extension of the cheer from the yuletide season?

A. | As passionate as our team members are about life inside the Castle, they always jump at the opportunity to go out into the Kingdom to provide a service to their community.

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 7:00 AM with the headline "‘Princess Party’ partnership to promote Parkinson’s awareness."