Crazy About the Fox

Michael J. Fox was in town last night for an inspirational, courageous and entertaining night at the Middlesex Community College Celebrity Forum at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.  It was truly a special honor to serve as his escort around the Mill City.  I was genuinely flattered, impressed, and inspired by his relaxed, down-to-earth style, and his optimistic and upbeat outlook on life.

The Hollywood star who's played such memorable roles as Marty McFly, Alex P. Keaton, Lewis Rothschild, Milo Thach, Stuart Little and most recently, Louis Canning, put all of those roles behind him and brought his very personal story before a sold out house.  Fox spoke about his decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease, the role which has thrust him to the forefront of research to find a cure for the disease.

Thanks to some incredible camerawork by photographer extraordinaire Kevin Harkins, he of http://www.harkinsphotography.com/  check out some of these pics of the extended E Streeter family from the night!

The Cook kids (and Mrs.) were rocking the red carpet

Who's the celebrity here?  The movie and tv star or the couple who shattered records at the Vermont Covered Bridges Half-Marathon?

The architect, mastermind, and all-around Kingpin of Celebrity Forum - ladies and gentlemen, Dennis Malvers (and his lovely wife, Cassie, of course)

Just a handful of the army of Team MCC volunteers

Outside the auditorium, a time-travelling Delorean awaited guests, who were all to happy to pose with it.  Sadly, this one did not come with a flux capacitor or plutonium.

Gina looks right at home in it, and she didn't need the radiation suit! Donna looks like she's ready for the model cover shoot for Car and Driver

It's not Top Gear, but Andrew and Heather definitely had their eyes fixed on this set of wheels

At show's end, Michael brought down the house - donning an MCC hockey jersey, he grabbed the nearby guitar to re-enact the Johnny B. Goode rocking finale from Back to the Future. 

 So naturally, when Michael was on his way home, some of us couldn't resist posing in front of the clock tower or breaking a few riffs on the guitar ourselves.....

  

  Again, a simply incredible night with a truly amazing man.  I think the crowd was touched, moved, entertained, and inspired by Michael's performance.  To find out more about helping him wage his battle against the disease, check out his Foundation at  http://www.michaeljfox.org/ 

To wrap up, and to help keep things in perspective, always remember how lucky you are to have family, friends and your health.  There's a lot of people out there living with greater hardships, everyday battles, and crises.  When you think you're having a tough day, remember Michael's story about the woman in Mozambique: "A woman gave birth in a tree.  What do you got?"