It's most infamously known as the disease that claimed Woody Guthrie's life, but Huntington's Disease afflicts tens of thousands of people throughout the world.

A fund-raising effort to help find a cure for the disease is taking place on Saturday at Art in the Barn. Organizer , Linda Christensen has enlisted two area musical outfits, "Graham & Company" amd Arnie Alma, to entertain in the rustic, restored barn on Admas Road in rural Fitchburg.

"We're hoping that this could be an annual event, " Christensen said, "Now is the time to contribute. In the past, the research for a cure for Huntington's Disease has been really helped by stem cell research. Right now there's a donor that's giving two dollars for every one dollar in support of research."

Huntington's Disease is a degenerative brain disorder with no know effective treatment or cure. The disease gradually diminishes an individual's ability to walk, think, talk and reason.

"We're looking at the recent news of Alzheimer's research identifying a protein, and we think it can really offer some hope for the future," Christensen said..'There's been a genetic revolution, and we're just believing that there's much more promise for a cure tan before."

While the cause for Saturday's benefit is of grave concern, the event will be a celebration.

The headlining act, Graham & Company, have become recognized as one of the Madison area's favorite folk trios.

Singer-songwriter, Nelson Graham, writes original songs, but also loves to interpret classic country tunes. He'll perform with bassist, Johnny Widdicombe, of Piper Road Spring Band fame, and dobro master Tom Dehlinger.

The trio have performed together often in the last few years, although they're reluctant to call themselves "a group."

" I love giving those guys the space to play," Graham said.
He grew up in the Midwest in a musical family and came to Madison about 20 years ago.

"I've been playing guitar most of my life," he said. "I've been playing and singing and writing; my favorite part is the writing.

"I've been playing for audiences for about 10 years or so around here. I sort of gave it up when my kids were little, but they're in their 20's now, so I've got a little more time to do the music."

Graham has three CDs to his credit. The latest, "You Look Like Your Dog," was recorded live with partners Widdicombe and Dehlinger.

"(I like the live recordings," Graham says. "It's kinda more real or raw, And I like recording iwth Randy Green out in Cottage Grove. He's been at it for 30-some years, and I like his insight.

Graham's no stranger to doing benefit concerts. He donated a portion of the proceeds from his second CD, "Lucky Day," to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Wisconsin.

He often plays small listening rooms, such as the Wild Hog in the Woods in Madison and the Cafe Carpe in Fort Atkinson, where his rich, resonant voice come through most clearly. His interpretations of country classic such as 'He'll Have to Go" and "Make the World Go Away," along with his own originals, make for an evening of pure musical entertainment.

Opening the show will be Belleville-area performer Arnie Alme, who led the Country Kings for many years. "He plays very old classic country with a lot of yodelling," Christensen says. "He plays old cowboy songs"

Graham says one of the best things aobut performing live is having a chance to "gauge your writing based on that interaction."

'My goal is that the show is an enjoyable evening for the people who come,he said, "and that they don't feel like it was a waste of time when it's done."

That's not posssible in this case, since all proceeds will go to the Huntington's Disease Society of America organization to help in the effort to find a cure.

taken from 1994 inaugural speech of Nelson Mandela-----

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves:
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented
and fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that
other people won't feel insecure around you.
we were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us?
It is not just in some of us -- it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."