Heavy/Getty Melissa Peterman and Jonathan Bennett emceed the Halloween-themed Dance Party to End ALZ on October 27, 2024.
Lots of Hallmark Channel fans attended the seventh annual Dance Party to End ALZ in Los Angeles on October 27, 2024, but some of their favorite stars weren’t immediately recognizable. Billed as a Halloween edition of the Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser, many celebs dressed up in elaborate disguises, including event emcees Jonathan Bennett and Melissa Peterman, who had the crowd in stitches with their creative costume changes.
According to a press release, the event raised over $250,000 to fund research grants for combatting Alzheimer’s, a condition that has deeply impacted event organizers (and fellow Hallmark stars) Nikki DeLoach and Ashley Williams.
The actresses and their famous friends wore a variety of clever costumes throughout the night. Heavy has compiled a roundup of event photos and social media posts, along with ways those who couldn’t attend can still support the special event.
Nikki DeLoach Says She’s ‘So Full of Gratitude’ for Everyone Who Supported & Attended Event
GettyHallmark’s Nikki DeLoach, Sarah Drew and Ashley Williams at the 2024 Dance Party to End ALZ Benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association on October 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Williams’ sister, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, originally founded the Dance Party to End ALZ in honor of their mom, who died in 2016 after a difficult journey with Alzheimer’s, per Southern Living. Williams and DeLoach, who lost her dad to a form of Alzheimer’s in 2021, took over organizing the dance party in 2023. Previously held in Nashville, the event has raised over $2.35 million in seven years.
DeLoach, who was dressed up for much of the evening as David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” character alongside Williams, who was dressed as Wonder Woman, shared many photos and videos from the night in her Instagram Stories.
Under one group photo, she wrote, “I will find the words soon, but for right now I am just so full of gratitude to all these incredible humans who gave their gifts on that stage for such an important cause. Love them all.”
In an Instagram video shared by actress Sharon Lawrence, Williams was seen onstage telling Bennett and Peterman that she’d “never laughed so hard in my entire life” and pumping up the audience by asserting, “We can continue to lean on each other, right? Together, we will fight this disease and we will win.”
Hallmark Stars Hobnobbed in Disguise at the Dance Party to End ALZ
Heavy/GettyHallmark stars at the 2024 Dance Party to End ALZ
Hallmark stars who fired up with costumes for the occasion included Kristoffer Polaha, photographed with Lawrence; Andrew Walker, who lost his mom to Alzheimer’s in 2023 and dressed up with wife Cassandra as Todd and Margo from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation;” longtime friends Taylor Cole and Benjamin Ayres; and Williams-Paisley, dressed as The Cure lead singer Robert Smith, photographed with Erin Cahill, dressed as a professional painter.
Attendees danced to live music from performers including actor and singer Charles Esten, singer/songwriter Paul Freeman (husband to Hallmark star Erin Cahill), and country singer Caleb Polaha (son of Hallmark star Kristoffer Polaha).
Heavy/GettyHallmark stars at Dance Party to End ALZ
Other Hallmark stars in attendance included Amanda Schull, dressed as a Sweet ‘n Low packet; “The Groomsmen” star BJ Britt, photographed with co-star Bennett, who was doing his best Tyler Hynes impression; and Heather Hemmens, dressed as famed artist Frida Kahlo.
Heavy/GettyMelissa Peterman and Jonathan Bennett emceed the 2024 Dance Party to End ALZ with multiple costume changes
The get-ups worn by Bennett and Peterman, who will co-host the new Hallmark+ reality competition “Finding Mr. Christmas” premiering on October 31, included amusingly skimpy outfits for Bennett, who dressed at one point as a bar of soap next to Peterman, who appeared to be dressed as a pink shower loofah.
Peterman posted several Instagram photos from the night and thanked DeLoach and Williams for hosting “such a wonderful night for a great cause” and thanked all the performers who “rocked the house.” But in the comment section, Bennett quipped, “I mean I don’t know if we thank them for making me wear costumes two sizes to small with no shorts but alas we do it for charity”
Hallmark Channel Walk-On Role Still Available as Auction Item for Fundraiser
Fans can still support the Dance Party to End ALZ from afar by donating or bidding on two remaining auction items, which will remain available online until November 3.
The first item still available to bid on is a Fender Dreadnought acoustic guitar autographed by country superstar Reba McEntire, who is Peterman’s co-star on their new NBC sitcom, “Happy’s Place.”
The second item is a coveted walk-on role as a “featured extra” in an upcoming Hallmark movie, to be filmed in Vancouver. The highest bidder will have to provide their own transportation, but the auction item includes accommodations.
Liv Lane is an entertainment writer who covers the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, American Idol and The Voice for Heavy. Based in Minneapolis, she has three decades of experience as a local and national radio host, columnist and publicist, interviewing and working with a wide range of celebrities over the years, from Deepak Chopra to Lil Nas X. More about Liv Lane
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