July 20 marked the end of an era as the last Gone Country fundraising concert was held on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
Twins Cancer Fundraising (TCF) hosted its 10th, and final, Gone Country music concert and raised nearly $1.5 million.
Chris and twin brother Jamie Ruscheinski, Langley residents, started TCF more than a decade ago to raise money for cancer-related causes after their mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. After starting with backyard fundraisers, the twins eventually began hosting an outdoor concert on the Fairgrounds, with all money raised going to charity.
“What … happened last night?” the brothers wrote on their TCF Facebook page Sunday morning (July 21). “Our first backyard BBQ at Dougies raised $22,000. Last night, we blew away our goal and raised $1,456,000!!!”
The twins announced last November that Gone Country #10 would be the last event and that they would be coming up with something new to continue on with their mission to raise money for cancer-related causes.
“We introduced you all to our families, we sang happy 97th birthday to our Grandma, and we hung out with the best, most loyal, hard-working volunteers on the planet,” the post continued. “Our community has stepped up to support our little country party, and we can’t thank you enough.”
The brothers also thanked their 300 volunteers who worked hard to make 2024’s Gone Country concert go off without a hitch.
“We love you all. TCF doesn’t exist without you.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
In another post, the brothers announced that Gone Country would be replaced with an event they’re calling Jamestown. The event is scheduled for June 7, 2025.
The brothers wrote that Locality Brewing Langley, part of MacInnes Farms, has offered to host their next fundraiser at Jamestown, their Old West movie set, which is located southeast of Fort Langley.
“Get ready for an exclusive, intimate, and hyper-local country event,” the brothers wrote. “Think Old Nashville meets Westworld.”
The plan is to have different rooms featuring local musicians and actors. The brothers want then want to have a winery, a distillery, or a brewery showcase their products in each room and then have a local restaurant serve their “best-paired bar snacks," too.. They also want to find sponsors to decorate the rooms.
“There will be a main stage outside with an unplugged vibe, and you can tour and explore each building at Jamestown.”
The brothers also noted turning the page on Gone Country is “a lot easier” knowing they are going to continue to raise money to fight cancer through their Jamestown initiative.
“Our team is so ridiculously excited to get planning this.”
Tickets for Jamestown 2025 “will be on sale shortly.”
Visit twinscancerfundraising.com, or the TCF Facebook page for more info.
