Bands and burgers come together for MS fundraiser at Winnipeg A&W

A&W restaurants across the country may be raising money for MS Canada on Thursday, but one Winnipeg burger joint is doing it with a little more musical accompaniment.

For the second consecutive year, Manitoba musician and videographer Clint Chaboyer has helped turn the A&W across from CF Polo Park mall into a pop-up music festival for Burgers to Beat MS Day.

Chaboyer, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, says he got on board with the restaurant’s long-running charity event last year, helping the location at 1520 Portage Ave. raise almost $4,000 through the sale of teen burgers and other donations.

MS Canada, he said, has helped him through the life-changing experience of living with the disease, and he wanted to give back.

“I saw an ad last year. They were looking for someone to help find the musicians and entertainment for their MS Day, so I came on board,” said Chaboyer, who currently works on live-streaming projects with local bands as part of Red Tie Productions.

“I’ve been in the music scene for many, many years, so I have more than enough musicians that I can (call) for the day, wanting to donate their time and help out.

“They want to not just support me, but also to raise money for a good cause.”

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The full slate of musicians — which began Thursday morning with bluesman Curtis Newton and closes out with a 6:30 p.m. set by hip-hop-inspired rockers Pure Entry — includes a wide range of styles, from the guitar virtuosity of Ronnie Ladobruk to the folk-rock The Gerry Hatricks and singer-songwriter Deidra Borus.

Chaboyer said he’s hoping the bands and the burgers will bring out big crowds and eclipse 2022’s fundraising total.

“This year, we’re hoping for over $5,000,” he said, “$10,000 would be amazing, and $20,000 would be a dream.”

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The restaurant’s owner and operator, Brett Falconer, told Global News he’s been involved in A&W’s annual MS fundraiser for the past 14 years — although this is only the second with live bands — and it’s something he and his staff watch for on the calendar each summer.

“It’s a great cause to be able to support. (MS) is a neurological disease that affects so many Canadians,” Falconer said.

This day is very important to everyone here, especially at our location. We take very deep pride in supporting our community. We plan for this day all year… we’re looking forward to it months in advance.

“We’ll be selling a lot of teen burgers, that’s for sure.”

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