After missing a recent concert in Washington, Lindsay Morris skipped her college classes and drove to Richmond to take a walk yesterday with her past.

It involved the grown-up teen idols/band of brothers named Hanson. She was joined by a couple hundred devoted, and mostly female, fans clustered along the city's Canal Walk.

They ranged from children to young adults. They came from New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Australia and various parts of Virginia.

"Maybe . . . it's a little bit of our childhood we get to hold on to," said Morris, a Bridgewater College senior. She came with her friend Ch'e Young.

"[Over] time, their music has grown up, as we were growing up," said Young, 21.

Isaac, 26, who seemed recovered from a recent hospital stay, is now married, as are brothers Zac, 21, and Taylor, 24. The two oldest are dads.

They have grown-up causes they support with help from their fans. Yesterday, most swarmed around the three during a mile-long walk to raise awareness about poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa. The Tulsa, Okla., natives played later in the evening at Toad's Place.

"Everybody can walk and we can all take one moment to contemplate what it's like to be in need," Taylor Hanson said while walking barefoot up Virginia Street. "By acknowledging what it's like to be in need, we can then decide to take action."

He encouraged all of the walkers to kick off their footwear to feel what it's like to walk in the shoes of those who don't have them.

Midlothian resident John Worden, who brought his 7-year-old son Stephen, said the walk "opens his eyes to issues around the world. . . . These guys have their priorities in the right place, and if he's going to choose a band to like, I'm happy he likes Hanson."


Contact Penelope M. Carrington at (804) 649-6027 or pcarrington@timesdispatch.com.

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