By Renee Larr
Relay for Life will return to Lions Park June 10. The eight-hour event celebrates survivors and remembers those who lost their battle with cancer. The festivities will kick off at 3 p.m. with an opening ceremony and will continue throughout the afternoon and evening.
“We’ll have activities that are family-friendly throughout the day. Then we’ll close with our luminary ceremony in the evening,” said Jeff Johnson, a senior manager with Relay for Life with the American Cancer Society.
Participants form teams and fundraise throughout the year. On the day of the event, one person from each team must walk or relay around the track at all times.
“We have teams that have registered and taken part in fundraising over the course of the last year that are planning on coming out with their family and friends. They will be setting up campsites around our track to do a little on-site fundraising and to celebrate the work they’ve done throughout the year in terms of fundraising and awareness-raising in their community,” Johnson said.
The day will include activities, a silent auction, a kickball tournament and a bake sale.
“We will be having Celebration Central coming out again this year which is always a huge hit in the community. It’s multiple bounce houses and bounce interactive zones, a lot of fun stuff for the kids to take part in. There are some pretty neat things in the works,” Johnson said.
There will also be a dinner at 5:30 p.m. honoring cancer survivors and their caregivers.
“Our survivors will be celebrated with a meal, and we encourage caregivers to join them,” Johnson said. “We’ll also be doing a special lap around our track to honor them.”
The evening will conclude with a luminary ceremony honoring those fighting cancer or who have lost their battle.
For more, or to participate, relay.acsevents.org.
