Relay For Life to cap off Purple Week

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The sixth annual Relay For Life of Elmore County will take place on Friday, June 19, at 7 p.m. at Eastside Park.

Relay For Life is the signature event for the American Cancer Society, an overnight event designed to spread awareness of cancer prevention.

Last year's event in Mountain Home raised a total of $43,000 for cancer research. This year's projected goal is $60,000.

The theme for this year's event is "Open Your Heart to Relay." The newest additions to this year's event will include Paint the Town Purple, the Purple Parade and Carnival Row.

Paint the Town Purple will be held during the week of June 15-20, where local business owners will decorate their stores and windows purple in support of the fight against cancer.

The Purple Parade will start on Monday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. The parade will begin at Fire Station #1 and conclude at Eastside Park where Mountain Home Mayor Tom Rist will give the proclamation for Relay for Life Week.

Carnival Row will be featured the night of Relay For Life. Carnival Row will feature a dunk tank, duck pond, darts, quarterback challenge, rock climbing wall and several food booths selling cotton candy, snow cones and barbecue.

Teams taking part in the relay will begin setting up their campsites around the track at 4 p.m.

The event will begin with the survivor's reception at 6 p.m., with the opening ceremony beginning at 7 p.m.

Clay Davis will serve as the emcee for the all-night relay and local artist Waslyk will be the disc jockey.

As of now, 32 teams are entered in this year's relay. Some teams represent several local entities including Wal-Mart (four teams), MHAFB (eight teams), Century 21 Southern Idaho Realty (three teams), Pioneer Federal Credit Union (three teams) and Curves (two teams).

The Luminaria ceremony, a candlelit vitual honoring the memory of lives taken by cancer, will begin at 11 p.m. Luminarias can be purchased online at www.HopeForCureNow.com or from Deedee Devol at 587-3357.

"I look forward to the increase in community involvement. Even in a declining economy it's encouraging to see the people are recognizing the importance in finding a cure for cancer," said Relay For Life chairwoman Michelle Yauch.

This year's Relay For Life schedule is as follows (schedule subject to change):

8 p.m.--Carnival, beginning with children's music hour.

9 p.m.--Music from the year 2000.

10 p.m.--Carnival concludes, horse races.

11 p.m.--Luminaria ceremony.

Midnight--Music from the '90s.

1 a.m.--1980's music and Big Hair competition.

2 a.m. -- '70s music hour

3 a.m.--Music from the '60s and Flower Power dress up.

4 a.m.--1950s music, hula hoop demo, T-shirt signing contest.

5 a.m.--Breakfast hours.

6 a.m.--Breakfast relays.

7 a.m.--Fight Back Ceremony.

Relay for Life began in May of 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt from Seattle, Wash., worked to raise money for the American Cancer Society by walking around the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., for 24 hours.

Throughout the night, friends paid $25 to run or walk 30 minutes with Klatt. That first year, nearly 300 of Dr. Klatt's friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. At the end of the night, Klatt raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

Ever since 1985, the relay has developed from a small, one-man running event and grown not only nationally, but internationally, with relay events in countries such as Australia, Japan and in Europe.

Currently in Idaho, there are also relay events held in Boise, Gem County, Soda Springs, Pocatello and Twin Falls, which raised over $230,000.

Last year alone, Pocatello raised $169, 681, Soda Springs raised $52,671 and Gem County raised $18,298 for the American Cancer Society.

Over the 25-year history of Relay For Life, the event has raised a combined total of $3 billion for cancer research ($1.2 million over the last three years).

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