Friday’s rallying cry – Relay For Life
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
This Friday, droves of people will gather at Comet Field in Underwood to show their support for friends and loved ones who are fighting cancer and those who have won the battle. They will also be honoring those who have succumbed to the disease. Thousands of luminarias with the names of thousands of loved ones will line the track at Comet Field as the events get underway Friday at 5 p.m. with the survivor and caregiver dinner at the school gym. The opening ceremony and survivor/caregiver lap get underway at 6 p.m., and teams and individuals will be walking around the track through the evening, until midnight.
The highlight of the evening will be the luminaria-lighting ceremony, which will be at 10 p.m., followed by a moment of silence and the reading of cancer victims’ names.
While the evening can often be a somber event, a reminder of how devastating cancer can be, it is also a night of celebration – rejoicing for those who have beaten cancer and who are currently winning the battle. It is also an evening capping off a year of fundraising by the 12 Relay For Life teams within the county. Several of the teams will be holding fundraisers during the relay, and there will be several vendors on hand as well – everyone working together to raise funds for the fight.
"Things are going great," commented event organizer Renae Fransen. "I think everybody is geared up, and we’re just going to really hope that we have a terrific day. We’ve got about 12 vendors coming . . . crafters, and I think all of them are going to be giving a percentage back to the Relay For Life."
