2016 Relay for Life shorter, but still fun

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Organizers of the local Relay for Life event have listened to feedback from participants who said the overnight cancer research fundraising event is too long and takes time away from family weekend activities. The result is a one-day, condensed edition that, while including pretty much all the traditional Relay for Life activities, does so in a seven-hour Friday night format, rather than the previous two-day overnight setup.

Jamie Orozco, the American Cancer Society’s community manager for Relay for Life’s Eastern Division, said organizers were seeing a drop-off in participation for Relay for Life the past few years and decided to see what could be done to develop a more participant-friendly version of the event.

“We said the overnight thing is just not cutting it anymore,” Orozco noted, adding that last year’s Relay was an all-day Saturday event, which also wasn’t exactly what participants were looking for.

“A lot of feedback was that they (participants) didn’t like their all day Saturday gone, where a lot of businesses liked coming right after work on Friday and then being able to enjoy all the festivities on Friday night, like they were used to,” Orozco said, adding that feedback for this year’s Friday night version has been good so far.

This year’s Relay, which is being held Friday, June 17, at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds, includes 21 teams so far and 161 team members, although Orozco said she expects a number of additional teams to register for this year’s event.

As in past years, the 2016 Relay for Life will begin with the traditional opening ceremony and survivors lap, which begins at 5 p.m. that Friday.

A luminaria ceremony is also being held after dark, which Orozco said could be anywhere from 9:30 to 11 that night. Other activities this year include a chair-ity auction (area residents are encouraged to donate an auction basket or chair), a silent auction, and a new activity: a pampering corner with Julie Zaleski.

Because of the seven-hour format, Orozco said events would occur closer together, which would provide more focus and intensity for this year’s Relay.

“We still have all of the things we normally had, just times will be a bit different,” she said. “It’s a busy seven hours, but it’s a busy, fun seven hours.”

Other events this year will include dancers from Kim Hohman’s DanceWorks from 5:15-6 p.m., music from the local Fortress Band from 6-7:30 p.m., Olga Kipp from 7:30-8:30 p.m., the SaMax musical duo from 8:30 to 10 and 11 p.m.-midnight. In addition to entertainment, there will be plenty of food available for Relay participants throughout the evening.

This year’s closing ceremony will conclude activities at midnight.