FILE PHOTO — Zoey Zachary, left, Amara Spratt, center, and Jax Hanson, right, climb around a purple ribbon decoration during the Relay For Life event held IN 2018 at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds in Chehalis.
The 2019 Relay For Life of Lewis County kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds. Opening ceremonies will take place at 6 p.m., with the closing ceremonies scheduled for noon on Saturday.
Numerous activities ranging from Glow Zumba at midnight to an early morning S’mores social will take place as the local edition of relays held across the country to raise money to combat cancer and honor survivors of the disease runs through the night.
“For us, it’s mostly about us being one family,” said local organizer Michelle Pardue. “A lot of people have been coming for a long time. A lot of our teams are families who have team members fly in for the event. We have schools involved, some of their leadership committees are coming, and we’ve all gotten to know each other pretty well.
Pardue said there are about 200 people registered to participate in the Relay for Life as of Wednesday afternoon. About 40 of those are cancer survivors, with another dozen or more expected to register prior to Friday evening.
This year’s event will feature a recognition of childhood cancer victims. Family members of Braylon Springer, a local child currently fighting lung cancer, will light the eternal flame. Tess Danielson, who passed away earlier this month after a long battle with breast cancer, used to light the flame with her family, according to Pardue.
For more information on the Relay For Life of Lewis County, contact Amanda Ditzhazy at 253-207-5156 or amanda.ditzhazy@cancer.org. Donations can also be mailed to the American Cancer Society, ATTN: Relay For Life of Lewis County, 1313 Broadway Ste 100, Tacoma, WA 98402.
