2016 Relay For Life returns to familiar location
Published 9:44 pm Friday, April 29, 2016
Chilton County Relay For Life will return to its old home in 2016—and offer some new attractions.
The event was scheduled to take place at Goose Pond Park in Clanton in 2015, but rain forced it indoors at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center.
This year, on April 30, Relay will be held at a familiar location: Clanton City Park, where it had been held for a number of previous years.
New attractions this year will include local girls donating hair for wigs for cancer patients and the “Hungry Hippos” game.
Hungry Hippos will pit teams of participants against each other, with one member of each team laying face down on a skateboard, while a teammate holds their legs and pushes them around.
The team member on the skateboard has a laundry basket, and the idea is to capture as many balls as possible, which will be spread around the park field.
There will be five rounds of the game, including the championship round, spread throughout the day.
At 5 p.m., “Pony Up” is a partnership between the American Cancer Society and Pantene Beautiful Lengths for people to donate hair that is used to make wigs for cancer patients who have lost their hair.
Jeannie Smith, community manager for Relay For Life, said such a wig would otherwise cost a patient about $1,000.
“It’s really a good thing for our cancer patients,” Smith said.
Nine local girls will be donating hair on stage right before the Survivor Ceremony.
Afterward, hair stylists and makeup artists will give the girls complete makeovers.
Chilton County Commissioner Joseph Parnell will serve as emcee for the event, which will begin at 10 a.m. with the opening ceremony.
The band Government Cheese will perform twice, at 11:15 a.m. and again at 4 p.m.
Other performers will include 701 Twirlers, Fierce Dance, Donna’s Dancers and Tammie’s Twirlers, Blast from the Past, Chilton Dance and Twirl, Maplesville High School cheerleaders and Just Twirl It.
Speakers will include Jennifer Watley (Survivor Ceremony), Cynthia Davis (Remember Ceremony) and Jennifer Till (Fight Back).
Food available at the event will include offerings provided by Maplesville Florist and Bake Shop, Kona Ice and Heard’s barbecue.
Also, each team was asked to make a birthday cake, which will be judged on taste and appearance.
“We are in the business of creating more birthdays,” Smith said.
The event will include a kids zone with inflatables, dunking booth and other games.
The fundraising goal for this year’s Relay For Life is $152,000, and funds totaled about half of that amount as of April 22, with 34 teams and 143 participants contributing.
Among the top participants is Davis Quintanilla, who has raised $2,638 as of April 22. Among the top teams are Johnson Controls ($7,006.09), MorLyn’s ($6,515.50) and Clanton Middle School ($4,464.36).
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Schedule of events
Emcee: Chilton County Commissioner Joseph Parnell
Morning
10 a.m.: Opening ceremony
10:15: Prayer, Pledge and National Anthem
10:30: Introduction of committee and teams
10:45: Introduction of queens
11: 701 Twirlers
11:15: Government Cheese band
Afternoon
12:30 p.m.: Hungry Hippo Round 1
12:45: Fierce Dance
1: Senior Connection
1:15: Hungry Hippo Round 2
1:30: Donna’s Dancers and Tammie’s Twirlers
2: Name that tune
3: Idol (Blast from the Past)
3:30: Hungry Hippo Round 3
3:45: Chilton Dance and Twirl
4: Government Cheese band
Evening
5: Pony Up (Making the Cut)
5:45: Hungry Hippo Round 4
6: Maplesville High School cheer/Survivor Ceremony with Jennifer Watley/lap with caregiver/reveal of Pony Up makeovers
7:30: Just Twirl It
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List of sponsors
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Town Of Maplesville
Parnell Inc.
Hirenkumar Jani
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Alabama Power
Auto Collision Repair
Baptist Health
C&S Canopy
Chandler Drugs
Chilton Contractors
Chilton County Senior Connection
Chilton Urgent Care
Chris Speaks
Connell’s Pest Control
Dr. Larry Mikul
Ellison Cleckler Funeral Home
Fred Headly Foodmart
Hayes Drug & Gifts Inc.
Highland Baptist Church
Key Properties
Lion’s Club
LLH Inc. / Piggly Wiggly #53
Marion Bank & Trust Company
Martin Funeral Home
MorLyn’s
Peoples Southern Bank
Petty Line
San Marcos Mexican Restaurant
SouthCrest Bank
SouthernCare
Stokes
Todds Pool and Construction
Wadsworth Oil
Barry’s Furniture
Baugh Ford
Lee Helms & Assoicates
Southern Pipe and Supply
The Clanton Advertiser
The City of Clanton
Laugh & Giggle Inflatables
Rhino J Entertainment
Pinedale
Aarons
West Fraser
7:45: Remember Ceremony with Cynthia Davis/songs by Stacey Wyatt
8: Luminaria Lap
9: Hungry Hippo Championship
9:15: Fight Back with Jennifer Till/song by Jodi Bice
10: Closing prayer