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).

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

List of sponsors

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama

Town Of Maplesville

Parnell Inc.

Hirenkumar Jani

—–

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