Format changed for this year’s Relay For Life
The 2014 Relay For Life of Chilton County will kick off Saturday at noon.
In previous years, the event started on Friday at 6 p.m. and ended Saturday at 6 a.m. but this year’s 12-hour event will be held entirely on Saturday at the youth football field at Clanton City Park.
“We moved the Relay to Saturday because of Friday being a work/school day and it makes it hard on the participants to leave work/school and come,” Relay Committee Member Sharon Russell said. “We also changed the time because there was no team participation after midnight, and we thought that it would draw a larger crowd to Relay if we had it during the day.”
Opening ceremonies this year will include a welcome and prayer from Rep. Kurt Wallace at noon.
Sally Pitts from WSFA in Montgomery will serve as the emcee for this year’s event.
The traditional Celebrate Ceremony will begin at 1:35 p.m., and Cory Cleckler will share a survival testimony on stage.
Survivors will take a turn with the microphone to share their status as a current or former cancer patient and begin the survivor and caregiver lap.
Survivors participating in the ceremony need to line up at 1:15 p.m.
During the survivors’ lap, those who have made it through a battle with cancer carry a purple balloon that is released after their lap.
Kids are then invited to take part at Relay by participating in a kids’ lap.
Musical entertainment, dance and singing performances will take place starting at 2:45 p.m. and last until about 8 p.m.
The Remember Ceremony will be at 8:30 p.m. and includes the Luminaria Walk/Lap honoring late cancer patients and survivors by candlelight.
Sky lanterns will be released in honor of someone and may be purchased during Relay for $20 each.
For more information, contact a Cure Crusader member (Courtney Brock, Jill Mitchell Jackson, Hannah Brock Little, Erin Kalanick Moore, Jessica Fulmer, Makesha Scott Cleckley or Christy Harmonto).
The Fight Back ceremony will be held at 10:45 p.m., and awards and closing will take place at 11:15 p.m.
Russell said in the event of rain, Relay For Life will be moved to the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center at Jeff State.
Although there is a slight chance of showers on Friday, the National Weather Service in Calera is predicting a mostly sunny day for Saturday with a high near 84 degrees.
Overnight lows will be around 62 degrees and mostly clear.
Russell said weather updates will be posted on the Relay For Life of Chilton County’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RFLChiltonAL, or call (334) 301-2304.
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Schedule of events
Emcee: Sally Pitts, WSFA Montgomery
Noon Saturday
•Opening Ceremony
•Prayer and welcome, Rep. Kurt Wallace
•Presentation of Colors and Pledge of Allegiance, Girl Scout Troop 37
•National Anthem, Sunny Mays
