Preparations for Brown County’s Relay for Life event are coming together as organizers get set for their annual event at Gordon Wood Stadium Friday night to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Around 40 registered teams will begin setting up Friday afternoon to get ready for the event that will be packed with activities, food, a silent auction, and some first-time additions to the Relay. This year’s Relay for Life of Brown County is themed “Don’t Gamble with Cancer” with many of the team booths decorated to the theme.This year, a health fair will be held in conjunction with the Relay for Life event and will be held from 4 PM to 9 PM.
The relay will officially begin at 7 PM with adult survivor Amanda Leija and child survivor Landry Holden each arriving at the event via helicopter.
“The whole relay is in memory of Diane Franklin,” said 2013 Relay for Life Chair Tammy Robinson. “She was the cheer sponsor at Brownwood High for years. He father, sister and brother will be there. We will have a plaque to present to her family as well as to the high school so they can hang it on campus.”
At about 7:30 PM recognitions will be made from the football field which will then lead into the survivor lap. All cancer survivors in attendance will start the Relay with their traditional first lap around the track followed by a “Kids Kicking Cancer Lap” which will be a first for Relay for Life in Brown County.
“All the kids can go around and make a big deal about it,” Robinson said. “Unfortunately we had a lot of kids it seems lately with cancer so we did add that.”
Hamburgers will be served around 8 PM thanks to Guardian EMS. The food is free to everyone in attendance as they enjoy the Relay for Life event. Other fun activities will also begin about that time along with various fundraisers hosted by participating teams.
“I want everybody to know that everything is pretty much free unless there are fundraisers going on at each booth,” Robinson said. “We have about 40 teams approximately and this year there is no limit to the number of members that can be on a team.”
At 10 PM, all the lights will go down and the luminaries will be lit as the names are read by Dallas Huston.
Around midnight, pizza from Little Caesars will be delivered, and breakfast will be provided around 5:30 AM from Whataburger followed by the closing prayer.
Numerous silent auction items will be available to help raise money for the event. Featured items this year include signed guitars by Alan Jackson and Ted Nugent along with various items from local businesses.
A survivor dinner will be hosted Thursday at 6:30 PM at Midtown Baptist Church on 3rd Street and Avenue K to honor cancer survivors before the Relay event.
For more info about 2013 Relay for Life, call Tammy Robinson at 325-642-1319.
Pictured at top, Robinson shows off the Alan Jackson signed guitar that will be at the silent auction.
