Events set for Relay kickoff
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on May 14, 2006 2:05 AM
The 17th annual Relay for Life will be a celebration, complete with live entertainment, lots of food and some games.
Teams will gather May 19-20 at Wayne Community College with a goal of $550,000 -- and more than $370,000 already collected for the Amer-ican Can-cer Society.
The Relay officially starts Friday at 6 p.m. with an opening ceremony. Jerry Wayne, Oldies 107.9 radio personality, will be the master of ceremonies.
Boy Scout Troop 58 from Stoney Creek Church will present the colors and Blane Smith from Dudley Christian Church will do the prayer.
Wayne County public school varsity cheerleaders will lead cancer survivors in the Relay cheer as they do a lap around the track.
Following the survivor's lap, Glory Bound will sing the national anthem, then Mayor Al King will give welcoming remarks.
The speaker for the opening ceremony will be Dr. James Atkins with Southeastern Medical Oncology Center, who will give an update on the medical research to fight cancer.
Linda Edwards, executive vice president of mission delivery for the south Atlantic division of the American Cancer Society, will give an American Cancer Society update.
Terry Butler, Dr. Lee Adams and Mark Renfroe, 2006 Relay co-chairmen, and Brittany Wheeler, Miss Goldsboro, will light the Flame of Hope to kick off the Relay.
Campsites will be judged at 7 p.m. Friday, and winners will be announced at 8:45 p.m.
The luminaria ceremony will begin at 9 p.m. Ricky Dawson from Woods Chapel Free Will Baptist Church will give a prayer and Debbie Pennell, Wayne County Unit president, will read the poem "Every Candle Has a Name."
The speaker for the luminaria ceremony will be Donald Mercer, a local cancer survivor. He will discuss his fight with three different types of cancer.
After the heart-shaped luminarias have been lit, luminarias lining the walking track will be lit as the Forehand Family sings "You'll Never Walk Alone."
There will be a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. followed by the drawing for a diamond donated by Barnes Jewelers.
A curfew will go into effect at midnight and only those people wearing a Relay security armband will be allowed at the event.
Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. will be the Kids Walk. Children only will walk around the track, and there will be games and refreshments for them.
Everyone at the Relay will walk the track one final lap at 10 a.m. They will be led by local bagpiper Norm Taflinger.
The closing ceremony starts at 10:15 a.m. There will be a drawing for a gas card, a prayer by John Smith, Relay volunteer, and recognitions by the three Relay co-chairmen.
The entertainment schedule for the Relay for Life weekend will include:
FRIDAY
*4 p.m. -- Musical performances by Katie McCloud, Sarah Rhodes, Casey Sutton, LaRue Tart, Susan Scott, Patricia Faulk, Amber Murphy, Jason Cox, Syreeta Hooper and Dianna Roberts. There will also be a performance by Jaime Cox, the 2004 Relay Idol winner and Daniel Johnson, the 2005 winner of Fox 50's Gimme The Mike.
*5:30 to 5:45 p.m. -- Grantham Middle School chorus.
*5:45 to 6 p.m. -- Saint Sound from Southern Wayne High School.
*6:45 to 7 p.m. -- Donnie Strickland.
*7 to 8 p.m. -- The Chordwynders with top 40 variety music.
*8 to 9 p.m. -- Forehand Family directed by Jay Sauls.
*9:30 to 11:30 p.m. -- Avalanche.
SATURDAY
10 to 10:30 a.m. -- Rob Holmes, former member of the Fabulous 4.
New this year will be a Kids Walk Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. During this time, only children through fifth grade will be allowed on the track. There will be other activities for them including clowns, balloons, face painting and inflatables as well as snacks.
Also new to the campsite will be three Relay Midways, just like at the county fair. Teams will sell all kinds of food from main dishes to desserts to snacks and novelty items.
Shuttle buses will run from all of the college's parking lots.
Those attending may use the Wayne Memorial Drive entrance or the New Hope Road entrance to the college.
"We want to welcome the entire community to come out and join us for a fun-filled event designed to celebrate survivorship, raise money to help the American Cancer Society save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer and empower individuals to fight back against this disease," Renfroe said.