Relay for Life to be this Friday
By From staff reports
Published in News on May 15, 2017 9:57 AM
One of Wayne County's largest fundraising events, the annual Relay for Life, will be held Friday at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.
Hundreds of people, including cancer survivors and caregivers, are expected to take part in the event, which raises money for research into battling the disease.
Gates will open at 1 p.m. on Friday. Admission is free. Opening ceremonies kick things off at 6 p.m.
The survivor lap will be held at 6:30 p.m., followed by the caregiver lap at about 6:45. The kids lap will be at 7:30 p.m. This year's theme is "Once Upon a Cure." A Relay Royalty lap will be held at 8 p.m. Past and present queens and princesses are encouraged to wear their crowns and walk in support of the local event.
The luminaria ceremony, a candlelight tribute to those struggling with cancer or in memory of those whose battle ended, will take place at 9 p.m.
This year's relay will be a 12-hour event instead of the usual 24-hour one, ending at 1 a.m. Saturday.
Food and other specialty booths will be set up as part of the fundraiser.
And two popular bands are on tap -- Digger Foot and Ordnary Gentlemen -- along with other entertainment throughout the evening.
Vicki Terrell, Find A Cure lead and a 12-year cancer survivor, said this is an important event in the community. Goldsboro Mayor Chuck Allen has proclaimed the month of May as Relay for Life Month.
Support for Relay for Life this year is more important than ever, say its organizers, because of the threat of the federal government cutting nearly $1 billion from cancer research funding.
Despite the prospect of budget cuts, the need for more research remains is vital, said Brenda Robinson, community manager for the Wayne County event.
"If we don't support it, if there's no cancer research, there's nothing to treat (cancer)," she said. "If we don't keep fighting and finding ways to treat it, we'll slip back to 100 years ago when nobody knew how to treat it."