East County Relay is one day event in 2017

“I do not like cancer here nor there, I don’t like cancer anywhere”

By Travis Rains • May 25, 2017 8:30 am
(Stephanie Morton | The Vidette) Five-year-old Nevaeh Beneze, of Elma, is ready to accept donations at her lemonade stand at the 2016 East Grays Harbor County Relay for Life. This year, the relay is a one-day event on June 2.
(Stephanie Morton | The Vidette) Five-year-old Nevaeh Beneze, of Elma, is ready to accept donations at her lemonade stand at the 2016 East Grays Harbor County Relay for Life. This year, the relay is a one-day event on June 2.

East Grays Harbor County Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will be held Friday, June 2 at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma with a goal of raising $32,000.

The event, with a theme of Dr. Seuss, will run from 4 p.m. to midnight, with registration beginning at 4 p.m. and opening ceremonies and the survivor’s lap to take place at 6 p.m.

Teams from throughout Grays Harbor will walk to raise money for cancer research and other American Cancer Society programs.

“As of Thursday night, we should have been right around $18,000,” event chair Virginia Grandorff said, noting the feasibility of this year’s goal. Since that time, May 18, a total of $21,225 has been raised.

This year Relay for Life will begin and end on the same day, June 2, as opposed to lasting the entire weekend as the fundraiser has in the past.

“With the very low attendance on Saturdays and people’s very busy schedules it seemed to be heading in that direction,” Grandorff said in an email, noting that many relays around the country have met with success when adopting the shorter format.

“We are moving towards creating more of a festival feel and a celebration of the relay,” Grandorff said.

Starting at 4 p.m. there will be a cruise-in car show, and Bark for Life will also be in attendance. Friendly dogs are welcome for a fee of $10, and owners must first register and sign a waiver.

A first responders lap, honoring those first responders such as firefighters, police officers and EMTs, will follow the initial survivor’s lap.

The Mr. Relay contest and fundraiser will take place from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. A team chooses a male member who then dresses as a woman and walks throughout the fundraiser seeking donations. Toward the end of the night, the fundraiser will hold the Luminaria Ceremony, which serves to honor those who have died from cancer as well as those who have lived through the disease.

Live music will be provided at the fairgrounds for the fundraiser, and food trucks will offer a variety of options like chicken fingers and elephant ears.

Teams walking this year are Team Willapa Bay, Hoofin’ It for Health, Garden Gremlins; Anchor Bank, SPS Carpenters Local 129, Stump Fahm Walkers, Simpson Door Knockers, Ba’s Brigade, Mary Jo’s Marchers, R.L. Smith Logging, Combustion Against Cancer Car Show, Elma Eagles Fighting Back, Walkin Rollers, Satsop School Cancer Erasers, Nana and Rusty’s Crusaders, and Happy Feet.

Sponsors for Relay for Life 2017 are: Vaughan Chopper Pumps; Bigfoot 93.7; Applebee’s; Grays Harbor Community Hospital; South Puget Sound Local Carpenters Union 129; Elma Mini Storage; The Daily World; Alpha Media; OCCU; Anytime Fitness; Grays Harbor Radio; and Simpson Door Company.

The fundraiser’s closing ceremonies will be held around 11:45 p.m. For questions go to the Relay for Life website, relay.acsevents.org.