FARMINGTON – The May 19 Franklin County Relay for Life is moving uptown this year, taking place largely on Front Street, as well as on Broadway and Main Street as it celebrates its 19th year in Farmington.
“We sometimes feel a little hidden away at the Fairgrounds. We are looking forward to having everyone in Farmington see what we are up to and, perhaps, join us. It’s a great event for a great cause and we manage to have a little fun with it along the way,” Chair of the Organizing Committee Nannette Marble said.
The Relay organizers are encouraging downtown businesses to get involved.
“The event is a little different this year,” Organizing Committee member Anna Lyon said, “We’ve switched up the Luminaria Ceremony to include a slide show of photos of our loved ones or images representing them on a large outdoor screen at the Snack Shack, courtesy Narrow Gauge Cinemas. People already attach photos and personal messages to the luminary bags. This will be even more special.”
At about 9:30 p.m. the Luminaria Ceremony will take place, which features candles in bags bearing the names of those who have had a cancer diagnosis or have died from cancer.
“We are looking forward to lining the bags along Front Street and Broadway and, hopefully, we will have enough participation to run them along Main Street,” said Lyon.
The slide show is new this year. In addition to the luminaria bags, organizers are asking those who buy the bags to submit a photo of their loved one. This added bonus is free with a luminary bag purchase but it’s important that people understand it must be purchased in advance. The deadline for having photos included in the slideshow is Monday, May 15.
“We have to have the photos ahead of time in order to do this. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to any to the slideshow after that date,” said Lyon.
Contact Lyon at Franklin Savings Bank, 207-779-9230 or a.lyon@franklinsavings.com, or any member of a Relay team, if you would like information on purchasing a luminary for a loved one.
Prior to the luminaria, survivors are invited to participate in the survivor lap, which is the first lap in honor of survivors and their caregivers. This lap will be announced soon after the event begins.
Survivors and their caregivers are also invited to a dinner and reception at the Snack Shack at 6 p.m. In the dinner, which is hosted by Franklin Savings Bank, survivors and caregivers are served first, followed by other Relayers. The dinner is free but donations for the Relay for Life are gratefully accepted.
The event gets underway at 5 p.m. and continues on through 10 p.m. It is no longer an overnight event.
The Relay is an organized community fund-raising walk that features team encampments around a walking theme.
“This year, have two tracks with one being a little more rigorous than the other. There’s a little something for everyone,” Lyon said.
The American Cancer Society has scaled down the emphasis of the track over the years, shifting the importance to the community gathering together to fight cancer.
The Relay For Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Relay is staffed and coordinated by volunteers in more than 5,200 communities and 27 countries. Volunteers give of their time and effort because they believe it’s time to take action against cancer
Teams raise money for cancer research and patient support and resources. At the camps, teams may sell food or items toward that goal. Teams compete against each other for best representation of the theme, which this year is “superheroes,” and in fund-raising. There are also generally games and contests.
“It’s a family-friendly event,” said Lyon. “We never lose sense of how devastating cancer is to families, but we also know that it’s important to smile too and we try to make the event itself as much fun as we can,” said Lyon.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Relay, there is still time to form a team or register as a survivor. For more information, go to www.RelayforLife.org/FranklinME or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RelayFranklin or call Marble at 491-1786 or Lisa Dunham, community manager with the American Cancer Society, at 240-8128
