It’s time to tie up your shoelaces and travel to Lanesboro for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Fillmore County fundraiser to be held on Friday, July 12, 2019.
Relay for Life activities will be taking place in Sylvan Park and in the Lanesboro Community Hall throughout the day and late into the night.
With this year’s Relay for Life theme being “There’s no place like HOPE,” the coordinators of the event are including hints of The Wizard of Oz to make things even more interesting and motivating.
It takes many people to bring an event like this together and there are a large group of people who have been working many months, even years, towards hosting this event in Lanesboro.
The location of Relay for Life of Fillmore County is on a two-year rotation basis. “Lanesboro is now the destination for the next two years,” states Garrett Stadsvold, Community Development Manager with the American Cancer Society.
Stadsvold says he is super excited about this year’s Relay for Life event. “Since I first started working for the American Cancer Society almost two years ago I really haven’t been able to venture out into these communities I work in,” but he is glad he has been able to spend quite a bit of time in Lanesboro preparing for the relay.
“It’s a beautiful small town and it has a lot going for it,” adds Stadsvold.
The City of Lanesboro is normally busy on weekends, between tourists and local residents, but the town will have even more visitors on July 12 as it brings a lot of people from other communities, notes Stadsvold.
Co-chairs of the Relay for Life in Lanesboro are Michele Peterson and Sue Peterson and planning and preparing for the event is not the only thing on their minds. “I’m hoping for good weather,” says Michele, as having a nice day will certainly impact turnout for the day’s events.
If you have never attended a Relay for Life event and are not sure what it is all about, Michele doesn’t want that to stop you from coming to share time with friends and neighbors and support the 19 teams that will be participating in the Relay for Life.
“Our goal is to involve more people, even that maybe didn’t know what the relay was, or that haven’t been in many years,” states Michele. “You don’t have to be a team. You can just come out and enjoy — have dinner, take the sights in,” she says.
Emcee for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event in Lanesboro will be Luke Lonien from KFIL radio.
The day’s events begin at 3 p.m. with an hour-long Survivor’s Tea which gives those in attendance a chance to share, listen and bond.
The musical stylings of Sister Luv will be enjoyed by all in attendance from 4-6 p.m. According to their Facebook page, “Sister Luv is composed of four sisters, Xena, JLee, Elsie, and Shelly who have been singing together for most of their lives. They have performed at care centers, churches, Eagles Cancer Telethon, and other special events. The girls are regulars on The “Over The Back Fence” radio show in Lanesboro. Along with their singing engagements they have acted in many plays in Lanesboro, Rushford, Rochester, and Chatfield’s Potter Auditorium,” and have certainly impressed their audiences wherever they go.
Performing at the Relay for Life event will be personal for the sisters as the Facebook page goes on to say “their love of singing and entertaining has led them to formally start their group, Sister Luv, to honor their Papa Bear who passed last November after battling brain cancer. He was their greatest fan and even though he is now in heaven, he will be with them in spirit,” and his applause will surely be heard over anyone else’s.
A delicious meal will be shared at the Community Supper from 5-7 p.m., along with kids games from 5:30-7 p.m.
The Opening Ceremony, which is held to honor anyone who has been affected by cancer in any way and to recognize all of those who worked together to put the event together, will take place at 6 p.m.
Following the Opening Ceremony will be the Survivor’s/Caregivers Lap as the American Cancer Society’s website, (http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=93036&pg=informational&sid=212807&name=event-details), states, “Survivors and Caregivers are the heart and soul of Relay For Life events. We honor their strength and courage with every step they take. It doesn’t matter if you were diagnosed 10 days ago or 10 years ago, you can walk while everyone gathers together to cheer you on.”
Team Recognition will also take place after the Survivors/Caregivers Lap and pictures will be taken of the teams.
Immediately after Team Recognition an exciting Live Auction will take place, with fantastic items up for bid that you will surely want to take home with you. One interesting item of note will be “Pinkie” the pink tractor that seems to be a local mascot for Relay for Life, as it has been auctioned off in the past and gets donated back, giving others a chance to raise cancer awareness.
A Silent Auction will also be held from 6:30-9 p.m. with many interesting items available to bid on, including many gift certificates, gift baskets and more items too numerous to list.
The Balloons to Heaven event, which is special to so many people, will take place following the live auction and the even more emotional Luminary Lighting Ceremony will begin at 8 p.m.
Seeing all of the luminaries lit with names of those who have battled and are battling cancer, and those who have been lost to cancer, brings to the surace the reality of why you are all there, and gives a visual as to how many of your friends and neighbors have been affected by cancer.
Pete Klug Music will entertain the crowd from 8:15-9:45 and then the tunes continue with DJ music. Heads or Tails and Bingo will keep everyone energized until the Final Lap Ceremony takes place at 11:45 p.m., wrapping up a very emotional, but very meaningful day.
To find out more information visit http://main.acsevents.org, www.facebook.com/Fillmorecountymn/ or contact Garrett Stadsvold at garrett.stadsvold@cancer.org.
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