By Craig Marx, Editor

The celebratory atmosphere of Carnival season is not over yet thanks to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life organization in Langlade County. As part of the circus-themed Cirque Do Relay for the 2017 season, the kickoff of the fundraising events begins next weekend with bowls of chili and angel food candy.

The Relay for Life group is both kicking off the season and kicking cancer with a chili cook-off at Rick’s 45 Roadhouse on Saturday, March 25. Featuring fun house mirrors, raffles, and a bake-off, the Relay’s preliminary get-together gives the cancer-crushing organization a chance to bring in the community for both entertainment and information regarding the group’s other fundraising activities and main event, scheduled for Friday, August 18.

The chili cook-off and baking competitions are both open to the public for submissions and free for amateur samplers to peruse. Potential entrants are encouraged to sign-up via entry forms at www.relayforlife.org/langladecountywi or by clicking here for a .pdf version, but pre-registration is not necessarily required. Entries must be ready to be served by 3:30 PM the day of the event, with sampling beginning at 4 PM and winners announced at 8 PM.

Prizes and trophies will be awarded to the top three chili entries and desserts.

The cook-off event is also part of Rick’s Roadhouse’s now-famous .01k races, featuring the shortest possible jaunt – merely the length of the bar – supporting the best possible cause. Two such races will be held, beginning at 4:30 PM and another at 6:30 PM.

The entry fee for the chill and baking cook-offs is $25 while the .01k races are $15 per person.

The Relay’s kickoff marks a new spring and summertime season for the group, focusing this year on innovation and returning to the personal touches that make Langlade County’s cancer-fighting chapter that much more unique. With the circus atmosphere of the Cirque Do Relay theme, the Relay for Life provides fundraising and awareness to those who have battled with cancer, but also provides an opportunity for a celebration for those who have worked so hard to both overcome the disease and also for those working in the community to help others in their battle.

Upcoming events beyond the chili cook-off include an ongoing cheese fundraiser in which participating Relay members have multiple dairy items available for sale, with proceeds going towards the member’s Relay event team. The fundraiser ends April 14th.

The Bowl for a Cure 9-pin tournament event is set for April 8th, sponsored by Camree’s Cancer Crushers, while a sprint car race at the Langlade County Fairgrounds benefiting the Relay has been tentatively set for July 14th. More information on these events will be provided after the kickoff.

For anyone wishing to support the Relay for Life, or for anyone who is just an avid chili connoisseur, stop out at Rick’s 45 Roadhouse for the kickoff event (March 25th, beginning at 4 PM; Rick’s is located north of Antigo at N4290 US Hwy 45). Enjoy the circus with friends, family and all those who fight against cancer.