By Craig Marx, Editor

Q) What is the general theme of Relay for Life of Langlade County this year and what was your inspiration behind choosing it?

A) Cirque Do Relay is the Theme of the 2017 Relay For Life. Who doesn’t love the circus or a carnival. We want the Relay For Life to be a celebration of the work we do for the fight against cancer and for it to be a fun atmosphere, what better place to do that then at the carnival.

Q) What special guests or inspirations has Relay decided on for 2017 event?

A) Our Honorary Survivor this year is Matt Young. A high school student who has recently battled cancer. He will share his story at the Luminaria Ceremony starting at 10pm. Getting the youth involved in the fight makes a great impact on everyone so Matt was the perfect fit as our Honorary Survivor.

Q) In terms of the seasonal fundraising (chili cook-off, bake sale, cheese, bowling, etc.), what events did you find were particularly successful? With the Relay event for 2017 still upcoming, any planning or consideration for future projects yet?

A) We had some great successful fundraisers this year! One very successful fundraiser was the Bowl-for-a-Cure 9 pin tap fundraiser presented by Camree’s Cancer Crushers team. Look for that event again next year!

Another very successful fundraiser, which was just held recently, was Grape Night for Wine-iggling, presented by the All For one team. This was a wine auction along with stand up comedy by Greg Dodge. This fundraiser will be back again next year I am sure.

Relay for Life doesn’t just fundraiser during one time of the year, we try to keep fundraising for the fight against cancer going all year long, so keep an eye out for different fundraisers all the time! Some future fundraisers to look for could be a Meat Auction, Volleyball Tournament, Kickball Tournament and of course Brat Frys along with some of the ones that have been done in the past!

Q) Are there any new additions to Relay this year or anything participants, supporters, and onlookers may want to consider while attending Relay?

A) One new thing added to the schedule this year is the Lite Up 4 Life 5K run/walk & 1 mile kids fun run. Runners are encouraged to show up glowing for the cause. 1 Mile fun run will be at 8:30pm. The 5K run/walk will be at 9pm. There is still time to register for this Run. Runners can do so by going to www.tandhtiming.com/events/lite-up-4-life until Wednesday August 16th or Register the night of from 7pm-8pm. The Races will start and end at Peaceful Valley Park.
Relay For Life is a public event, so everyone is welcome. Other activities that will be going on throughout the night will be live music from Curt Parsons, MLC Bluesband, Slidin’ on Ice, Charlie Kirsch and Stone Soup Brothers, a Silent Auction, a Clown Contest, Carnival food, games, a movie in the park, Glow Zumba, Glow Yoga and much more.

Q) Lastly, as the event’s chief coordinator, what is your personal inspiration behind your support for Relay and how has it helped you along the way in motivating others to support the cancer-crushing cause?

A) I have participated in Relay For Life for 20 years now in some form or fashion. I started out before high school participating with my family when my cousin was diagnosed with Leukemia. Some years I raised funds, some years I raised more then others, some years I just was there to enjoy the event, some years I helped plan the event, some years I just volunteered, but what was the same with each one of these 20 years was I was helping the fight against cancer in some form! AND a bonus was meeting so many wonderful people along the way! The people I have met along the way and heard stories of is what keeps me going and I believe what fuels my passion for this cause!