Relay for Life Kicks Off Friday

Only two days are left till the kickoff of Cherokee County’s Relay for Life.

As of now, 1,180 participants and 72 teams have raised $174,173.83. The hope is to reach the $255,000 goal by the end of the event. Donations can still be made online.

The top three teams are Team Jake's Journey with $18,666.16, Wadeken Industries/Woodstock Smiles with $10,961.64 and Arnold Mill Elementary School with $8,562.50. The top three participants are Jake Lyons with $5,471.16, Jordan Lyons with $2,897 and Carla Cornelison with $2,666.77.

The Opening Ceremony starts at 6 p.m. at .

The Survivor and Caregiver Lap will follow at 6:45 p.m. Survivors can still sign up by registering online or printing the attached form and either mailing it to American Cancer Society, RFL of Cherokee County at 1825 Barrett Lakes Blvd., Suite 280, Kennesaw, GA, 30144 or faxing it to 770-429-9824.

The teams and kids will take their turns around the track at 7 and 7:15 p.m. respectively.

In order to participate in the KidsWalk, children must be 15 and younger and pay $5 that includes a T-shirt. Mr. and Miss KidsWalk, the children who raised the most money, will be crowned before leading their fellow peers around the track. Use the attached form to register for the KidsWalk. It can be returned to a Relay for Life team or mailed to Courtney Shaw at 105 Othello Drive, Woodstock, GA, 30189.

Children’s activities will be going throughout the evening and include face painting, bounce-houses and games.

The ever-popular Luminaria Ceremony will begin at 9:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for individuals to celebrate cancer survivors or remember loved ones who lost the battle by including his or her name in a touching scene of lighted bags along the track.

Donations can be made for a minimum $10 for a white decorated bag or a minimum $25 for a gold decorated bag. Donations can be made online.

Saturday will start with the Miss-ter Relay. Chosen men from the Relay teams will strut around the track dressed as women at midnight. Awards include Miss-ter Relay 2011 based on the most money raised by a contestant, Miss-ter Sexiest Legs and Miss-ter Personality both voted on by an independent panel of judges and Miss-ter People’s Choice voted on by the audience’s applause.

The event will end with the Closing Ceremony at 7 a.m.

Live entertainment, contests and food will be available throughout the night to keep the energy up, and teams will have tents decorated around the track.

For more information and last-minute updates, check out the website.