According to the American Cancer Society, cancer accounts for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths in the U.S., however, in Iowa alone, there have been 142,870 cancer survivors as of Jan. 1, 2014.
Many will gather tonight at this year’s Jasper County Relay For Life to join the community it its efforts to help raise funds for cancer research and most importantly, honor those who have battled cancer.
The annual event will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. at H.A. Lynn Stadium and will include fun for the whole family.
There will be a pulled pork barbecue from Fareway, a pie toss, a dunk tank and performances by Mat Tumbling and the charming barbershop quartet Cul-De-Sac.
After sunset, there will be a traditional luminaria ceremony, names will be read and bag pipes will be played. This part of the event starts at 9:30 p.m.
This year’s Relay theme is Super Heroes Fighting for a Cure and organizers have arranged for super heros to come out to the stadium to take pictures. They will be available from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Walgreens will have a photo tent on site to pick up your picture.
Each year, teams organize prior to the event in order to raise money for Relay and then rally together the night of the event to walk in honor. Some have been involved in the event for many years and others are new teams this year.
“There are 23 wonderful teams that have been fundraising for the past few months and are very excited for this year’s event and theme of Super Heroes Fighting for a Cure. Teams vary in sizes and come from all walks of life,” Jasper County Relay for Life Co-Chair Debby Pence said.
Roxann Wormley is also co-chair and has been involved since the event started 17 years ago.
Highlights from the event schedule include: 6 p.m., invocation, national anthem, flag raising, local super hero lap with Newton Police and Fire Departments and survivors walk; 6:30 p.m., barbecue with a suggested donation of $5; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Locks of Love donations from E-Clips; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., dunk tank with Jeff Price, Bill Peters, Todd Schuster, Nathan Unsworth, Ty Rushing and Scott Bauer; 7:30 p.m., Peppy Steppers; 8:45 p.m., music by Cul-De-Sac starring Bob Doerring, John Easley, Bruce Hoffmeier and George Wilkening; 9:30 p.m., luminaria ceremony with bag pipe performance by Ron Husted; and 10:30 p.m., a free hot dog roast sponsored by Pence Reese Funeral Home.
The public is encouraged to come for the pulled pork barbecue, participate in the walk, enjoy the entertainment and purchase a luminary in honor of a loved one who has passed away or is currently fighting a battle.
Online donations can be made by visiting www.relayforlife.org/jaspercountyia.
Staff writer Kate Malott may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 422, or at kmalott@newtondailynews.com.