Woodstock Relay For Life: Relay For Life has 28 teams registered for June 9 event

Canadian Cancer Society major fundraiser is counting down the days to June 9 at CASS

You still have time to register at www.relayforlife.ca/woodstock

The countdown is on!

Relay For Life in Woodstock has set goals for 30 teams and 300 participants this year for Relay at CASS on June 9 (7 p.m. – 1 a.m.).

Our latest tally has our annual Canadian Cancer Society major fundraiser rally at 28 teams, but only 167 registrants. Now is a good time to call your friends and family and increase the size of your team so we can attain both goals.

Relay is all about ‘Community’. It’s the community of Oxford County and Woodstock doing its best to raise money to find a cure for cancer and support our nation’s best research projects and clinical trials. Your community is your household, your neighbourhood, your work place, your church, your school . . . and your city/village.

Our nation is also important as this is the year of Canada150 and the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay in Woodstock encourages everyone to wear red and white, and we will have theme laps for wearing those colours so bring everything you own that is red and white to clad your clan. The red-and-white laps will include Canadian music . . . Who do you want to hear? Bryan Adams, Justin Bieber, Serena Ryder, Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Stompin Tom, Terri Clark, the Guess Who, or ?.

There will also be theme laps for donning crazy toques and hats. Relay this year in Woodstock is also bringing back the Scrabble game where your team earns letters each lap and then you spell words for points and prizes.

The entertainment roster has been finalized for the 2017 event and it promises to be a great mix as the Norwich Society Band will play live as you set up your tents and register. They will also play the national anthem during the opening ceremony (7 p.m.).

Three live bands will follow the Survivors Victory Lap, including Teachers Pet returning from last year’s roster. They’re a unique group as it consists mostly of CASS teachers and faculty. I’m not sure we will give them an A+ on their report card as Relay will be their exam time, but for Canada’s 150th birthday we will give them a solid Eh!

HAMRD is a Woodstock area band also performing.

After 11 p.m., when things begin to get quiet, you’ll be enjoying the live music from Jack London and friends. Our participation surveys we compiled did indicate that Relayers wanted more country music. London is a very accomplished John Denver cover-band singer and he also has a roster of other country singers he will bring with him.

Besides fun theme laps and live music, maybe the best addition to the fun fundraising at Relay is the Hamster Ball soccer where you and a group of friends can play soccer, but you’re actually inside large bouncy balloons. Our committee would agree that this activity is even more laugh-a-minute than sumo soccer, and is comparable to Dunk Tank fishing.

Tradition at Relay is creating your own necklace from the beads you pick up on each lap. This tradition will again be an important part of Relay.

WHAT TIME SHOULD WE BE THERE?

Registration begins at 4:30 and dinner is always served (beginning) before 6 (and available until 8 or later) so plan on attending early. Most teams have camp site areas already assigned. (Comedic Note: By the way, we do this to avoid sumo soccer as teams would jostle for best position on the track’s infield).

The popular button station returns in the registration tent as we want to know how many years you have been a Relay participant. Be sure to bring your final money donations and pledge sheets for the banking committee to count in the CASS cafeteria.

As for the food, it’s the same super fare as last year with Boston Pizza supplying pasta and Swiss Chalet has chicken sandwiches. We expect to serve almost 500 meals, but that includes our wonderful cancer survivors and their caregivers, volunteers, participants, musicians, popcorn makers and clowns.

A preliminary schedule for the night is included here, so you will note that Domino’s Pizza will provide late-night pizza slices. There will also be Tim Hortons (Thanks again Leslie Farrell), and cookies and snack from No Frills.

The kids’ activities (6 – 8:30) are an important part of Relay as our ‘Community’ of cancer fundraisers includes everyone in a family.

At the Survivors Tent, there will be a photographer, cupcakes as supplied by the CASS students, tickets (silent auction participation) available for an amazing quilt (to be sold at Grand Desserts on Oct 24).

VOLUNTEERS

Relay For Life requires volunteers for many tasks, including people to sell luminaries at local grocery store on June 2. Call 519 537-5592.

The luminary sales program includes the Saturday morning market at the fairgrounds and many churches.

The star of luminary promotions is Scotiabank as they will meet all the donations received from their 2 local branches.

If you’re reading this and simply want to assist the overall efforts with your time at Relay, you may also volunteer in the food tent, with the writing of names on the luminary bags, with the setting up of chairs and tables, or serving cupcakes. If you love construction, be at CASS at 9 a.m. as we build the stage and the start/finish signage, and put up the smaller tents. Give us a call today!

Cancer Changes Everything. So Can You.