Everyone at some point should attend a Relay for Life. Though the unique events are held as fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, they are also a reflection of the spirit of a community whose members come together to support each other in the face of the trials and challenges that can come from cancer. Coweta County’s 2010 Relay for Life will be held May 14 and 15 at the fairgrounds on Pine Road.
As with all Relay events, the Coweta Relay next week will be a serious matter relating to the presence, past and present, of cancer in the lives so many local residents. But it will also be a time of celebration for those who survive cancer, and it will be a time of mass antics by Relay teams that have no equal in any other large community event.
The Coweta Relay begins Friday afternoon and runs until 7 a.m. Saturday morning. Local organizers provided a schedule of events that are listed below:
5:30 p.m. Cancer survivor check-in at Agriculture Hall. DJ begins on stage.
6:00 p.m. Silent Auction begins at each team tent.
6:15 p.m. Line dancing/clogging
6:50 p.m. “Why I Relay” – Allie Crocker and Kaitlin Hewitt-sing “Live Every Moment”
((Surivors/Caregivers make their to track))
7:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies begin with:
-Presentation of Colors by Newnan High School ROTC
-National Anthem- Isa Guterriez
-Welcome to Honorary Chair Max Bass
-Invocation- Pastor Dan Dixon/Mt. Gilead UMC
7:20 p.m. Survivor/Caregiver lap of honor
7:30 p.m. Team Lap
7:45 p.m. Welcome sponsors
8:00 p.m. Why I Relay
8:00 p.m. Ken Scott Magic Show
9:00 p.m. Luminary ceremony
-Prayer-Pastor Christopher Carlyle/Purified Living Ministry
-Kevin Wallace and Mike Burchfield sing-“Let it Be”
-“A Poem of Hope” –Robert Riede
-Kevin Wallace and Mike Burchfield sing-“I Won’t Back Down”
-Remembrance Lap
-Kevin Wallace and Mike Burchfield sing-“I Run for Life”
9:25 p.m. Why I Relay
9:30 p.m. Start of MISS’TER Relay
9:30 p.m. Band: Kevin Wallace and Mike Burchfield
10:15 p.m. Why I Relay – Cindy Fore – Todd/Lee Middle School
10:30 p.m. Winner of MISS’TER Relay announced
10:30 p.m. Silent auction ends
10:30 p.m. Karaoke Idol
12:30 a.m. Contest to be announced
1:15 a.m. Jerald Connally dedication
1:30 a.m. Jerald Connally Memorial Lap-“Wind Beneath My Wings”
2:00 a.m. Luau & Dance Party – led by Rhonda Lovitt
3:00 a.m. Why I Relay
3:00 a.m. Bingo & Trivia
4:00 a.m. Why I Relay
4:00 a.m. Movie Time: ”Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”
5:45 a.m. Door Prizes
6:00 a.m. Rise and Shine – Zumba with the “Zumbasistas”
6:30 a.m. Final lap, Fight Back Ceremony and Team awards
7:00 a.m. Closing prayer – Pastor Mike Ayers/Emory Chapel UMC
By any estimation, Relay events are completely unique. They are at once a mixture of poignant reflection and unbridled comedy, of laughter and tears, of the contemplation of the past and the future and of the resolve that proclaims, “I will not go gently into this good night.” Coweta County’s 2010 Relay for Life next week will again display that unique quality.
