Relay for Life hopes for another successful year

People touched by cancer will gather Friday to remember loved ones and to share hope.

"There's a lot of excitement that goes along with the relay because it is truly a celebration," said Paulette Preeshl-Shipp, the event's chairperson.

"It's to celebrate the lives of anybody who has been touched by this disease."

A survivor barbecue will kick off the evening's activities at 5:30 p.m. at the practice track at Havre High School. Nineteen teams will walk the track through the night until the pancake breakfast, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. In between, team and community members can enjoy theme laps, such as the perennial favorite Scrabble lap, and activities like alligator wrestling.

A jolly jumper will be inflated from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. for children.

For all of the fun and the celebratory vibe, the event has a determined air.

"We've really worked hard to build up this relay ... ," Preeshl-Shipp said, "because it has more of an impact on the fight when you can have a successful event like this."

Last year, the event raised more than $65,000 for the fight against cancer.

The money goes to the American Cancer Society, which uses the funds for research and programs such as support groups, travel subsidies, camps for children and scholarships for childhood cancer survivors, among others.

"(Cancer) is never going to go away unless we continue to do what we're doing. Cancer is not a discriminating disease. It affects everybody, no mater what your race, no matter what your religion, no matter what your age," Preeshl-Shipp said.

"And, for me, all I have to do is take a look at the people around me, and I have so many reasons to relay," she added.

At 10 p.m., relay participants will pause and light luminarias — candles in white paper bags — around the track.

"The luminaria ceremony is very impactful because it's kind of a moment of solitude to commemorate those we have lost and to remember those who have fought the battle and won," Preeshl-Shipp said.