FORKS — Like all the fun that can be had in a single game of Friday night football, Forks’ Relay for Life will “rush” 24 hours worth of action into six tonight.
“It will be fast and furious,” organizer Cindy Mesenbrink said.
The sports-related relay aims to “finish the fight” against cancer with the goal of raising $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. It will run from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. today at the Rainforest Arts Center, 35 N. Forks Ave. A detour of Forks Avenue will be in place.
The relay officially begins when the street closes at 6 p.m., but the fun unofficially kicks off at 5 p.m. with Crescent Blue, snow cones and sidewalk games, Mesenbrink said.
When you reach the relay’s end zone, you can sleep.
Mesenbrink said the organizers realized last year that most people would walk the track until dusk and then go home. By Saturday morning, only relay teams were left.
“People would come out of the woodworks on Friday, but then on Saturday, there was nobody,” she said.
So Forks relay organizers decided to gift attendees with the best of both worlds: plenty of events and sleep.
“We figured we were getting old,” Mesenbrink said, laughing. “You think staying up all night is fun when you’re young, but not when you’re 50.”
Downtown this year
This year also marks the first time the relay will occur downtown, which Mesenbrink hopes will encourage tourists to join in.
The activities will include a sacks tournament, football throw, golf games, a sports-themed photo scavenger hunt and street dancing. Performing at the relay will be bluegrass band Crescent Blue, Forks community orchestra “Forkestra” and relay regulars Maybe Next Tuesday.
The opening ceremony that celebrates survivors and caregivers remains a personal favorite of Mesenbrink’s year after year.
Weeks later, she’ll encounter strangers at the grocery store who thank her for the ceremony.
She’s been involved in Forks’ relay for 15 years, and though it’s not quite a full-time job, the relay requires a year of commitment to plan, she said.
But the impromptu thank-yous — those keep her motivated.
“That’s what hooks me year after year,” she said.
A cancer survivor herself, Mesenbrink’s become the go-to person when people need treatment advice or support in remission.
“It’s important for first-time survivors to feel they’re not alone,” she said. “All of a sudden, I have all these new friends.”
Donations overall
So far, the relay has raised $17,000, and sponsors contributed $10,000, Mesenbrink said.
If you wish to volunteer, Mesenbrink said she’ll find a way to “put you to work.” Volunteers will meet at the rack at 4 p.m.
For more information about the relay, visit the American Cancer Society’s website or contact Mesenbrink at 360-374-5718.
The schedule of events includes:
• 5 p.m. — Crescent Blue.
• 6 p.m. — Opening ceremony.
• 6:30 p.m. — Forkestra.
• 7 p.m. — Sponsor recognition.
• 7 p.m. — Sacks competition.
• 7:15 p.m. — Maybe Next Tuesday.
• 7:30 p.m. — Photo scavenger hunt.
• 9 p.m. — Street dance.
• 10 p.m. — Luminary ceremony.
• 11 p.m. — Closing.
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Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsula dailynews.com.
