PORT ANGELES — No, the circus is not in town. Nor is there a Boy Scout Jamboree or a carnival.
The tents that are springing up at the Clallam County Fairgrounds today are for the Port Angeles Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that will run from 3 p.m. today until 3 p.m. Saturday.
The festivities at the fairgrounds at 1608 W. 16th St. in Port Angeles will begin with relay walkers making the first laps of the event accompanied by the musical group String Theory.
The opening ceremony will start at 6 p.m., followed by the survivors’ and caregivers’ laps at 6:30 p.m.
There will be plenty to do for those who don’t walk laps, said Debra West, event chairwoman of the Port Angeles Relay For Life, on Thursday.
“There will be lots of good music, lots of food,” she said.
The relay is part walk-athon, part slumber party, part concert and part carnival.
Teams earn money for the American Cancer Society by holding pre-relay events and by gaining sponsors and pledges for laps.
“We’ve raised $23,700 so far, and we hope to double that this weekend,” West said.
Last year, the Port Angeles event collected $57,000.
One of the teams, Walk Around the Clock, has raised more than $10,000 by selling “Ax Men” memorabilia donated by Rygaard Logging of Port Angeles.
‘Seasons of Hope’
This year’s theme is “Seasons of Hope,” West said.
There are 257 participants in 24 teams.
Any cancer survivor who registers at the event will receive a purple survivor’s shirt and a medal, she said.
West defines “survivor” as anyone who has ever received a diagnosis of cancer, she said.
In Relay For Life, participants walk as many laps as possible, handing off a highly decorated “baton” to the next teammate.
Teams often dress in wild, brightly colored team uniforms or costumes.
But the real show will be the highly decorated tents, where relay participants will conduct bake sales, crab feeds and sell lemonade and a variety of other items to raise more money for cancer research.
There will also be auctions, drawings and games.
One game that will be played is Minute to Win It — based on the television game show, West said.
The game uses common household items to complete a game in 60 seconds.
Other performances today will include SuperTrees, BBR, Dave Secord and fire dancers.
Luminaria ceremony
A luminaria ceremony will be held at 11 p.m. tonight.
During a luminaria ceremony, candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence.
DJ Lumpy will take the stage at midnight; all-night karaoke will help participants stay awake .
The karaoke is popular with many of the younger teams, West said.
There are several youth and high school teams this year, she said.
Zumba will kick off Saturday morning’s program. Mister Sister and the Jimmy Hoffman Band also will perform.
Today’s events will include lunch, provided by the Port Angeles Realtors Association, and Project Relay.
Project Relay is a contest in which teams will create fashions from newspaper and duct tape.
The Port Angeles Relay For Life is the first of four cancer survivor relays on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Port Townsend relay is July 16 and 17. The Forks relay is Aug. 5 and 6. The Sequim relay is Aug. 12.
For more information on the Port Angeles event, visit http://tinyurl.com/3w3of2f.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
