Relay for Life to mark

Fourteen teams with 166 people will gather at the Colfax High School track for the 17th annual Whitman County Relay for Life this Friday and Saturday, according to organizer Cozy Lueck.

Relay teams will be at the track from 5:30 p.m. on Friday until after the closing ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Lueck said teams consist of participants that range in age from children to people in their 70s.

Games for children begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday and at 7 p.m. the opening ceremony starts. The U.S. flag will be raised and the national anthem will be performed by Katie Largent. The survivors and caregivers lap starts at 7:30 p.m.

The luminaria ceremony starts at 9 p.m. Anyone who is a survivor or who has lost someone to cancer may participate, Lueck said. Names are read, the luminaries are lighted and with the field lights off, participants can read the luminaries around the track.

After the light show, the Elfers Airplane Show, presented by Brian and Jackson Elfers, will demonstrate remote-controlled airplanes and helicopters.

The Blue Mountain Troublemakers will perform at 8:15 p.m. and also at midnight.

Night swimming will be available at the pool.

Massages will be available from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday evening.

Team competition will begin at 1 a.m. with open karaoke, “Name that Tune,” a cupcake walk, bingo, yoga and a crowing contest.

There is a silent auction Friday which will close at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Closing ceremony will be at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Participants also can compete for a night’s stay at the Spokane airport Ramada Inn. Beaded necklaces can be purchased and then at the end of the relay, a game starting at 8:30 a.m. will determine who wins the prize.

Started in 1996, the Whitman County Relay for Life is a fundraiser for services provided to cancer patients in the county. The American Cancer Society provided services to 68 Whitman County patients and caregivers last year.

See the B Section, pages 3,4 and 5, for more details.