This year’s Relay For Life of Wetzel County kicks off this Friday. The event held at Magnolia High School’s track field runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The community is encouraged to participate in events such as the luminaria ceremony, cake walk, and karaoke contest, and enjoy live music, a purse auction, and more this weekend all in the hope of finding a cure for cancer. A $10 donation can provide the following resources to patients, caregivers, and volunteers: wigs, turbans, mastectomy bras, gas cards, volunteer and staff training, and more.

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Relay For Life began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Wash., ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man’s passion to fight cancer into the world’s largest movement to end the disease. For more information about the American Cancer Society or Relay For Life, call 1-800-227-2345, or visit cancer.org.

The schedule for this year’s Relay For Life events are listed below. The schedule is flexible and subject to change. Listen for announcements at the event.

4-6 p.m.Set-up and Registration

6 p.m.Survivor Reception

6:30 p.m.Opening ceremony with Emcee Mayor Blum

7 p.m.First lap, survivors;

second lap, care givers;

third lap, schools/kids;

fourth and following laps, everyone

7:30 p.m.Silver Eagle Band

8:30 p.m.Jessica Schoonover

9:30 p.m.Purse Auction

9:45 p.m.Cake Walk

10 p.m.Luminaria Ceremony

10:15 p.m.Mr. Relay with Carman Harman

10:30 p.m.100 Miles from Nowhere

11:30 p.m.Ebert Brothers Band

12:30 a.m.Carla McBee and Rob Campbell

1:30 a.m.Frozen T-shirt Contest

2 a.m.Karaoke Contest, music by Carman Harman

3 a.m.Road to Recovery, music by Carman Harman

4 a.m.Fight back ceremony

4:30 a.m.Awards to campsites, etc.

5 a.m.Closing Ceremony, Teams called for final lap

5:30 a.m.Breakfast

6 a.m.Clean-up, everyone

See photos from the school relays on page 8A and 9A.