'Purple by Day, Glow by Night'

EPHRATA — Teams will walk all night, and people have the option to do a little running, to fight cancer at the Ephrata Relay for Life Friday night and Saturday morning. The opening ceremonies begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the Ephrata High School track, and the final lap is at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The 2016 relay will have 15 teams, said organizer Susy Anderson, and “we have met our goal of raising $50,000.” Relay for Life is a major fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and all the money raised goes to support cancer research and help cancer patients.

“The money goes into a big pot,” Anderson said, and is used to support cancer patient programs, including “Look Good, Feel Better," which provides wigs and head coverings, makeup lessons and other style help to women undergoing treatment for cancer. In Grant County, “Look Good, Feel Better” is hosted by Samaritan Healthcare. The American Cancer Society also has programs for people who need lodging while they’re undergoing treatment, and a program to provide rides to cancer treatment appointments.

Relay for Life has grown from a single person running and walking for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma to a nationwide program. Participants walk (or run) overnight, with one participant from each team on the track at any time. It might get kind of boring walking around the track, so most Relay for Life events have something going on all night long.

“Purple by Day, Glow by Night,” is Ephrata’s theme for 2016, and a couple new events have been added, Anderson said.

Cancer survivors are invited to dinner from 4:40 to 5:30 p.m. at the track; each survivor can bring one guest. Dinner is being catered by El Agave restaurant.

For people who are up for a late-night run, the first “Hope Glows Fun Run” is scheduled for 11 p.m. at the track. It’s not limited to the track, though – runners will follow a 2-kilometer course around the high school and softball field. Runners who haven’t registered yet can still sign up from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at the track. Runners can receive a glow-in-the-dark bracelet and T-shirt, although the supply of T-shirts may be limited, Anderson said.

The luminary ceremony is scheduled for 10 p.m. Luminaries are candles in paper sacks, purchased as memorials or in support of cancer patients. The candles are lit during the ceremony, then the lights are turned off and teams walk the track in the light of the candles for at least one lap.

Valda Sarty, Quincy, a cancer survivor, will be the speaker at the opening ceremony. Becky Van Keulen, a former Ephrata resident, will be the speaker at the closing ceremony. The cancer foundation, Cancer Can’t, was started by Van Keulen and her husband, Jonathan, before he died of cancer April 4.

Activities for children are scheduled as well, including a bouncy house. Whiskers the Clown will be around too.

A “Purple Power” costume contest is scheduled, a musical chairs lap, bingo, “glow in the dark Zumba” after the fun run, and a “human scavenger hunt. I have no idea what that is,” Anderson said. “In the morning, we’re going to do a best pajama and bedhead contest.”

People can donate to Relay for Life through Aug. 31, Anderson said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at education@columbiabasinherald.com.