By Beth Alston

AMERICUS — Friday night’s local weather forecast calls for mostly clear skies with a warm 66 degrees. Perfect for an evening outside. Ideal for rounding up the kids and heading out to the annual Sumter County Relay for Life event.
Becky Bobbitt, luminary chair for the event, told the Times-Recorder that 17 teams have signed up this year for fundraising, in an effort to reach the goal of $25,000. This year’s theme is “Relaying through the Decades.”
The event starts at 6 p.m. on the football field at Sumter County Middle School on Bumphead Road. After the welcome, the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and a song, the laps around the track will be held, one for cancer survivors, and one for caregivers. This is usually an impressive sight as participants are reminded that fighting cancer is a team effort.
Luminaries are still on sale to honor someone who has survived cancer or someone who is still battling the disease, or in memory of someone who has lost their fight. You can purchase a white luminary bag for a $5 donation, a glow balloon for a single $25 donation, or five balloons for $100, or a tribute torch for $100. Visit www.relayforlife.org/sumterga or call Becky Bobbitt at 229-931-7430. She said the luminaries will also be on sale at the Friday night event, until 7 or 7:30 p.m. in preparation for the 9 p.m. luminaria ceremony, a segment fraught with emotion as each person’s name is read aloud as the balloons are released into the sky.
Bobbitt said a DJ will be playing music throughout the evening, and a trivia event will also be held. Participants can play trivia at each team tent, and at the end of the night, around 10 p.m., the winner will announced and a prize awarded.
The annual Relay for Life is a family-oriented and fun event, calling attention to the fact that cancer affects most everyone in one way or another, and that research funds are needed in the race to find a cure. Funds benefit the American Cancer Society.