For months, residents of Crenshaw County have been organizing and taking part in fundraisers for the annual Relay For Life, and the final event is drawing near.

This year’s Relay will be held on Friday, April 30 at Turner Park in Luverne.

Opening Ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m., and County Chairperson Cathy Wilkes said the theme is “Tune In for a Cure.”

Along those lines, teams have picked a television show theme for their tents.

“Moneywise, we’re not sure how much we’ve raised so far, but we’ve got 17 teams,” Wilkes said.

County-wide, the goal is $74,467.

The number of teams is also about the same as last year, but Wilkes said there are several new teams making their debut this year.

The event will feature a number of different activities, including a volleyball tournament, cooking competition, karaoke competition and a scavenger hunt.

Throughout the night, people will be walking around the park, and there will be “theme laps.”

“These theme laps include patriotic, Hawaiian, favorite sports and cancer trivia laps,” Wilkes said. “These are a fun way for team members to earn Relay Bucks, which count toward the Spirit of Relay Award.”

There will be a ceremony for Locks of Love, during which people will have their hair cut and donated to make wigs for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Besides all the fun and games, there will be a more somber event at 9 p.m. with the Luminaria Ceremony.

During that ceremony, luminarias will be lit to honor the memory of those who have battled cancer.

These may be purchased the night of Relay or from Mrs. Kathryn Tomlin at the Luverne Public Library.

There will also be a Survivor’s Dinner the week of Relay.

All cancer survivors in the county are invited to this event.

If you have recently been diagnosed with cancer or know someone who has been diagnosed, please contact Mrs. Patsy Owens at 335-6780. An area will be designated for survivors to congregate the night of Relay.

Additional handicapped parking will also be set up for the night of Relay. Concessions will also be available for purchase.

A tentative schedule of events will be published the week of Relay, and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Outside vendors, solicitors, and political campaigning is prohibited at Relay for Life events.

The last team captains’ meeting will be held on April 13, at 6:00 in the Luverne Public Library. All team captains are encouraged to attend.

For more information about Relay for Life please contact Mrs. Cathy Wilkes at 335-5333 or cwilkeslhs@yahoo.com.