Twinsburg Is Ready for Relay

It’s not easy to find a connection between Star Wars and cancer, but Relay for Life has done it.

A 5 a.m. round of Star Wars trivia is just one of the many events that will take place during the 11th Annual Twinsburg/Macedonia Relay for Life today at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium. The event begins at 4 p.m. with pre-kickoff activities, followed by the official kickoff at 6 p.m. and going all night long until 1 p.m. Saturday.

“This is about a community taking up the fight for cancer,” said Rob Felber, the chairperson for Relay. “It’s touched so many people.”

While the relay is the main draw, it’s really a celebration of the time and effort spent in fundraising for cancer research. Teams have been raising money since December and that can be tough in a struggling economy, said Jennie Dawes, Relay’s publicity chairperson.

“The economy is taking a toll on people’s time as well as their ability to donate,” she said. “But, I think overall we’ve been pretty successful.”

Felber estimates they’ve raised nearly $45,000 to this point. “There’s still a lot of money out there that hasn’t been counted,” he said.

Even though this weekend’s event is the celebration of hard work, teams can still raise money until August.

“Relay is the signature event, but the fundraising doesn’t stop,” Dawes said.

This year’s schedule is packed with a variety of special events and performances. You can find the full schedule of events in our PDF section. Relay will feature performances by The Icebergs (featuring Twinsburg Police Chief Chris Noga) and The Sweet Roots, a game show hour, and a special early morning visit from the jedi master himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“That oughta wake everybody up,” Dawes added.

But the two key events are those that honor the many lives that have been touched by cancer. The kickoff ceremony features a survivors' lap, where those who have won their battle against the deadly disease take the first lap.

“It really commemorates why we’re doing this entire event,” Dawes said.

But the “highlight” of the evening is the Luminaria Ceremony. Soon after the sun goes down, hundreds of luminaria bags line the track with candles lit inside, each emblazoned with the name of someone who has battled cancer. It represents those who have survived the fight and those who were not as fortunate.

“It’s a time to stop and reflect on those we’ve lost,” Felber said. “It’s a time to honor those that are taking up the fight against cancer. To me that’s really when the community comes together.”

This representation is one of the many reasons why Dawes hopes they don’t have to coordinate many more events such as this.

“We hope we don’t have to have these for too many more years,” Dawes said. “As much fun as they are, maybe in the future we’ll have one to celebrate that we beat it.”