By Trisha Zach
trisha@mylocalcountynews.com Relay for Life has always been a great event meant to raise money for a great cause. Relay For Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and is staffed and coordinated by volunteers in thousands of communities. This year, Knox County Relay for Life is adding a little twist to the already fun festivities. Generally, a relay will involve an opening ceremony and teams walking laps to symbolize the ongoing fight against cancer. There are usually food and activities people can indulge themselves in while not participating in the walking. Its common for luminaries to be lit to recognize all the people lost to cancer and the survivors before the ending ceremony commences. All of these events usually take place in one place, in one town, most times around one track. Knox County has a different idea for their relay this year, involving more of the county. Stephanie Fritz and the other organizers were looking for some unique ideas to bring to the county when they stumbled upon a progressive dinner idea. The idea is to start a meal and go to a different location for each course. “We really wanted to take that idea and make it our own. It was a big group effort,” Fritz said. They are calling it the 2018 Knox County Relay for Life Passport Tour. Nine communities will be participating in the event rather than holding the relay in one town. Each of the nine passport stops will have food and activities and the event will end in Bloomfield with an auction and traditional closing ceremony. There is a little bit of everything on the passport tour: survivor speakers, mission moments, even a yoga session. Some informative speakers will focus on subjects such as the importance of physical activity or how Radon in houses can cause cancer. There will be both long and short sessions. “ Crofton, Verdigre and Creighton will be longer sessions. Some of the short sessions include some amazing kolaches and pies at Winnetoon, a junk artist in Center, bingo in Creighton, and Billy May’s in Niobrara,” Fritz explains. Knowing it can be difficult to get from town to town, they will even provide bus transportation from stop to stop in hopes more people will visit all nine passport stops. Everyone traveling from town to town will not only get the benefit of enjoying more food and fun but will get to enjoy the lovely Knox County scenery as well. The buses will start in Bloomfield at the fairgrounds where passport books will be available. There are activities at every stop to get a stamp for the passport. At the end of the tour, the buses will return to Bloomfield around 5:30-6 p.m. where everyone can turn in their passport books to win prizes, including a Traeger grill. Volunteers are still needed for the event, as are sponsors and walking teams. If interested Stephanie Fritz can answer any questions at 402-270-1070. She also has registration forms. Registering can also be done online at www.relayforlife.org/knoxcone. “We are getting lots of good feedback,” Fritz says. All the organizers are excited to see how the community likes the new ideas this year. The Knox County Relay Passport Tour will be on Saturday July 14 starting in Bloomfield at 7:30 a.m. |