Kerry Gilstrap/Courier

Above, Amy Hand, Tricia Youngblood and Loren Parnell are pictured at the Relay for Life event on April 30 at Easley High School. At left, cancer survivor Emily Stansell was named Miss Supreme at the Relay for Life Pageant at the event before it was rained out.

By Jason Evans

Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — Relay for Life participants planned to gather at Easley High School on April 30 to raise money for cancer research, honor those fighting cancer and remember those the disease has taken from us too soon.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.

A sudden, intense storm blew through the area that Saturday afternoon, sending Relay tents flying and turning the field at Easley High School into a lagoon.

As the storm raged on, safety concerns forced the cancellation of Relay for Life by 5 p.m. that afternoon.

But you can’t keep a good group down.

A new event is slated for 7-9 p.m. Monday, May 16, at the track at Easley High School.

Cancer survivors will kick off the event with a lap around the track. The Survivors Lap traditionally starts every Relay for Life.

A lap for caregivers will also be held during the event.

Then, Relay for Life teams will take a lap around the track.

Be sure to stay for the luminary service. All movement on the track comes to an end as special luminaria tribute bags are lit around the track. It’s one of the most moving moments of any Relay for Life event.

The Pickens County Relay for Life’s fundraising goal is $75,000. According to website figures, local teams have raised more than $60,000 so far.

For more information on the local Relay for Life effort, visit relayforlife.org/pickenssc or search “Relay for Life of Pickens County SC” on Facebook.