FARMINGTON — The Franklin County Relay for Life will hold its official 2012 kickoff  at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the Bass Room at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.

The Relay for Life is a 12-hour overnight event when teams of local people raise money to fight cancer.

“At the relay, we celebrate, remember and fight back. We celebrate our survivors, we remember our loved ones who did not survive and we fight back for more and better treatments,” Anna Lyon, communications chairman on the relay committee, said.

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, June 1, through 6 a.m. Saturday, June 2, at the Farmington Fairgrounds. “It’s great to be returning to the fairgrounds, where our first Franklin County Relay was held in 1998,” Lyon said.

The theme is Racing for a Cure. Teams are encouraged to decorate their campsite and tailor their activities to the theme but it’s completely optional.

The relay is the major volunteer-driven fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. It has raised billions of dollars since its founding in 1985.

The past few years, the Franklin County event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars — about $50,000 each year the past few years — for research and patient support.

“Last year’s total was down a bit from 2010, but in this difficult economy it still shows a tremendous amount of support for fighting cancer at the grassroots level,” Lyon said.

The kickoff provides an opportunity to rally teams from previous relays and introduce new ones to it.

“Anyone planning to have a team and anyone who thinks they are interested in participating but want more information should attend this event,” Lyon said. “There will be refreshments and door prizes and ample opportunity to find out what it is all about.”

Some teams have already started forming and have registered online. You don’t have to go to the kickoff to register a team, but many people find it helpful. To register online, go to: www.relayforlife.org/franklinme. The local event also has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/relayfranklin. “Like” the page for updates on events and activities related to the relay.

For more information, contact Mac Watts at the ACS office in Topsham, (800) 464-3102, ext. 3704, or email [email protected].