FARMINGTON — The original site for the Franklin County Relay for Life, the Fairgrounds, will be host a “Race for a Cure” that begins with a survivor lap at 6 p.m. Friday, June 1. The overnight event continues through 6 a.m. Saturday.

The Relay for Life started at the Farmington Fairgrounds in 1998 and then moved to Mt. Blue High School for several years. Last year it was held at Jay High School because of construction at Mt. Blue.

Some 28 teams and 276 people have registered to participate, said Anna Lyon, a member of the Franklin Savings Bank team.

A total of $30,000 has been turned in by the teams and deposited so far and organizers hope to bring an additional $20,000 in during the event, she said.

More people will come just for the event, particularly the survivor segment and the luminaria.

Survivors, some still undergoing treatment, others who have survived several years, participate in the survival lap, she said. The luminaria ceremony which occurs at about 9 p.m. is also a moving experience.

“The Relay is an inspiring event for anyone who has fought cancer or loved someone who has fought cancer,” said Dee LaPlant, co-chair of the event. “Sometimes people feel helpless in the face of cancer. The Relay gives us a way to fight back by raising money for research and patient support and to celebrate the lives of those who have survived.”

The Relay is an overnight event, symbolizing the fact that “cancer never sleeps.”

Celebrate, remember and fight back are the primary themes of the Relay. Survivors are celebrated as they make the first lap around the track. People with cancer are remembered in the luminaria ceremony, where hundreds of white bags with candles inside line the track bearing the names of those who are fighting cancer and those who have passed on.

The public is welcome to attend, she said.

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