30 years of Relay for Life in Cullman

Reporter

Perfect weather and plenty of things to do might’ve lured a nice crowd to this year's 30th Anniversary Relay for Life Celebration, but at Cullman's Depot Park Saturday, the event's enduring spirit of optimism was the real attraction.

Dozens of local Relay support teams joined with scores of cancer survivors and their families at the park, where the celebratory atmosphere got a big boost from on-site vendors, live music, and an accompanying antique auto show that spilled over into the neighboring Cullman Festhalle area.

Gurley resident and longtime Relay advocate Lindsey Jones served as the event's featured speaker, with Jones — blind since age 4 from a rare form of childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma — encouraging survivors and Relay donors to continue supporting a fundraiser that's been directing money for cancer research in Cullman longer than the 24 year-old has been alive.

Though Relay began locally in 1993, the event itself dates back nationwide to its inaugural 1985 fundraiser in Tacoma, Wash. Since then, it's grown to become the signature annual effort in mustering funds for cancer research as an outreach of the American Cancer Society, staging Relay events in more than 5,000 communities throughout the United States.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.

Reporter