Southington Relay for Life to Draw Thousands Tonight

The Southington Relay for Life will kick-off today at 4 p.m. at and this year's event is expected to be the biggest ever, drawing a crowd of thousands to Fontana Field.

Organizers said they are looking forward to a fun packed event that will bring important awareness to those who have battled cancer, as well as raising thousands in funds for the American Cancer Society.

"We are excited for this. It's taken months of planning, but we are expecting it to be a great event," Robin Guzauckas said.

Below is the event schedule:

FRIDAY

• Relay begins at 4 p.m. with music and walking.
• We will officially kick off the walk with the Knights of Columbus Color Guard and the Committee at 5:30 p.m.
• The beginning of all our wonderful ceremonies will be at 6 p.m.
• Survivor Ceremony / Lap / Dinner - Begins at 6:45 - Dinner approximately 7 p.m.
• Torch Ceremony begins at approximately 8 p.m.
• Luminary Ceremony begins at approximately 9:30 p.m.
• Quiet Time 11 p.m. - 7 a.m.
• Midnight Cafe - food supplied by Manor Inn and then activities for teens - begins at midnight.
• Bingo Lap - 1 a.m.
• Scrabble Lap - 2 a.m.
• Poker Lap - 3 a.m.

SATURDAY

• Pancake Breakfast - 7 a.m. - Sponsored by Mary Our Queen Church.
• Kids Activities - 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - with special guest, Rocky the Rock Cat.
• Beads from the Heart - 10 a.m. - Survivor Bead Activity.
• Parade of Schools - 10:30 a.m.
• J.J.BOS. (Southington's Boy Band) is playing at 1 p.m.
• Fight Back Flags / Final Remarks / Gordy Awards 2:15 p.m.
• Final Lap / Closing Ceremony 3 p.m.

John Guzauckas and Mike Jagos have been busy preparing for the kids activities: a karate class with , contests with hula hoops and jump ropes, musical chairs, coloring, bubbles, beading, etc. Rocky the Rock Cat is the latest addition to their fun roster of Kids Activities! They have also put together some great activities for the older kids during the night: poker, ping pong, scrabble tournament - honestly they haven't really let me in on all of it - plus an overnight youth bake sale so that the kids can earn money for their teams.

This year's event will also include  Saturday activities designed to get people thinking and participating, regardless of age. The following will take place:

• Mr. & Miss Relay Contest - The men dress as women and the women dress as men. They come to the stage to present themselves to the audience. They get one hour to collect penny donations. One cent credit for every penny they get, but subtract any other change they get (like penny wars). We will give an award for the Best "Mr. Relay" and Best "Miss Relay" based on pennies raised as well as audience appreciation for costumes. Remember - this must be kept PG! This is a family event after all!
• Frozen T-Shirt Contest - We're going to get some t-shirts and wrap them up tight, soak them in water, and FREEZE them. The object of this contest is to be the first one to get the t-shirt on.
• Blind-folded Musical Chairs.
• Duct Tape & Newspaper Fashion Show - "Models" must make an entire outfit fashioned with newspaper and duct tape only - the outfit must be made onsite, nothing can be premade.

There will also be theme laps at this year's event, including the following. 

    9 a.m. - Favorite Sports Team
    11:30 a.m. - Funny Hat / Funky Hair
    12:30pm - THEME: Colors for a Cure / Baton
    1:30 p.m. - Power of Purple
    2 p.m. - Hawaiian Luau

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