Rain Won't Stop Relay for Life

Montville's Fifth Relay for Life will be held in the Montville Township High School gyms instead of at Camp Dawson on account of the rainy weather forecast.

The annual overnight community event draws hundreds of attendees and participants. The event celebrates cancer survivors, honors those who died of the disease and has raised more than $545,000 for the American Cancer Society since Montville's first relay in 2009.

"Due to the rain forecast, we have moved the Relay for Life of Montville to inside of Montville High School's two gyms," Annabel Pierce, a member of the event's Publicity and Marketing Committee, said in an email Thursday. "The event will start tomorrow 6/7/13 at 8 pm tomorrow night as scheduled. The participants can still bring their tents. We will be staying overnight with all the originally scheduled festivities."

Event co-chair Mary Osborne-Marrero, a nine-year cancer survivor and Relay For Life committee member since 2009, said in a news release "fighting cancer begins in our backyard" and that the “event celebrates our survivors and remembers those we have lost to this awful disease."

Registrants from Montville Township, Lincoln Park and Boonton are invited to walk laps around the gym for an hour or an entire evening.

“It’s our fifth Relay in Montville and it’s symbolic of the milestone that a cancer patient reaches when they hit five year survivorship," Osborne-Marrero said.

Event registration opens at 6 p.m. with opening ceremonies scheduled to start at 8 p.m.  Joan Richmond, a 37-year resident of Towaco who is battling stage 4 breast cancer, will address the crowd.

Richmond will invite survivors to walk alongside her in a "survivor lap."

Following the survivor lap, first responders will be honored for their bravery and commitment to the Montville community with a dedicated lap.

Other activities are scheduled throughout the night and include music courtesy of DJ’s At Large, live performances from Common Conviction, and local residents Salena Wilson and Zach Matari.  Jazzercise and Nirvana Yoga will warm up and stretch out Relay walkers and runners before they begin their laps. Dan Rose, hypnotist, returns to Montville’s Relay with an entertaining midnight performance.  Weary walkers can enjoy a massage offered free of charge to participants by John Longo, a licensed massage therapist and Montville resident, according to a Relay for Life announcement.  

Food will be sold at the event, with a portion of the sales donated to Montville’s Relay For Life.  Other local vendors include Rita’s Ices of Lake Hiawatha, which will donate a portion of its sales during the evening to Relay For Life.

“Relay is a community event involving residents of all ages, local agencies and civic organizations,” co-chair Terry Becker said.  “Our community comes together and works hard to end this disease.  It says a lot about who we are as a town."

Relay For Life is the signature activity of the American Cancer Society and will be held in thousands of communities. Montville residents Debbie Hasbrouck and Sylvana Dalia first introduced Relay For Life to Montville in 2009. Both continue to serve on the Relay For Life committee.

Interested residents are encouraged to register at www.relayforlife.org/montvillenj. Survivors are guests of Relay and entrance to the event is free.