By Kathi Calahan

Special to the Tribune

For 100 years, the American Cancer Society has worked relentlessly to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Together with millions of our supporters worldwide, we're helping people stay well, helping people get well, finding cures, and fighting back against cancer. Thanks to these efforts, more than 11 million survivors will celebrate a birthday this year. Relay for life is a major fundraising effort of the American Cancer Society.

Relay for Life brings together more than 3.5 million people every year to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and empower individuals and communities to fight back against a disease that takes too much from too many. Each Relay for Life event is made up of teams that hold fundraisers throughout the year and come together for one night, 12 hours, to Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back.

Relay for Life of Marshall County will start at 7 p.m. Friday, June 7, at the Marshall County Expo Center on Robin Hood Road. Survivors are our honored guests and are invited to a reception at the Expo Center beginning at 6 p.m.

This year, Relay for Life of Marshall County will have 14 teams participating. These teams have worked throughout the past year raising funds to help in the fight against cancer. This work will culminate on Friday, when the teams come together for our 12 hour event. Teams representing Okay Tire, CKNA, CB&S Bank, Sunshine Kids preschool, NHC-Lewisburg, Walmart, Marshall Medical Center, Lewisburg Printing, Big League, Griffin Cook and Sons, Holts Corner Baptist Church, First National Bank, Pink Ladies, and the Church Street Church of Christ Youth Group will set up campsites and offer a wide variety of food, including catfish plates, chicken finger plates, a baked potato bar, country ham sandwiches, barbeque, nachos, white beans and cornbread, hotdogs, popcorn, pink lemonade, cupcakes, ice cream, fruit, and cookies.

Please bring your family out to enjoy dinner and support our efforts to put an end to cancer.

Teams will also be selling homemade candles, purses, feather boas, tattoos, masks, and many other items. There will be games for kids including a bounce house and slip and slide.

Relay for Life 2013 promises to be a very entertaining evening. Beginning at 8 p.m. we will host our first Queen of Relay Womanless Beauty pageant. The contestants will be presented in both sportswear and formal wear with the winner chosen by the amount of donations collected during the event. Contestants such as Fred Haley, Dorris Wayne Weaver, Jock Floyd, Wesley Roberts, Jerry Dale, Robert Pratt, Lincoln Highfill, Chad Dalton, and many more will be begging for donations to become the first Queen of Relay.

We will also have our teams singing a theme song of their choice during the evening.