The 2010 Brown County Relay for Life kicked off Friday evening at Gordon Wood Stadium with a record turnout.  Close to 70 teams set up tents to raise money for the American Cancer Society to help find a cure for cancer.

Organizers of the event say that this was the largest team participation in the 15 year history of the Brown County Relay for Life.   With the record participation, organizers set a record goal for the event of $110,000.  As of Friday night donations topped the $106,000 mark.

Relay for life teams around the county have been running fundraising drives for several months to raise money for the event.  Auctions, luminaries, and other fundraising efforts at the event also helped contribute to the cause.

Relay for Life is the signature fundraising event of the American Cancer Society where individuals and teams walk/run overnight to show their commitment in the fight against cancer and to help raise money.

The Brown County event kicked off Friday night with the cancer survivor lap followed by a lap for caregivers and then a lap of children before everyone took the track.  There was also a cake contest that several teams participated in for the theme of “One more birthday.” Several individuals dressed in costumes to make sure their stance against cancer was noticed.

After dark, luminaries were lit and the lights turned out as the names of loved ones lost to cancer were read along with survivors.

This year’s Relay for Life Event was dedicated to Vickie Newton who died from cancer in February 2009. Cancer survivors and co-chairs for this year’s Relay for Life Susie Shaffer and Gillian Sapp arrived in helicopters to lead the survivor lap.

Top Photo: Relay for Life co-chair Gillian Sapp gets introduced as the event kicked off Friday night.

Click our photo gallery below for more photos of the event and see a short video of the survivor lap.

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