Relay for Life readies for finale with fund-raisers

Cherokee County Relay For Life volunteers will be out in force on Saturday conducting a number of fund-raising events to benefit Relay For Life.

The weekend actually kicks off Friday with a hamburger cookout by the Life Savers team of Rusk State Hospital.

They will prepare and grill their own burger meal with all the trimmings.

The meal will also include chips and a dessert for $5.

This event will be held behind the RSH Rehab Department from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..

For more information, contact Diane Fields, Life Savers Team Captain at 903-683-7559.

The Life Savers team will continue their fund-raising efforts on Saturday with a garage sale.

This event will be held at 2112 Baylor St., in Jacksonville from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Adventures Club Relay For Life Team from Greg James Chevy Country Motors in Rusk is hosting a Men's Slow Pitch Softball Tournament at the Jacksonville Baseball Complex on Saturday.

This is a double elimination tournament and will be conducted under ASA rules.

Entry fee is $80 per team and registration will continue until all brackets are filled.

T-shirts will be given for 1st and 2nd place teams.

Concessions will also be available. To register a team, contact Amy Derrington at 903-683- 2327 or 903-683-2202

The Trail to Christ Cowboy Church Relay For Life team from Jacksonville will be sponsoring the 2nd annual Hwy 69 Trail Ride "Packin' For The Cure" on Saturday.

Participants will assemble and register at the Tomato Bowl in downtown Jacksonville.

The trail ride will go to Bullard.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. and the group will ride out at 10 a.m. sharp.

Each rider (on horse or trailer) will pay a $5 donation to Relay For Life to participate in the Trail Ride.

The Trail Boss is Sharon Gates. For more information, she can be reached at 903-894-7047 or 903-521-8706.

Several Relay For Life teams from Rusk State Hospital have collaborated to have a "Family Day & Concert at the Lake" on Saturday.

The Relay teams working together on this event are 101 Dalmations Team, Titanic Life Savers Team, Cure The Blues Team, and The Lion King team.

This event is open to the public and will be held at the RSH Lake directly across Hwy 69 from the Rusk State Hospital.

Times for this event are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $5 for adults ages 13 and up and $3 for children ages 4-12.

Children 3 and under will be admitted free.

Admission price will include a concert by local bands "The Papers" and "One Knee Falls."

There will also be paddleboats, catch and release fishing (you should bring your own fishing gear if you want to participate in this event) and barge rides.

There will also be a dunking booth and a fishing contest, both of which will require an extra charge that admission does not cover.

There will be a trophy awarded to the person who catches the biggest fish.

Concessions will be available and attendants should bring their own lawn chairs.

For more information regarding this event, contact Glenna Martin at 903-253-3763.

The Cherokee County Relay For Life is scheduled for April 25 and 26 at Mauldin Field on the campus of Jacksonville High School.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. on the evening of the 25 and end at 7 a.m. on the 26.

For more information on this event please contact Cynthia Kline, chairperson, at 903-683-7483 or 903-795-3604.

You can also e-mail the Relay a t cherokeerelayforlife@yahoo.com or access the Relay website at www.events.cancer.org/rflcherokeecotx.