Beat a car, see ugliest dresses at Relay For Life

Teams of St. Charles Parish residents will fight an around the clock battle against cancer during the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, beginning at 6 p.m. on May 15 at the West Bank Bridge Park.

But while the goal of the event is to raise money and awareness, residents will have plenty of fun while doing so (see full schedule on 6A).

This year, Relay For Life will have several exciting events, including the Ugliest Bridesmaids’ Gown contest, in which women dress in those wedding eyesores for the delight of the crowd.

“You always hear women talk about those dresses that they have had to wear in weddings that were just hideous,” Audrey Raziano said. “We figured this would be a good time to see how ugly those dresses really are.”

Another fun event is the “Miss”ter Relay, where men put on their finest dresses and parade around the crowd with their purses. The man who collects the most money is the winner.
For those that don’t want to dress up, they can visit one of the many booths on the event grounds. Valero’s booth will let residents who donate money beat out cancer by swinging a baseball bat at a car. At the “Throw Me A Cure” booth, residents can climb a rock wall.

Providing additional entertainment at the event will be the Hahnville High School chorus, the Allemands Elementary Cajun Dancers and the J.B. Martin choir.

There will also be an auction at 8 p.m. and the “Village People,” which is a group from the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office that impersonates the iconic 70s band, will perform at 11 p.m.

“We are going to be having a lot of fun,” Raziano said.

Teams will gather at the West Bank Bridge Park at 6 p.m. on May 15. During the event, participants, which include coworkers, club members, family and friends, walk relay-style around the track.

Each team has gathered donations prior to the event. Right now, there are 25 teams.

“Relay For Life is a unique opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against the disease,” Raziano said. “Many of the participants are cancer survivors, which serves as a reminder that our community is not immune to this disease and we can actually help our friends, families and neighbors that have been touched by cancer.”

The public is also invited to attend the Luminaria Ceremony, which will take place after sundown at 9 p.m. To honor the community’s cancer survivors and to remember those lost to the disease, survivors will circle the track rimmed with glowing luminaria while the names of survivors and those lost to the disease are read aloud.

Funds raised at Relay For Life will enable the American Cancer Society to support local services and resources for cancer patients and their families.