Survivors to walk the yellow brick road at 2018 Relay for Life

Frank Speziale photo

NORWICH – The 22nd annual Relay for Life of Chenango County will take place on Saturday in Norwich’s East Park as relay teams attempt to reach their goal of collectively raising $100,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Under a ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme, the 2018 Relay for Life of Chenango County will be the second year the event is held in East Park.

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Event chair Lynne Robertson – who will be dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West – said attendees can expect East Park to be transformed into a mini Wizard of Oz world Saturday, complete with a yellow brick road, feet protruding from the bottoms of houses, a hot air balloon, a poppy field of pinwheels, a DJ with green smoke, and Wizard of Oz characters everywhere.

“It’s very intimate down there because we’re all like, right together,” said relay team captain Marie DeSarro.

Registration for teams will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, after East Park officially opens for team set-up at noon. The event’s annual Survivor Dinner will be held in the Norwich Fire Department from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Also taking place at 4 p.m, Donna Frech School of Dance will perform on the park’s stage.

At 6 p.m., the annual Pantene Beautiful Lengths hair donation portion of the event will take place beside the stage, with hair donations and cuts provided by Teasers Hair & Nail Studio.

“Pantene Lengths is where the American Cancer Society purchases its wigs from,” said Robertson. “One thing people ask about all the time is, Locks of Love charges their patients––Pantene Lengths doesn’t.” Robertson said she will be the first person to donate hair at the event.

During a hot air balloon show presented by Steve Bliss from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the 2018 Relay for Life Opening Ceremonies will begin at 6:15 p.m with a performance of the National Anthem by Jes Sheldon, a presentation of colors and honor guard by Sherburne Boy Scouts, and a prayer led by Pastor Rachel Moore.

The survivor ceremony will follow at 6:30 p.m. with cancer survivors walking the first lap and their caretakers walking the lap afterwards. The first themed lap – designated laps where Relay for Life teams can win points – will be the Wizard of Oz character lap at 6:45 p.m. led by the Unadilla Valley Drama Club, which coincidentally put on a rendition of the Wizard of Oz last school year.