By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer
ALLY LANASA/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Jessie Parsons, left, and Theresa Laviola, the luminaria co-chairs of the Relay for Life of North Worcester County, collect lantern and luminaria sales at Windmill Creek Vineyard and Winery in Berlin on Friday for the upcoming drive-through luminaria celebration this Saturday.
(Oct. 1, 2020) Like most events, the annual Relay for Life of North Worcester County has been significantly affected by covid-19 concerns.
This year, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of North Worcester County is hosting a drive-through luminaria celebration on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. in downtown Berlin.
“This is the event that is normally an outdoor overnight camping event at Frontier Town [the Friday before Mother’s Day],” said Dawn Hodge, the volunteer chair of the Relay for Life North Worcester County committee. “Of course, with the pandemic we weren’t allowed to do that kind of gathering.”
Jessie Parsons, who is a luminaria co-chair with Theresa Laviola for the county committee and a Relay for Life team leader at Community Church and Little Lambs Learning Center in Ocean Pines, said the luminaria ceremony is usually only one part of the Relay for Life event.
“Normally, what my role and Theresa’s role was, was to collect all the luminaria sales, make sure that the luminaria and lanterns are labeled in honor of or in memory of people that want the names put on the bags,” Parsons said. “Then, we would set them up according to teams.”
She added that the luminaria ceremony is traditionally scheduled at dusk with silent laps to observe the names of those being honored or remembered.
“This year, we couldn’t do the regular ceremony because of covid restrictions and also the American Cancer Society doesn’t want gatherings because we have a lot of survivors and people in treatment who normally attend our events,” Parsons said.
Instead, luminaria bags and lanterns will light up Main Street in Berlin on Saturday, honoring and remembering loved ones who have been afflicted by cancer. Each light will represent a life that has been taken by cancer, a survivor of cancer or a support for a person still fighting the disease.
Luminaria bags cost $10 and the lanterns cost $25 with all proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. Participants who donate $25 for the lantern are able to keep it, Hodge added.
“Those can be purchased online or from any relayer that you know,” Hodge said.
Luminaria sales close on the website Thursday, but donations can be made to the American Cancer Society at any time.
Participants can either drive down Main Street or walk from the intersection of Stevenson Lane and Main Street to the intersection of Main Street and Jefferson Street on Saturday to see the luminaria bags and lanterns.
“You don’t have to be any Relay for Life participant in the past. This is for everyone to come and enjoy,” Hodge said.
Registration is not required to join the relay.
“We would like survivors to register because we do intend to recognize survivors,” Hodge said. “In the past, that’s been with a dinner and the first lap has always been a survivor’s lap … What we plan to do is make a big sign that says ‘Honk if you’re a survivor.’”
Also, the organizers will be stationed at the church at the beginning of the event to distribute items for survivors, such as the annual survivor pin.
Hodge said that this is the first time a Relay for Life luminaria display will take place in downtown Berlin.
“It’s a smaller event this year. Obviously, we still need to raise money for the American Cancer Society because research can’t stop,” Parsons added. “A lot of different research gets money from the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society also offers services like Road to Recovery, and also we have a network of volunteers that offers rides to treatments. We have the Hope Lodge in Baltimore, where people that live far from those great hospitals, like [Johns] Hopkins and the University of Maryland, can stay there for free during their treatment.”
Parsons said there is a 24-hour hotline as well for people to call and ask questions about cancer and treatment.
Typically, the local Relay for Life raises $170,000 for the American Cancer Society from the event at Frontier Town and the holiday wrapping fashion show at the Ronald E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Hodge said. She added that the organizers are planning to host a virtual luncheon with an auction amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“We actually are very happy that we’ve been able to raise anything,” Hodge said.
As of Monday morning, $30,525.52 has been raised.
“We don’t want people to forget about how important it is to fundraise for the cancer society’s research and patient services,” Hodge said. “Especially right now, people with covid are having such a hard time getting to their treatment … We don’t want our community to forget about that.”
Berlin Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said traffic will be one way going south on Main Street to Jefferson Street between 7-9 p.m. on Saturday. Parking will not be allowed on Main Street during the event.
Hodge advises those who plan to walk to park in the public lots and walk to Stevenson United Methodist Church.
“We definitely based this entire event for those folks who are not comfortable being out in a crowd because of covid, and a lot of our people coming are going to be survivors or susceptible,” Hodge said.
She added that most participants are survivors or caregivers.
Hodge said the organizers are taking precautions to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants.
Although it is an outdoor event, face coverings will be enforced when social distancing cannot be maintained walking downtown.
For more information, visit relayforlife.org/northworcestermd.