This Friday night, July 21 from 6-10 in the evening, Spooner’s Steve Clay is hosting a beach party, of sorts. There will be food and music and awards, all for a great cause.
For the best part of the last 20 years, Cancer’s Relay for Life has been an all-night walk, mostly held at the Shell Lake Schools track, concession stand and lawn. The morning after would find only a small group of dedicated walkers in a zombie like state, covered in colored chalk and wearing Marti Gras beads and head bands proving their participation during the wee hours of the morning.
The all-night thing coming from Doctor Gordy Klatt sixty-five years ago, back in 1952, when he walked/ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Washington to raise money to help with the nation’s biggest concern, cancer, which sadly took his own life in 2012 at the age of 71.
The cancer society took this walk/run as a template and has held thousands of walks in the United States and across the world that have raised over five billion dollars for cancer research, research that has made an impact on cancer.
Twenty years ago, the statistics showed that two out of three people did not survive cancer by the five-year marker. Today, it’s drastically changed to become three out of four survive. Research has made a huge difference that presents itself differently depending on which part of the body it infects. But, it’s time for a change when it comes to fundraising.
“ All night walks became more and more difficult for people,” says organizer, Steve Clay. “Even though the Shell Lake Fire Department fixed a free pancake breakfast for us in the morning, it wasn’t enough to attract an all-night crowd.”
Being a busy man, Steve has retooled the walk and has come up with what is becoming a go-to event, a party at the Shell Lake beach.
There are still teams participating and donations being made for the cause. Even at the party, there will be a table set up for tax deductible donations. There’s still the silent auction, great food, and someone who survived their own battle with cancer will tell their story. There will be music by Tam Smith and famous D.J. Bob Forsythe, who will get the crowd moving all evening until the luminary walk at 10:00 PM.
Also this year, weather permitting, there will be free pontoon rides from 7 until 9 sponsored by Matt Dryden, owner of the Body Shop Fitness Centers. He will be docking his 12 x 45-foot monster pontoon at the courtesy dock and will be giving rides to fellow sponsors, team members, and the general public. The top of the pontoon will also feature beautiful luminaries. The luminary bags can be purchased and decorated at the party. Each bag is $10.
This is a special year for Steve, it’s his twentieth year and unless you know him and how involved he is in so many other projects like student council leadership camp, being past president and still playing the drums at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spooner or being the Midwest division co-chair for the relay advisory team, not to mention spending 35 years teaching seventh grade social studies to Spooner kids and sixteen years as the middle school student council advisor, etc., you wonder how he finds the time.
During the past twenty years and under Steve’s leadership, Washburn County’s Relay for Life events has raised over one million dollars, not bad for a small county with a big heart and a fearless leader. Steve’s named this year’s fundraiser, ‘Saluting the Super Hero’s’ and has invited all of the counties law enforcement personnel to attend and be honored.
Talk about Super Hero’s, it would be hard to find anyone who didn’t think that the man who deserves the main title is the one who has shown endless dedication to the cause, our own Steve Clay, and he’s throwing a party tonight to celebrate!
Last Update: Jul 22, 2017 11:10 am CDT
