The team captains' meetings this year had themes such as purple, crazy hats and formal as a preview for contests during the Relay for Life. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – The American Cancer Society Relay for Life Lake County is a special annual event involving participants from all over the Lake County who have joined in the battle to defeat cancer.

The event takes place this weekend at the Kelseyville High School Football Field, 5480 Main St. This year's theme is Hawaiian, so get out your Hawaiian shirts, dresses and leis and have fun with the group while supporting a great cause.

The relay begins with a Celebration Ceremony and Survivors' Lap at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 15, and continues with entertainment, games and contests all day. Fund raising for all teams will be held at each team site.

The Remembrance Luminaria Ceremony will start at dusk. The relay participants will continue walking all night.

The Fight Back and Closing Ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 16.

This year there are 57 participating teams made up of families, friends, organizations and school mates. Each person has their own reasons for joining in the fight against cancer.

This is Melisa Falgout's first year in the relay. Falgout is a registered nurse from Kelseyville whose employer, Keith M. Long, DDS, made a donation of $500 to Relay for Life which entitled him to sponsor a team.

Falgout convinced the office staff to have their own team, which is the relay's newest team this year, starting on May 6.

She said she will continue to have a team to celebrate cancer survivors and to remember those who lost their fight, adding that her goal is cancer education. She would like to start with the team captains so they could pass the information on to their team members and they, in turn, can pass the information on to family and friends.

This is Lucerne resident Beth Berinti's seventh Relay for Life.

Berinti, who lost her mother to cancer, is a cancer survivor herself since 1991. She started on a team from work her first year; was a team captain and committee chair for four years, event chair for two years and this year is online chair.

“I will be involved in Relay until there is a cure for cancer,” she said.

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Team captains sport wacky hats at a recent meeting. Courtesy photo.