Great Bend City Council member Allene Owen looked out over the crowd gathered in the County Courthouse Square for the 2012 Relay for life of Barton County Friday evening and was impressed.
“This is a great turnout. This is a great event,” she said. Owen stood in for the mayors of Barton County and attended to read the annual mayoral proclamation denoting Relay for Life Weekend.
“We should all be proud of Barton County,” she said during the opening ceremony. She praised the cancer-fighting event which is in its 18 year and has raised over $1 million in that time.
“We are gathered here to continue our efforts,” she said. She dedicated the evening to the late Joe Hickel, the former Ellinwood mayor and local relay founder who died of cancer last year.
As money continues to trickle in, Relay for Life of Barton County Chairperson Shannon Wittig said the event was a success.
“Everybody seemed to have a lot of fun and there was a good attendance,” Wittig said. But, this is Kansas after all. “The only thing that bothered us was the wind which was blowing too strong for us to light the luminaries.”
As for cancer-fighting funds raised so far, the total stands at $128,141. The “goal” was $126,000, but organizers need about $133,000 to make sure the event’s expenses are covered, Wittig said.  
As tents dotted the square Friday, it was an night of prayers, music, games, laughter, tears and hugs. The relay had a carnival feel, but it was a carnival with a purpose decked out in shades of purple (the color denoting cancer survival).
Between the time the American Legion Riders brought in the American Flag and Shelly Ramsey sang the National Anthem and the benediction early Saturday morning, there were relay team members walking around the square. They strolled among the rows of white luminary bags, each placed in honor of someone living through or who succumbed to cancer. Some stopped and knelt at the paper bags.
One of the survivors present was Judy Piland, a three-time survivor of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She took the stage to tell her story during the opening ceremony and received thunderous applause.
“I was always healthy and stayed active,” she said. She walked three miles each day.
But, she started feeling tired and lost her appetite. Then, she got the news.
“I tried to stay positive,” she said, with tears coming to her eyes. “At times, it was difficult.
Her made it through her first bout with the disease, then a second and a third. She began to question science and her faith.
Then, she learned of a stem cell treatment that was 95 percent effective at keeping the illness away for good. “I knew God had helped me.”
That was in November of 2011. Now, she wants to share her message. “I pray you will find inner peace, no matter what.”
“There is still time to donate,” Wittig said. Anyone interested can go to the website www.relayforlife.org/bartoncoks or by check payable to American Cancer Society FBO Relay for Life of Barton County Kansas and delivered to Landmark Bank 1623 Main Street in Great Bend.  
 Next years chair is Sheri Elsen and her co-chair is Kathy Schwager. Witting said anyone wanting to be on next year’s committee or a team is encouraged to attend the kick off which is usually in early January.  
“Watch for that announcement in the Tribune,” she said. “Our most successful teams raise funds year-round so go ahead and be thinking about starting a team now.”