PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - The 2025 Relay For Life in Wood County was held Saturday evening to honor and remember those who battled cancer.
According to Event Lead Jessica Ross, a cancer survivor herself, more than 100 people attended the event. She said this year had a much larger turnout than the last 5 years, partly due to COVID hitting attendance numbers during the height of the pandemic.
At the event, there was food being made by several food trucks, a rock wall provided by the Army National Guard, carnival games and food being made by the teams representing a person or multiple people. There was also a live auction with the money going to the American Cancer Society.
Ross says there were plenty of smiles, and while there are somber moments, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves anyway.
At 9:30 p.m., a Luminaria service was held, where candles were lit around the circumference of City Park Pond to remember those who passed away due to cancer. Ross said there was also something called Hope On The Hill, where the word Hope was lit up at the top of the hill at Mt. Olive Cemetery.
The Grand Marshal for this year's Relay for Life and cancer survivor Paul Huffman has been with Relay for Life for around 31 years. He says showing up to events like the Relay for Life means a lot to survivors and those who passed away from cancer.
Ross and Huffman say they want to see the event continue to grow, and return to what it was many years back.