Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PORTALES — Walk some laps, have a beer and listen to some live music this weekend while supporting the fight against cancer in eastern New Mexico communities.
The Relay for Life of Eastern New Mexico will host its main relay event this Saturday at Oasis State Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Instead of regular park admission visitors can pay $5 for a Relay for Life pass.
“This is going to be one of the better events we've had over the last three or four years,” said Mark Clark, the organizer for he Eastern New Mexico Relay for Life. “We've changed venues and combined the event with Clovis to work together so we can have a bigger and better event.”
This year's relay will also feature live music, food vendors and corn hole and horseshoe tournaments ($50 entry, tournaments depend on interest). There will also be a dance from 7-10 p.m. and a beer and wine garden opening at 3 p.m. with a cover charge.
Proceeds from the relay for life go to fighting cancer, with some going to fund research and the rest being used to support local cancer patients.
“Over 88 percent of the money raised through Relay for Life stays in our community,” Clark said. “And we don't only do research for cancer, we support the Hope Lodge in Lubbock, which provides free lodging for people with cancer.”
Proceeds from the Saturday's event will go to general fund, much of which goes to Hope Lodge, Clark said. Clark says that from the five counties surrounding Portales there have been 112 patients who have stayed at Hope Lodge in recent years.
“If you can give someone free lodging while they go through cancer treatment, that's a huge plus,” Clark said. “A lot goes towards getting patients rides to their treatments if they're too sick to drive themselves.”
The event will close with a 10 p.m. luminaria ceremony.
The Relay for Life will also hold a spaghetti dinner for cancer survivors at the Courthouse Cafe in Portales on Oct. 20. Invites to known survivors in the community will be going out soon, but any survivor is welcome to RSVP to go by contacting either Riley Castro at 850-797-1153 or Clark at 575-607-5692.
The Relay for Life's rescheduled Mushball Tournament has also been confirmed for Nov. 9. All proceeds from the tournament go to Hope Lodge.
