This year’s Relay for Life theme is “Punt, Pass, Kick Our Way To Cancer Free Future”. The opening activity will be the Celebration of Life sponsored by Main Street for all cancer survivors at the First Baptist Church of Picayune.

After the Celebration of Life, Dr. Keith Warden will give the invocation in Jack Read Park at 6 p.m. The Picayune choir, directed by Joy Carter, will sing the National Anthem. At that time, all cancer survivors will be recognized and then will begin the Survivor Lap.

Steven “Woopie” Kellar is the evening’s master of ceremonies. Sound and entertainment is brought by Double K Productions.

All the teams will make the first lap together as a group. After that there will be relay-walking the laps. The idea is to have a continuous stream of people walking because cancer never sleeps.

The PMHS Tidal Rave will perform and then the committees, sponsors, and team captains and teams will be introduced.

At 6:45 Roseland Park Academy will perform. The Piney Woods Cloggers will perform at 7:15 p.m.

Dub Herring will be the auctioneer at the live auction beginning at 8 p.m. There are numerous big items up for auction such as several dinners for two at New Orleans restaurants, overnight stays at different places, a year of dancing at Sarah’s School of Dance, golf packages on the Gulf Coast and at Millbrook among many others.

“Don’t eat before you come,” Jamie Abbott, Relay for Life Chairman, said. “There are lots of teams that will be cooking and there will be plenty to eat.”

At 9 p.m. the Luminaria Service will begin. Every one will have the opportunity to light a candle in honor of or in memory of a cancer patient. The bags will line the boulevard.

Alexandra Parker, Miss Teen Gulf Coast will perform, and so will Curoso’s Dance Academy and the Southern Vibe Cloggers. There will be a woman-less beauty contest and the Race Car Race. Also, there will be Spirit Awards and Campsite Awards for best decoration in theme.

“There is still room for more teams,” Abbott said. “You can sign up at the Relay. The deadline for team sign-up is 5:45 on Friday, May 4.

To date there are 22 teams committed to the Relay for Life, and each team has 30 – 50 team members. Those include: Picayune Transportation, First National Bank of Picayune, Bank Plus, Cornerstone, Curves, St. Charles Catholic Church, PJ’s Coffee, WalMart, First United Methodist Church, Highland Community Hospital, Roseland Park Baptist Academy, Covenant Health and Rehab, Remax Premier Group, Picayune Junior High, Team Chaos-Pear River Robotics, Premier Home Mortgage, First Franklin Financial, WalMart Bay, Valspar, Papaw’s Camper City, Junior Auxiliary Crown Club, Coast Electric Power Assoc.