PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
BALLOON … Justin the Clown gives a balloon animal to children during Relay For Life, where activities were available for younger attendees throughout the evening.
FREE WILL … Tables filled with baked goods were available through a free-will donation bake sale during Relay For Life on June 19 at the Henry County Fairgrounds.
HOPE … A Wizard of Oz-themed display featured a rainbow reading “There’s No Place Like” next to a large “HOPE” sign during this year’s Relay For Life event.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Relay For Life was held on Friday, June 19, 2026, at the Henry County Fairgrounds, bringing survivors, caregivers, families, teams and supporters from two counties together for an evening centered around hope, remembrance and the continued fight against cancer.
This year’s event marked a new chapter locally, as Fulton County teams joined with Henry County for the main Relay For Life event in Napoleon.
Heidi Bell, co-event lead for the Henry County Relay For Life, said about five teams from Fulton County took part this year.
Fulton County will continue to hold its own survivor dinner and luminaria ceremony, while teams from the county are now joining Henry County for the larger Relay For Life event.
Bell said the partnership began after Fulton County teams reached out about joining Henry County.
“They reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, do you mind if we join you?’” Bell said. “We welcomed them with open arms.” Bell continued and explained a possible merge with Williams County had also been discussed, but many Fulton County participants either live closer to Henry County or have family connections there, making the Henry County event a good fit.
In an additional first, the event was also held inside the Henry County Fairgrounds event center for the first time.
Bell said moving indoors helped organizers avoid concerns over heat, rain or severe weather, while still giving teams and visitors room to gather.
The partnership is expected to continue in future years, with Henry County Relay For Life signing a three-year contract to keep using the event center.
Bell said Fulton County teams quickly became part of the planning process earlier this year. “Fulton County came in with so many great ideas,” Bell said.
“They jumped in with both feet and were like, ‘What can we do? What do you need? Let us help you with that.’”
Allie Schmitz, senior development manager with the American Cancer Society, said Relay For Life proceeds support American Cancer Society programs and services across the country.
Schmitz previously worked with the Fulton County event and is also the staff partner for Henry County.
“We’re super excited to have both counties coming together for this event today,” Schmitz said.
The evening began at 5 p.m. with tents open and serving food. At 6 p.m. came the opening ceremonies, followed by a special lap to honor survivors and caregivers.
Participants from both counties then continued walking, visiting team areas, taking part in activities and supporting fundraisers throughout the event center.
This year’s theme was “There’s No Place Like Hope,” a Wizard of Oz-inspired theme carried throughout the event.
Bell said that message is especially important for survivors and families facing cancer. “Hope is huge, and we want our survivors to remember that there’s always hope for them, and that we’re here to give them that hope,” Bell said.
Teams and visitors filled the event center with food stands, raffle items, activities and displays. Food options included pulled pork nachos, walking tacos, baked potatoes, pizza, brats, German potato salad, baked goods, cookies and ice cream.
The night also included raffles, 50/50 drawings, a lip sync contest, kids activities, ride-on mechanical animals, music, a pie auction and the Race to Recovery.
Bell said the Race to Recovery uses cardboard cars to represent the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program, which helps cancer patients get rides to treatment.
Each team’s car carried an egg as a passenger, with participants trying to finish the race while keeping their passenger safe.
Schmitz said money raised through Relay For Life helps support cancer research, Hope Lodge and transportation programs such as Road to Recovery.
Hope Lodge provides free lodging for cancer patients and caregivers who need to travel for treatment, while Road to Recovery helps patients get to and from cancer treatments.
She said those services have directly helped residents in Henry and Fulton counties by reducing the cost and burden of traveling for care.
The evening also included the luminaria ceremony, with bags placed in honor and memory of those touched by cancer. During the ceremony, the lights were lowered and participants walked silent laps to remember loved ones, honor survivors and support those still fighting.
For Bell, who has been involved with Relay For Life since 2010, the event remains personal. “The passion is there because I don’t think there’s a single person out there that hasn’t had somebody that they either know or were related to that’s been touched by cancer,” Bell said.
“We really want to have that one day where no one has to hear, ‘You have cancer.’”
