It's only a month away.

Mark your calendars for June 22. The 10th annual American Cancer Society's Whitehall Relay for Life will take place at the Whitehall High School football stadium.

The event is free and open to everyone, even those not touched personally by cancer. This expects to be a relay like none ever seen before. We hope to see both residents and businesses alike from our market area, which includes Catasauqua, Northampton and the Whitehall-Coplay school districts.

Although the event is called a relay, it is not a run and it is not a Whitehall-only event. It is a huge community party celebrating cancer survivors, remembering those who have succumbed to the disease and those fighting back with the hope that you and your loved ones don't have to hear the words "You have cancer."

This event has taken a year of hard work and dedication from many volunteers. Some have formed teams, some have worked on specific items for the event and others have done fundraising.

All who are involved with the relay give of themselves, their time, talent and treasures. None of us are paid, but all of us have a passion for ending cancer. We could not have a relay without these dedicated people.

We need to thank and recognize the Whitehall-Coplay School District for allowing us to have our event at the high school stadium for the last 10 years. The school board has been very gracious and so has Superintendent Jack Corby, and our friends Rich and Michele in the building and grounds department.

Because this is a party, our volunteers have worked very hard to offer events that you would like to part in. We have all-day events for people of all ages scheduled. Here's a sampling:

· Andy, Cetronia Ambulance's mini talking and roving ambulance, will interact with children

· Whitehall Fire Department's smoke house trailer will offer demonstrations all day on what to do to get out of your home in case of a fire

· The Girl Scouts are doing kids' events all day including yarn and bead hour, Minute to Win It challenges, outdoor fun (hula hoops, bubbles and obstacle courses) and carnival games.

· Nine bands are donating their time and talent to provide music. They include She Said Sunday, Country Rhythm Band, Don Slok & The Ravens, Rob & Marty, John Harvan, Valerie Borman, Just So, Victoria Lear and The Forgotten Mountain Boys.

· Boy Scouts will be meeting and greeting attendees.

· Contests such as father/son and mother/daughter look-a-like, bubble gum blowing, pigtail, ponytail, braid and mohawk and adult and kid hula hoop, will be ongoing.

· A fashion show will feature our Dancing Through the Decades theme. There is no dancing, just people wearing whatever fashion they want from the last 100 years for a walk around the track. You are more than welcome to dance if you would like, however.

· A Polish raffle (similar to a Chinese auction), a 50-50 raffle and bingo, are planed. And, of course, we will have food available for purchase.

No pets, smoking or alcohol are permitted at our event.

Five special ceremonies are scheduled. The opening ceremony commences at 10 a.m. June 22.

A Fight Back ceremony begins at 1 p.m. with the seven mayors proclaiming June 22 and 23 Relay Weekend. The mayors include Don Wunderler of Bath, Barbara Schlegel of Catasauqua, Joe Bundra of Coplay, Bill Molchany of North Catasauqua, Tom Reenock of Northampton, Ed Hozza of Whitehall and Ed Pawlowksi of Allentown.

A survivor ceremony and dinner is set for 6 p.m. for all cancer survivors and their caregivers. (Contact me if you would like to participate in this ceremony).

A luminaria ceremony with a bagpipe band begins at 9 p.m. with the closing ceremony at 9 a.m. the following day.

We are also doing activities throughout the night. You are welcome to participate with us.

A total of 143 people have formed 22 teams and the numbers are growing daily. They have already raised $35,000 of our $68,000 goal, which is 80 percent higher than in 2012.

We have teams formed from Catasauqua, Northampton, Whitehall, Coplay, Walnutport, Palmerton and Macungie.

These teams will have tents pitched at the field inside the track at the football stadium. They will be decorating their tents with the Dancing Through the Decades theme and will have a decorated poster attached to the track fence in front of their tent with whatever they want to put on it.

These teams also have their own fundraisers at the event such as a caricaturist, face painting, popcorn and cotton candy sales and cancer lap necklaces, among other things.

We will also have four balloon arches this year. One will welcome attendees as they enter and three will be set up across the track.

A "celebrate" balloon will recognize and support our cancer survivors, a "remember" balloon will remember those people who lost their lives to cancer and a "fight back" balloon will represent joining the fight to end this terrible disease.

Cancer mission booths will be set up to educate the public about assistance available for cancer patients and their families.

The public is invited to bring in paper products for donation to Hope Lodge. The Cancer Society has two Hope Lodges – one in Hershey and one in Philadelphia. These are locations cancer patients and their families can stay free of charge while they are receiving cancer treatments. We are collecting toilet paper, paper towels and paper plates to be donated after our relay.

We still need many, many volunteers to help us on June 22. If interested, call me.

The American Cancer Society is the only business that wants to put itself out of work. We hope it will not take another 100 years before cancer is out of our vocabulary. Please come out and be a part of this great event.