Drug Free Relay Saturday at LHS track

Drug Free Relay participants enter the home stretch of the ceremonial opening lap during last year’s event. Observer file photo

The reason? People of all ages and backgrounds will come together Saturday for 12 hours to participate in the 12th annual Drug Free Relay. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the LHS track.

The relay is an annual celebration, bringing people together to make the community a better place.

Runners and walkers have covered more than 26,000 miles on the LHS track during the relay since it started in 1998. The relay has raised more than $65,000 for the community during this time.

Relay participants should be at the track by 9 a.m. to set up their team stations, including tents. Activities begin at 9:45 a.m. with the singing of the National Anthem by the La Grande High School a cappella choir, a color guard presentation by the Oregon National Guard and opening remarks by first-year La Grande Police Chief Brian Harvey.

Saturday’s relay will feature presentations by Keith Walker of Grande Ronde Recovery and Jason Hays of the Union/Wallowa County Drug Task Force. Walker will speak at noon and 3 p.m. on “What Is Addiction?’’ Hays, a narcotics detective with the La Grande Police Department, will speak at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. He will discuss the different types of drug problems in the community.

New events at this year’s relay include a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to be conducted at Central Elementary School’s outdoor basketball court. The court is adjacent to the LHS track facility.

Members of relay teams will be able to enter the tournament at no cost. Individuals not with a relay team will be charged $10. The entry fee per team will be $30.

The new hoop event will complement the relay’s annual volleyball tournament, which will again be conducted on the infield of the track. To register for the volleyball or basketball tournaments call Ryan Hildebrandt at 805-8489. Hildebrandt and Don Kellogg are the the Drug Free Relay’s co-directors.

The Drug Free Relay will again feature a wide array of musical entertainment for participants and everyone attending.

Many entertainment options for children will be provided through a Big Toys play area. It will include a bungee run, a rock wall, a giant jump house and a giant slide. The entry fee into the Big Toys play area is $5.

Food will be sold at Saturday’s relay by non-profit vendors including The Optimist Club. Members of relay teams will not receive free vouchers for food like they have in the past. The reason is that the team entry fee has been trimmed from $400 to $350. The reduction in the fee is meant to provide team members the money they need to purchase their own food, said Kellogg.

There is still time to register for the relay. People who want to sign up a team or sponsor one should call Pam Dodds at 663-3397.

The 2008 relay was won by the Union County Sheriff’s Department team, which completed 290 laps. Fifth Branch, a team of young adults from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, took second at 264. The LHS boys soccer team also turned in an impressive performance,

running more than 200 laps in five hours after arriving late because of a game played earlier in the day in Pendleton. Squad members sped through quarter-mile relay legs in teams of two to quickly amass a noteworthy lap total.

The countdown to this year’s relay began last week with the appearance of motivational speaker Syd Muzzy of Vancouver, Wash. Muzzy is a driving safety educational consultant. He spoke about the driving safety and the perils of drinking and driving.

For additional information on Saturday’s relay visit its web site at www.drugfreerelay.org.