Relay for Life seeking honorees for 2017

Organizers of the Relay for Life of Franklin County continue to seek nominations for the position of Honorary Survivor for the 2017 event.
The chosen honorees will be recognized at Relay-associated events throughout the year.
Nominations will be accepted between Feb. 21 and April 1, and the selection will be announced April 18. Those wishing to make a nomination should write a brief letter or email describing why the person should be honored and send it to Theresa Bates, 1407 N. Lincoln Dr., Benton, Ill., 62812, or terrib430000@yahoo.com. Those interested also can call Bates at 618-923-0582.
The annual relay, one of more than 5,000 held around the country in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, will take place from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 10 at the Benton Civic Center -- a change in venue after previously having been held in West Frankfort.
In the meantime, however, organizers have a number of events planned for this spring leading up to the relay itself. On March 25, Relay for Life will hold a quarter auction at the Elks Lodge in Benton featuring items from an array of vendors, as well as $20 all-in paddles and $5 bidding paddles.
Ian Reinhart is the community manager working on the county's Relay this year and says he hopes to see a big turnout for this year's events.
"This will be my first year working with Franklin County, and I couldn't be more pleased with the involvement from the community," Reinhart said. "From the Z-R Coaches vs. Cancer effort to local mayors teaming up to raise money in the community, Franklin County truly has a spirit that is tough to measure."