OSKALOOSA — Relay or Life of Mahaska County will return to the Oskaloosa city square for the 2016 event on June 25. Relay chairs Amanda and Wyatt Russell have spent the past three years rebuilding the event at other locations in order to once again provide this fun-filled family day to the community in the original location.
This year the theme for American Cancer Society Relay for Life is Show Your Passion — Paint Your World Purple. In keeping with that theme a purple butterfly has been created by Shaina Hansen to use in the relay butterfly story challenge. The butterfly will be placed in area businesses. Customers
can take their picture with the butterfly, post it to the Mahaska County Relay for Life Facebook Page and share why they relay. The butterfly will start the journey at Mahaska Drug in Oskaloosa.

The butterfly was chosen this year because a butterfly can be a symbol of powerful transformation and new beginnings. A second butterfly is being created and will be sold as part of the fundraising event in June.
As teams relay around the square, families can come and have a fun-filled day which includes a kids zone with games, prizes and a library story time. For a donation of $5 per child or $10 per family, families can have fun all day.

Food trucks and vendors will be on site with live entertainment all day long including Gateway Church of the Nazarene praise band, Yarkosky Dance Studio, Cody Vander Molen, RED Letter and Larry Davis to name a few.

The day will kick off at 10 a.m. with the national anthem and a survivor lap at 10:15 a.m. Survivors and caregivers will be treated to a brunch served by the Jeff and Kathy Akers family. You can bid on silent auction items and purchase raffle tickets for items throughout the day.

Luminaries and a caregivers garden will be lighted at 9 p.m. with the final laps of the relay ending at 10 p.m. There is still time for you to get your team together to relay. There is no minimum or maximum number of members for a team and sign up is free. Just go to the

Just go to the website: www.relayforlife.org/mahaskacountyia to sign up, or call the local chairs with questions at 641-295-1714.

Story provided by Deb Van Engelehoven of the Oskaloosa Herald