Santa Maria Relay For Life Announces Location Change
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Much like the hundreds participants who take part in the popular annual event, the Relay For Life of Santa Maria is on the move.
“Woo hoo! Relay 2016 is moving to the (Santa Maria) Fairpark!” said event lead Rhoda De Leon.
After being held at the Elks Unocal Event Center for the past 8 years and at St. Joseph High School 10 years prior to that, next year’s Relay at the Fairpark will mark the first time the event will actually be held within the city limits of Santa Maria.
“It’s a more visible location,” said De Leon. “It’s going to be a better location. We wanted to come into the city and we’re hoping that this will help get more involvement in people and people will know more about what Relay is about.”
The two-day event, held each year in late June, raises money and awareness in the fight against cancer. It also allows friends and family members an opportunity to honor those who are fighting the disease and to remember those who have past away.
“Cancer impacts everyone, from all over and everywhere, and people here have been impacted, so hosting the Relay For Life is really something that we feel strongly will be beneficial both to them and to us,” said Richard Persons, Santa Maria Fairpark Chief Executive Officer.
One important advantage of moving Relay For Life to the Fairpark is the large grass area where it will be held. Located adjacent to the Park Plaza Pavilion, the rectangular lawn is ringed by a blacktop walkway that will be used by Relay participants. The area will also allow Relay For Life to put it’s many components, such as tents, food vendors, entertainment and other attractions into one centralized location.
“All of the participants will be together instead of all over the place now. We’ll now be more in a group,” said De Leon.
With the move to the new site comes rejuvenation that organizers believe will create new enthusiasm. Santa Maria officials are also happy to have the event that has long included its name actually be located within the city boundaries. They too are expecting a big success next year.
“It’s so typical of Santa Maria,” said mayor Alice Patino. “When Santa Maria gets together, they’re a very cohesive community when it comes to giving for different causes, and this is just another one, so I’m sure Santa Maria is going to embrace this.”
The 2016 Relay For Life of Santa Maria will be held at the Santa Maria Fairpark on June 25-26, 2016.
