Although the theme for this year's Relay for Life is "Let's Relay, Let's Play", the participants in Tamaqua's annual event could not be more serious about the task they're undertaking this weekend.

Thirty-two teams, including over 230 participants, kicked off the event, held at the Hometown Farmer's Market, at 2 p.m. yesterday. They hope their efforts will bring in at least $91,000 to help fight cancer.In keeping with the theme of the event, most teams chose to represent themselves with a popular board game, or part of a board game. Many chose Monopoly squares, such as the Reading Railroad, while others chose games like Life, Twister, and even a spin on the TV show, Minute to Win It.Most of the teams organized events around their themes. Maria Montero Hoppes, the captain of the Marian High School team, decked out their "Marvin Gardens" stand with flowers, including several "Million Dollar Orchids" which will be raffled off to help raise money for the team.Each orchid has several lottery tickets attached to it, giving winners another chance to win big. Montero Hoppes has a deep personal connection to Relay, although a little bit different than many participants."My first relay was eight years ago," she recalled. "Our family had just moved here, and it was just such an awesome experience to move into a town and see the whole community come together like this."She also remembered the emotionally charged luminary service as "being the moment (she) knew for sure she was home."Montero Hoppes said that the Marian team was open to all students at the high school, and about ten kids committed to the team."One of the kid's mothers is currently fighting breast cancer, and there is really a lot of meaning to these kids to know someone who is fighting the disease," she said.Members of the

C.S.I. (Cancer Sucks Incorporated) team also have a personal reason for walking. Alec Mertz, of Lansford, first got involved with Relay nine years ago, when a friend of the family asked him and his mother to participate. He's been walking every year since and has asked his friends to join him.Team member Christin Kehler, of Nesquehoning, has family members who have suffered from the disease, and uses the hope for finding a cure as motivation to keep walking."We stay up all night," she said, "We don't sleep."Kelly's Kruisers is another team made up mostly of the friends and family of cancer survivor Kelly Griffith Cerimele. One team member, Casey Stephens, has also lost her grandfather to cancer and her grandmother has cancer."So many in our family have had it," she said. The team raised over $1,000 last year, mainly by selling 50/50 chances, and hopes to beat that this year. They are also chancing off a Breast Cancer Awareness lighted tree that Cerimele made.Many of the participants are familiar faces at other American Cancer Society events in the area. Maureen Donovan and Mary Ann Dulaney represented the Telethon and Zoostock team, two of the other major cancer fund raisers in the area."We all work together, to support the same cause," said Donovan.Although the first walkers started at 2 p.m., the official opening ceremonies did not take place until 5 p.m. Event chair Eric Lech welcomed the teams, thanked the sponsors, and introduced the members of the Relay committee who have worked tirelessly all year to bring the event together.Lech highlighted the progress that has been made since the relay started in 1984."There has been a 14 percent drop in cancer rates and there are 11 million survivors in the United States today," he said.During the parade of teams, several teams were noted as gold, silver, and bronze teams, indicating how much money they had raised last year. Lech added that several teams will be trying to break into the platinum level this year, by raising over $10,000.If they meet this year's goal, the Tamaqua Relay will have raised almost $1,000,000 since it first started in 1994. After last year's relay, the total stands at $849,906. The first relay, in 1994, raised $4,533. Fourteen years later, in 2008, the Tamaqua Relay hit a high, earning $95,955.Additional events throughout the evening included the Survivor Cermony, the FIGHT BACK Challenge, the luminaria ceremony, and the always entertaining Miss Relay Contest.The closing ceremony will be held today at 1:30 p.m.