The show must go on!

There’s been extensive reorganizing and planning, but there was never a doubt that American Cancer Society Telethon wouldn’t be held at Penn’s Peak this summer.

“I have personally had to have long conversations with people who wanted to just do things the way we’ve always done it; no big deal,” said Joe Krushinsky, Executive Producer and Telethon Chairman. “And long conversations with people who have said cancel everything - better luck next year. Neither of those are the right answer. And neither of those are respectful of a lot of realities. Period.”

The telethon will be held Aug. 1-2 at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe.

“Most of the entertainment people are accustomed to will still be there,” Krushinsky said. “We normally have said hey, everybody come sit and watch the show live. We’re not going to do that this year.

“We’re going to use all of the space to protect the people that are there to perform and volunteer. Watch it on TV, a YouTube channel for Facebook live. This year, we’re just not going to encourage people to come into the building for an abundance of caution.”

Portions of the telethon will be shown live from different areas in northeastern Pennsylvania. On Aug. 1, from noon-3 p.m., there will be a live broadcast from Stroudsburg. On Sunday, at the same time, a location in Pottsville will be on television. The telethon will also go live from Pottsville at some point.

“This is not just Tamaqua or Carbon County, this is the American Cancer Society and there is only one in the whole wide world. Wherever we’re going to be, we will be,” Krushinsky said.

Krushinsky said the cancer society is projecting a nationwide $200 million shortfall. Many annual fundraisers such as Relay for Life have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We scheduled it for a couple of different dates and a couple of different locations, and for all good reasons we ended up not being able to have a relay in the way that people know it. But all of the teams from the Anthracite Relay are going to be invited to come to the telethon and talk about how they raised money and how much they raised.

Most of our events are in the spring; February through April. Everything was wiped out except for daffodil days. We literally got to deliver them the day before people were first advised to shut down, distance and do all of that stuff.”

However, the popular luminaria service will be in full swing and hosted at Memorial Park in Jim Thorpe on Aug. 1 during the telethon.

“During the telethon, we will present what is the most popular feature of the Relay for Life, which is the luminaria service. We are going have more than 1,000 candles and bags; each one addressed to be in honor of or in memory of someone effected by cancer. We’re going to set it up in a way that people will be able to drive around the oval and see the luminarias.”

Get involved a week before the telethon at the Lakeside Ballroom in Barnesville for a basket auction on July 25-26. A sneak preview will be on Saturday with the main event on Sunday. The event was previously scheduled for March.

“There will be food in a part of the building that was never used before. People who want to eat will be literally in a separate building from where the auction is which creates more space. Doors will be open a few hours earlier than normal so people can come in, buy tickets and pick what prizes they are going for. They may leave if they want to, and if you’re a lucky winner, you will receive either a call, email or text.”

Online sales for luminarias will be available for purchase in the near future. For more information about the telethon or any related upcoming events, visit CancerTeelthon.org.

“It has not been a question for us of whether we would do these events. It has been a puzzle to figure out when we can do them and how we can do them safely for the volunteers, performers and for the donors.”