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Wood County Relay for Life moves to August

Participants walk in Parkersburg City Park during the 2019 Wood County Relay for Life. Organizers hope to return with an in-person event on Aug. 27. (File Photo)

PARKERSBURG — Organizers of the Relay for Life of Wood County 2021 hope to have an in-person event again this year, and they’re willing to wait a little while to do it.

This year’s Relay has been pushed from May to August in an effort to hold a more traditional event while following state and federal COVID-19 guidelines.

“I’ve done Relay for as long as I can remember,” said Carri Pakozdi, co-lead for the 2021 event. “There are things that can be done virtually, but it’s really hard for, especially some of the ceremonies that have that emotional impact.”

With the American Cancer Society directing that in-person activities — including meetings and fundraising — be delayed until after July, organizers settled on Friday, Aug. 27, for the local event. It will be held in the pond area at Parkersburg City Park.

The 2020 Relay’s presence at the park wound up being an hour-long display of luminaries around the pond.

Pakozdi moved to the area for work in July. She said she hopes the 2021 Relay gives her a chance to see the community in action under conditions that are at least a little bit closer to normal.

“I’m excited to see the community kind of come together in a more post-pandemic experience,” Pakodzi said.

Planning is still underway. People can check out the event website, www.relayforlife.org/woodwv, for more details and to sign up, along with the Relay for Life Wood County Parkersburg WV Facebook page.

Relay for Life is an annual American Cancer Society fundraising event that supports various aspects of the organization’s mission, including research on improving treatment, better techniques for screenings and vaccines and other cancer prevention techniques.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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