Relay for Life kicks off 20^th year in Mid, South County

NEDERLAND — Bulldogs don’t take kindly to purple. Put the color of their No. 1 rival near the Nederland Heritage Festival Pavilion and things could get physical.

But purple wasn’t just welcome under the Pavilion Tuesday night, it was encouraged — along with any hot pink tutus that might have a special spot in some Mid-County closets.

Relay for Life of Mid- and South Jefferson County is changing things up along Boston Avenue this year. The 2016 Retro Relay kickoff event Tuesday night was just the first of many days leading up to the April 23 event where purple is going to take the heart of the Bulldogs by storm.

During the kickoff meeting, event co-leads Kara Baker Booth and Mandy Clayton went through the “first draft” of plans for the new Relay destination.

Booth said on April 23, 2016, the 1600 block of Boston Avenue will be blocked off for Relay for Life. A LifeShare blood bus will block off the intersection at South 17^th Street by Central Middle School while a FivePoint Credit Union bus blocks off the intersection at South 15^th Street.

Clayton said the 2016 event will include a lot of “firsts” for Relay for Life of Mid- and South Jefferson County. With the new location comes new hours, new setup arrangements, and a new attitude.

“We love y’all and we’re very appreciate you’re here,” Adriane Champagne, Relay for Life of Mid- and South Jefferson team coordinator, said Tuesday night. “But we need more.”

Champagne said the change in venues is the perfect time to find any “MIA teams” whose involvement have declined over the last several years, as well as to recruit new members and form new teams.

The first team meeting for the 2016 Retro Relay is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Booty A. Ritter Senior Citizens Center, located at 914 Boston Ave. in Nederland.

For more information about Relay for Life, including how to get involved in Jefferson County, visit www.sjeffrelay.org.

Twitter: @crhenderson90