In a huge showing of support for Montana cancer survivors and Relay for Life of Yellowstone, Billings Mayor Bill Cole has ceremonially renamed St. John’s Avenue “Survivor Avenue” for relay day, July 10th. The short street leads straight to West High School where the event has been happening at the track since 1999. This year’s event turned into a socially safe Street Edition and luminaria cruise down 24th Street West from Grand Avenue to Monad Road, but relay survivor committee volunteers hope the community will take the time to cruise down Survivor Avenue.
“Our survivors are the heart of relay. They are the reason we relay, and it is only fitting this year to line Survivor Avenue with our 400 plus registered survivors’ purple luminarias. Please drive by and take a look. If you see a survivor in their purple survivor t-shirt, give them a honk or a wave. As a survivor myself, I know it would mean the world to them,” says Relay for Life of Yellowstone Survivor Committee Co-Chair Vicki Olson Johnson. “While you are there, please consider pulling into the parking lot and making a drive through donation to relay.”
Johnson adds that community members can look for survivor decals or window clings on survivors’ vehicles.
Q2’s Bob McGuire is a survivor and he is set to cruise the route between 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to help officially kick off relay.
The event is from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and everyone is invited to decorate their vehicles purple and join relay for a good old fashioned cruise for a cure.
“Mayor Cole and the City of Billings have been extremely supportive in allowing relay to use the sidewalks on both sides of 24th Street West for luminarias, while still sharing the sidewalks and the streets with the public. The City has also loaned relay digital signage directing traffic to swing into 3 separate parking lots and make drive through donations,” says Relay for Life of Yellowstone Event Co-Chair Dave Worstell. “Additionally, Police Chief Rich St. John is 100% behind our organized cruise as relay has a thorough plan and has approved it with the city in advance. The Billings Firefighters are even flying a huge flag over 24th street just for this event. We are so grateful.”
For more information, visit www.yellowstonerelay.org.
