EPHRATA - The ninth annual Columbia Basin Relay for Life was held last week at the Ephrata High School track.

The event had people walking from 6 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday.

Dozens of team tents were set up around the field, across from where local musicians volunteered their time providing entertainment to those who walked throughout the night in support of the American Cancer Society.

Lining the track were hundreds of luminary bags, each with a personal note of remembrance for a loved one lost or a message of hope for the survivors.

Hope and a celebration of life is what the event is all about, said Christi Dorian, an organizing committee member who first got involved with Relay for Life 16 years ago after her grandmother passed away from cancer.

"It's sort of a rallying point to support all of the people we've known in the past and those who may still be battling this disease," she said.

While this year's relay was smaller than the last one, Dorian said the "spirit is still high" and credited the local community for raising more than $62,000, and counting, as of Saturday afternoon.

"Heart and soul is what brings this thing together," Dorian said. "It just gives you a feeling of appreciation and thanks for the support of the entire community."

The Columbia Basin Relay for Life split from the Moses Lake Relay For Life in order to give people in the area more choices, said Susy Anderson, another of the event's organizers.

Anderson was also serving as team captain for the Voltswalkers, which she said has been the event's number one fundraising team for several years running. This year the team amassed $16,229, all of which goes toward American Cancer Society programs, services and research.

Her husband, Bill Anderson, grew up in Ephrata and still runs into long-lost friends at the event.

"I see people here that I haven't seen for years," he said." I enjoy it. I have a lot of good friends who are survivors."

"It's like a reunion," agreed Cindy Harr, a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. "It may be a community event but it feels more like a family gathering."

Harr recounted her first experience with Race For Life in Leavenworth 12 years ago.

"I thought, I'm just going to show up for a few hours and leave but at 2 a.m. I called my husband and told him to bring me a sweater," she said. "We stayed until 10 a.m. It's infectious and it can be life-changing."