RONAN — Lightning danced across the sky as teams of walkers circled the illuminated Ronan High School track last Friday night during Lake County’s 17th Annual Relay for Life.

At 7 p.m., more than 50 Lake County cancer survivors got things moving by making the first lap around the track, which would see continuous action all night long as walkers did their part to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

The event’s one-hour “luminaria” ceremony featured 597 lit candles inside white paper bags. Each represented a survivor or a life lost to cancer and was placed with care along the perimeter of the track. With the facility’s overhead lights dimmed, volunteers began reading each name aloud as the walkers admired the personal touch family and friends left on each decorated luminaria.

“I think of it more as a celebration of the survivors that we have,” volunteer Joyce Kackmann said. “It’s very rewarding to see those purple shirts walk around that first lap. You can always think of someone [who has been affected by cancer].”

The relay also serves as a somber reminder to the harsh realities of life. Things can be going great — you got a new job, bought a house, then darkness falls — you have cancer. And just as is does for walkers after a long and physically draining night, “daylight comes,” Kackmann said.

“For someone who has lost someone, it’s hard,” she added. “Each individual has their own reason for doing it and their own experience.”

The event had already raised over $50,000 as of 11 p.m. Friday night with additional donations trickling in throughout the evening as teams continued to fundraise by selling food, toys or face painting for the cause.  By 7 a.m., they’d earned $53,230.

The cake auction, which asks each team to bake and decorate a cake to sell, brought in another $720. St. Joseph’s “Hope” cake, made up of three stars decorated with pink icing, sold for a whopping $155 and St. Luke’s pirate ship cake went to the highest bidder at $145.

The support was overwhelming to volunteers who said they had already topped last year’s total.

“It’s just amazing,” Kackmann said of the grand total. “We weren’t near this [last year].”

The event aims for each participant to raise $100. The highest individual fundraisers – each making “The Grand club” – were Martin Bishop ($1,610), Kaitlyn Kackmann ($1,120) and Heidi LaBree ($1,026).

In the team competition, St. Luke’s Hospital in Ronan broke into five digits, raising $10,075. The highest non-corporate team was RJK Chimney and Lanscape Service, which totalled $3,069.

While the event itself ended Saturday at 7 a.m., teams can continue to fundraise until Aug. 31.