The cities of Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Whitefish will join forces this year for two Relay For Life events in the Flathead Valley.

Teams from the three cities will walk together in the annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell on Friday, June 19, at 6 p.m. In previous years, separate relays were held in each city. Bigfork has elected to hold its own Relay For Life event.

The three cities also will collaborate for the Hope Gala, a black-tie affair at Brumar Estates in Bigfork on Saturday, Feb. 14. The gala raises a significant amount of money for Relay For Life.

Last year, more than 600 people participated in Relay For Life events in Flathead County and helped raise more than $70,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Founded in 1946, the American Cancer Society has invested more than $4 billion in cancer research and helped reduce cancer rates by 20 percent since 1991, saving 1.3 million lives.

Relay For Life’s theme this year is “Wranglin’ Hope,” a cowboy theme complete with boots and lassos. Tickets for the Hope Gala are nearly sold out, but Buckallew said teams can begin to sign up to participate in the relays at the fairgrounds as soon as they want to. Interested teams should contact Stephanie Vrendenburg at 890-4994.

For more information on the American Cancer Society, visit online at www.Cancer.org. For more information on the Relay For Life of Flathead County, visit online at www.RelayForLife.org/FlatheadCountyMT.