The first wave of thundershowers at around 8 p.

Saturday, July 31, 1999

The first wave of thundershowers at around 8 p.m. Friday didn’t deter the hundreds of Relay For Life supporters.

Some found shelter at the YMCA, some at home, and others in the tents and campers lining the Mill Pond shore. And when the rains stopped, the people returned.

"We’re a tough bunch," said Pam Hammero, a cancer survivor and the event’s honorary chair. "I think part of having cancer is you take things as they come along."

But no amount of resolve could fend off the second wave of threatening storms. By 10 p.m., organizers of Relay For Life had had enough and the event ended almost 12 hours earlier than it was supposed to.

"I’m bumming big time," said Jolene Dalager, a member of the event committee. "This is a lot of work to end so soon."

For the first time in the event’s six-year history in Austin, enough luminaries – candles in white bags honoring survivors and victims of cancer – were sold to line each side of the Mill Pond path all the way around the nearly 1-mile loop.

But the event’s highlight – the luminary lighting ceremony – never came to pass. The rain soaked many of the luminaries, leaving the white bags in soggy piles around the candles.

"We were able to save some of them," said Carol Bulson, a member of the Austin Medical Center’s team, one of a record 40 teams participating in the event. "But the rain did a lot of damage."

But it couldn’t dampen the spirits of the participants.

Even after the cancellation announcement came and the rains along with it, the bravest walkers continued to circle the Mill Pond.

Seven-year-old Tana Beckmann was 2 months old when her dad was diagnosed with cancer. He died when she was 2. Before leaving the event, Beckmann found the luminary honoring her dad and took it home with the intent of lighting it Saturday night.

"Hopefully the rain might stop long enough to light it," she said.