At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Tonya Novak and other Relay for Life volunteers were busy getting ready for the opening ceremony of this year’s event. The sun was out and blue skies were above.

You wouldn’t know there had been torrential rainfalls all morning and into the early afternoon that drove this year’s Relay indoors.

Committee members and volunteers worked throughout the day to move everything inside the Plager Building at the Mower County Fairgrounds and some events even had to be canceled.

Even so, the event still had that same spirit of celebrating the survivors, supporting the fighters and remembering those you lost their fight with cancer.

“We just tried to stay positive,” co-chair Tonya Novak said. “Everything turned out the way it was supposed to.”

Nineteen teams took part in this year’s Relay and as of 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning they had a total of $53,983. That number is down from last year’s total of $74,100 at about this time, but people still have until the end of August to donate.

“We continue to raise funds up to Aug. 31 so people can get a hold of us for any donations,” Novak said.

Weathering the storm

According to the National Weather Service, Austin received nearly three inches of rain as storms rolled through the area Saturday morning.

Throughout the day committee and volunteers were working to make sure the Relay went forward.

Food and entertainment were moved indoors to the Plager Building while other events and kids games had to be canceled.

Among those events was a first-year car show in the name of Al Belden who passed away after his fight with cancer.

“He had really wanted to do this show,” Novak said. Even after his death the committee planned to go ahead with the show. “We still wanted to do it for him.”

There were also no lit luminaries lining the walk outside because of the rains and the fear of more storms later in the night.

While the day was hectic and always in motion, Novak said the work was worth it and that there was never any doubt it would still be held.

“It’s for a great cause,” she said. “Cancer never sleeps and we shouldn’t either.”

It was the second year in a row that weather played a part in the event. Last year temperatures soared, covering the event in blanketing heat.

Even with the rain, the rise in teams was nice to see.

“We had 19 teams and that’s up a few from last year and we’re excited about that,” Novak said. “And we even had some sign up last minute.”

Novak credited her co-chair Angie Hughson and the rest of the committee for getting the Relay off this year despite Mother Nature’s best efforts.

“This wasn’t just this person or that person. This was a group effort,” Novak said. “Everything isn’t always perfect and I think it translates to what happens in these people’s lives.”

“I’m proud of my committee,” she continued. “They never let me down and now we can just go next year and make it even stronger.”