Relay for Life sponsors formal ball

If you want to dress up for a night of dinner and dancing, you can help the American Cancer Society in the process if you attend the first-ever Relay for Life formal ball April 29 at McMinnville Civic Center.

Tickets are currently on sale for Celebration of Life, which is a black-tie optional event. Keri Hertwig and Penny Medley, the owners of Memories Bridal Boutique on Main Street, came up with the idea of having a formal dinner and dance as a fun way to raise money for a worthy cause.

?It?s something we brainstormed and came up with,? said Hertwig. ?The Father-Daughter Banquet always seems to do well so we?re hoping this can be a sellout too.?

The dinner and dance is scheduled the night after the prom, which is also held at the Civic Center. Parks and Recreation director Carlene Brown has given permission to leave all the prom decorations in place from the prom themed ?A Night of Elegance.?

Medley and Hertwig have been active in Relay for Life, now in its fourth year in Warren County, and this is a way to help that event even more.

?Keri and I have both lost a parent to cancer and I?d like one day to erase the word cancer from our vocabulary,? said Medley. ?We don?t want other families to go through what we?ve gone through.?

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will be served around 7 p.m. The full-course meal includes roast beef, parmesan potatoes, green beans and dessert.

?It will be a nice sit-down dinner,? said Hertwig. ?And everything goes to Relay for Life after we pay for the food.?

After dinner, there will be dancing until 11 p.m. Kenneth Seagraves will be the DJ.

The first dance is reserved for people who are currently battling cancer or who have already beat the disease. There will be a power point slide presentation for anyone who wants to remember a loved one or recognize a cancer survivor. Door prizes donated by Chamber of Commerce members will be given away throughout the night.

?It?s an opportunity for people to dress up if they want to, but our main focus is we want people to be comfortable and we want them to have a good time,? said Medley.

The cost is $25 a ticket, which is $50 a couple. There are only 400 tickets available and they can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce or Memories Bridal Boutique.