After low participation last year, organizers of the 2013 Callaway County Relay for Life are banking on a slew of changes and additions to the annual American Cancer Society fundraiser to draw greater support from the community.
Chief among those changes is moving the start time from Friday night through Saturday morning to be 3 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday.
The event will start with a parade - also new this year - at 2 p.m. with teams starting at Presbyterian Manor before walking down Court Street to Fifth Street and then on to the relay site at the Missouri School for the Deaf track.
"We're starting small this year. We're going to have the Fulton Police Department leading the way, and we're going to have every team represented. We haven't asked for large floats, just something that sends the message about our mission," said Relay committee member Mandy Plybon, noting there also will be a color guard from the National Guard and a truck from the Fulton Fire Department. "We will be handing out candy to kids and we'll have fliers about the relay.
"The goal is to have people join us along the way as we walk, and follow us to the track, where we'll have the welcome to the relay and the kick off."