PORT TOWNSEND — This Friday, Hard Candy, Innuendo, Another Lost Hero and Minor Imperfection will take the stage at the American Legion Hall for a concert that should attract the usual crush of teenage music fans.
But instead of rocking out for fun, they’ll be “Rocking for the Relay” to raise money for the upcoming Jefferson County Relay for Life.
“It’s a chance for youth to get involved in raising money for cancer research,” says Jennifer Taylor.
Taylor, whose son, Josh, is a musician, is a member of the Beacons of Hope, the Relay for Life team sponsored by Quimper Community Credit Union. The concert, which Taylor is organizing as a team fundraiser, is one way the local Relay for Life is expanding its base of support in order to exceed last year’s goal.
“Last year’s goal was $100,000, and we really it blew away, raising $108,000,” says Jim Argites. “So this year we raised the goal to $125,000.”
That’s five times the amount raised by the first Jefferson County Relay for Life, which Argites organized in 2003 with the help of employees at Edensaw Woods.
That year, walkers from 15 teams, including the Edensaw Woodchucks, circled the track for 24 hours, guided at night by luminarias commemorating family and friends who had lost their battle with cancer.
This year, 30 teams are signed up, Argites says, including Chimacum Schools, the first team from outside the Port Townsend area.
