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Photo by Hans Hallgren

Stan Peterson listens Friday during opening ceremonies.

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Tanya Surbeck spoke during opening ceremonies Friday at the third annual Craig Relay for Life. Surbeck spoke about her battle with cancer.

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Vicky McQuay, of Craig, looks up during opening ceremonies Friday at the Craig Relay For Life. McQuay, a member of the Pretty in Pink team, is a breast cancer survivor.

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Shannon Samuelson, back, watches opening ceremonies with her daughter Emma, Barbara Larson, left, and Bob Larson at the third annual Craig Relay For Life.

Craig — This year's Craig Relay For Life, an annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, almost didn't happen.

Still, despite a late start and raising significantly less this year than last, event chairman Ken Prescott is satisfied with the outcome.

On Friday night, numerous Craig residents, cancer survivors and friends and family participated in the third annual Craig Relay at the Moffat County High School track.

Last year's event raised about $105,000, placing Craig third in the country in terms of most money raised per capita. At last count, this year's event raised $26,872, about $79,000 less than the year before.

"Yes, I am pleased," Prescott said. "If we have a full year to plan this for next year, can we do better? I'm certainly hoping."

The money raised this year in Craig still is comparable to money raised at Relays in other towns the size of Craig. Delta made about $30,000 this year, which is not far off Craig's $26,872.

An auction that also is raising money for this year's Relay in Craig still is open, and Prescott hopes it will help pad the overall total.

The auction will close at the end of next month's Moffat County Fair. Items being auctioned were donated to Relay For Life by a school in Hayden, Prescott said.

The items - a 1988 Ford pickup, a 1993 GMC Blazer, other vehicles and some picnic tables - are available for bid at craigrelayforlife.com, and Prescott is hoping they also will be available to display during the fair.

The school that donated the items wants to get back the money it put into getting the items, but any money raised above that total will go to Relay.

Relay for Life has until Aug. 31 to raise money and count it toward this year's total. Any money raised after that is considered part of 2010's Relay.

This year, the Relay organizing committee did not come together until February.

"In February, we rebuilt a committee out of nothing," Prescott said. "We put this together in five months, so that's pretty amazing."

Having had a late start, Prescott said some of the money businesses had put away to give to organizations like Relay was already gone.

A struggling economy, he added, is another reason why money raised this year was far less than last year.

Instead of worrying, Prescott already is looking ahead to next year.

After the auction closes, the committee will take a short break and start training to be better prepared to put together next year's event.

Prescott also is working to bring more services to Craig for cancer patients.

In coming months, he will be looking for volunteers to help put some programs together.

"Cancer never sleeps," he said. "People need to remember, cancer never takes a day off."

Yesenia Robles can be reached at 875-1790.