About 600 people from eastern St. Tammany Parish spent Saturday night and Sunday morning walking in circles in an effort to wipe out cancer in their lifetime.

The track at the Northshore High School athletic field was filled with people in funny costumes, cancer survivors and children as they participated in the annual Relay for Life fundraising event.

The Relay for Life, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, has been around for about 20 years, and communities all over the country get together to walk for the cure, raising money and having fun at the same time.

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This year, the East St. Tammany Relay for Life raised $144,330 to be used for research to find a cancer cure, as of Monday. Lori Fonte director of radiation oncology at Slidell Memorial Hospital, and one of the relay’s organizers said that when all the pledges come in they expect to have at least $150,000. According to Lynn Weber, Northshore development representative for the ACS, the relay raised more money than last year’s event.

“We even had more people this year,” Weber said.

There were 58 teams participating in the relay. To raise money, each team member gets money pledges to walk a certain distance. The teams switch off or relay the walking over a 12-hour period from 6 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday.

Fonte said the starting time was symbolic. They start in the evening just as the sun is setting to symbolize the time when a person is diagnosed with cancer. The relay ends at sunrise symbolizing hope for the cancer patient.

The weather was perfect for the relay with clear skies and warm temperatures. At first, there was a fear that rainstorms would dampen the festivities, but Fonte said organizers planned to carry on with the relay no matter what the weather.

“If cancer patients can go through what they have to, we can get a little wet,” Fonte said.

The relay was led off by 100 cancer survivors dressed in bright purple T-shirts and sashes that said “Survivor” on them. The survivors walked for a lap around the track and then were joined in by the different teams.

Besides raising money by walking, the teams also raised money for cancer research by selling food, beverages, raffles, and games.

One game, sponsored by the Lake Castle teachers, had people try to throw wet sponges at a cut-out of Sponge Bob Squarepants and hit 7-year-old Michael Condon, who poked his head out. Condon’s brother and mother both have cancer. The Lake Castle teachers have participated in three Relays for Life.

A group of Northshore High students had set up a jail cell. People could put their friends or relatives in the jail for a small fee, then bail them out for more money. All the proceeds went to the ACS.

“Our main goal is to get the public involved in these relays,” Weber said. “We want to show these are not sad affairs.”

That was evident by all the multi-colored tents and booths set up alongside the track and all the laughing and good cheer.

“Despite the cause, this is a celebration of life. It is a family-friendly community event,” Weber said.

Troop HR, a team from the St. Tammany School Board Human Resources Department, showed how a community comes together to help others. One of their own, Renee Motherhead, is a six-year survivor of cancer, and she was in a cheerful mood with her colleagues as they sat around a barbecue grill waiting for their chance to get out and walk for the cure.

“I continue the treatment,” Motherhead said, “But so far everything is negative, so I’m very happy to be out here.”

Troop HR had been successful even before Saturday’s relay. Pete Jabbia, chief cook, and assistant human resources superintendent, proudly said his team had already donated $1,200 before the relay even started.

“We’ve got a raffle going, and we’re going to be here all night raising more money,” Jabbia said.

During the night, volunteers went around the track and lit 500 candles placed in sand-filled bags. On the outside of the bags were the names of cancer victims. On some of the bags, there were even pictures of loved ones who had succumbed to the disease.

Many of the walkers were there to raise money in the memory of friends and family who had died from cancer.

Tommy Bowen was pushing his 2-year-old granddaughter Isabelle in a wagon around the track. His team was the U.S. Postal Service named “Walk the Yellow Brick Road for a Cure.” Bowen was walking in memory of his dad, Artie Bowen, plus he was walking for a cure for his mother and father-in-law, who are cancer survivors.

The Hinson family had set up a tent, and they had come in memory of their mother. Half the family was out on the track dressed in big straw hats, and the rest stayed in the cool of the tent, waiting their turn to walk for their mom.

There were others that came just to help out like registered massage therapist, Dawn Stokes who offered free massages to the survivors who had been walking for hours.

“It’s just my part in helping out,” Stokes said as she worked on cancer survivor Wanda Cacurullo, who was sitting in a massage chair.

But the Relay for Life is not the only way people can help, Weber said. The ACS looks for donations and volunteers all year long. People can visit their Web site, www.cancer.org to find out more on helping the organization find a cure for cancer.