By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
Larry the Cable Guy, a popular comedian and actor, has donated eight tickets to his May 21 performance in Cary to be raffled off as a fundraiser for this year’s Relay for Life of Rowan County.
Two people will each win four tickets, valued at $45 apiece, to the 7:30 p.m. performance and the opportunity to go backstage at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park and meet the comedian.
The raffle tickets sell for $1 apiece and will remain on sale at Friday’s Relay event up until the 11 p.m. drawing.
Tickets are available from members of the 80-plus Rowan County Relay for Life teams. They can also be purchased from Terri Dockins at the Hurley Family YMCA on Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Tisha Goodwin, chairwoman of the Rowan Relay for Life Committee, said the tickets are selling fast. “I gave all my family members 50 tickets each to sell,” she said. Some Relay volunteers have already sold out and come back for more tickets.
“People that like Larry the Cable Guy really like Larry the Cable guy,” she said. “He just appeals to so many different people.”
Goodwin said she asked her uncle, Dale Cook of Kannapolis, if he could get some tickets after listening to him talk about how much fun the comedian was when they met on a photo shoot. Cook makes calendars for Larry the Cable Guy, who is known for his saying, “Git-R-Done.”
“We’re always trying to think of something to help increase the money,” Goodwin said. “I really didn’t expect it to happen, and he said, ‘Yeah, I think we can do that.’ I said, ‘Do you think Larry would like to stop by the Relay?’
“I figured I was on a roll, I might as well go ahead and ask. I said, ‘We had 10,000 people there last year.’ He said, ‘How many?’ I said, ‘10,000.’ He said, ‘It depends on where Larry is.’ ”
Goodwin attributed last year’s record attendance at the Rowan County Fairgrounds to the perfect weather. “We didn’t do anything different,” she said.
The two previous years, she said attendance was around 7,000. The weather plays a big factor in determining how many people turn out.
“I really wish it didn’t,” Goodwin said. “Cancer doesn’t stop when it’s raining. It doesn’t stop when it’s windy or hot. It’s just always there, and we’ve got a lot of dedicated people that are always there, too.”
Last year, cars were backed up on Interstate 85 prior to the 6 p.m. opening ceremony and Survivors Lap. “The Highway Patrol is working with us this year,” she said. “We encourage everybody, especially survivors, to come early so they don’t get caught up in the traffic.”
Goodwin recommended that cancer survivors enter Julian Road, where the fairgrounds are located, from Old Concord Road so they can make a right- hand turn into the Survivors Parking Lot. “We would also like survivors who are able to park in the regular parking lot,” she said, “and save the survivor parking for those that have trouble walking.”
The theme for this year’s Relay for Life is “Celebrating Hope and Heroes.” Goodwin said last year’s deaths of Salisbury firefighters Justin Monroe and Victor Isler influenced the theme along with all the men and women in the military who have died serving the country.
“These are the people who are working for us all the time,” she said, “whether they’re in another country protecting us, in the U.S. working for us or in our own neighborhoods. We want to celebrate them and acknowledge them.
“I think though, that cancer survivors, they’re the toughest soldiers we have because they have to fight this disease alone. Even though they may have the support of family and friends, it’s really up to them. They are truly heroes.”
The goal for this year’s Relay for Life, which will be held Friday and Saturday at the fairgrounds, is $405,000. Last year, the annual fundraiser raised $402,558.19 for the American Cancer Society, placing third in the state for the amount raised on a per capita basis and 21st in the nation.
With the economy the way it is, Goodwin said reaching this year’s goal is a big challenge, “but we’re actually a little ahead than where we were last year at this time.”
“The support that this community gives the American Cancer Society is just unbelievable,” she said.
The Relay for Life event will begin at 6 p.m. with the opening ceremony and Survivors Lap and end Saturday morning with the 7 a.m. closing ceremony.
For more information on the Relay for Life of Rowan County, contact Goodwin at 704-640-3463 or Tishgood07 @yahoo.com. See also www.relayforlife.org/rowan for information.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.