Bigfork Relay for Life to join Flathead County event

Low turnout at Bigfork’s Relay for Life on Friday night had many participants talking about a different future for the event.

Next year, Bigfork’s Relay for Life is looking to join in the Flathead County Relay for Life, comprised of all the communities in the Flathead Valley and held at the county fairgrounds in Kalispell.

“I think by next year, we’ll probably be part of it,” Bigfork Relay for Life committee member Debbie Ingram said.

Though there used to be a large valley-wide relay, about ten years ago communities decided they wanted to split off and each host their own event.

It was around that time that Bigfork decided to start an event as well.

While the Bigfork relay, as well as the events in other Flathead communities did very well for a few years, attendance numbers have dwindled across the board. In June, Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalsipell joined together again, for the first time in a decade to bring back the Flathead County Relay for Life. 

While other cities joined forces, Bigfork opted to give holding their own relay one more year.

Last year, in an attempt to revitalize the event, the Bigfork Relay for Life shortened its hours from the traditional 12 hours to six hours.

This year they moved the event from its normal time in July to October. While the weather on a fall night was perfect for the event, turnout was still far lower than in the past.

“I’m glad we gave it a shot,” Relay for Life organizer Brittany Quick said. “I think we needed to do it one more time. I’m really happy that we can make something for the people that are here.”

Quick said the last relays in Columbia Falls and Whitefish had similarly shrunken turnouts as Bigfork was experiencing, prompting the return to a single Flathead Valley Relay for Life.

Quick said the combined relay was quite successful, with over 1,000 attendees. 

According to the American Cancer Society, there were 37 participants at this year’s event in Bigfork who raised over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society. At the height of Bigfork’s relay they raised $83,000. June’s valley-wide event at the fairgrounds raised about $96,000.

While Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, Quick and Ingram said the most important aspect of the event is honoring cancer survivors.

Bigfork hosted its cancer survivor dinner in April, and will likely try to continue to host a Bigfork dinner for survivors, as well as participating in the county Relay.

“It’s all about the survivors,” Ingram said. “We did a really great survivor dinner here.”

“The most important part is we still have survivor recognition,” Quick said.

The combined relay will also help alleviate some of the workload on individual volunteers, who are the people Quick said decide whether to merge the events are not.

“From our perspective, it’s all about listening to the volunteers and what they want,” Quick said. 

The Flathead relay will also go until 6 a.m. the next morning, rather than Bigfork’s shortened event that ended at midnight.

“When you have that many teams and that many people it’s more fun to say up all night,” Quick said.