Block Party attendees donate more than $2,500 for Relay

The second annual Grateful to be Alive Block Party raised an estimated $2,500 for the Ritzville Relay For Life on Friday, June 28, in downtown Ritzville. The annual event was hosted by three local businesses, The Journal, Hometown Family Medicine and the Ritzville Drug Company, and this year, two other businesses donated a portion of Friday’s proceeds to the event.

Sunny Spot Floral and Gifts hosted “Coffee For a Cause” on Friday, and donated one dollar from every drink sold to the event. Memories Diner donated 15 percent of all proceeds from entrees purchased throughout the day and also cooked up specialty foods during the event.

The event kicked off with carnival games for children, including Plinko, bean bag toss, temporary tattoo booth, duck pond, water balloon toss and a giant bounce house. All of the youth received a prize for playing the games for the cost of a ticket, and ended the afternoon with a water balloon fight.

Mike Telecky prepared barbecue chicken, German sausages and baked beans, while cotton candy, popcorn, chips, and smoothies were also available for those in attendance. All of the food items were provided by donation only.

The Garrett Bartley Band provided live music for the final three hours of the event and kept the crowd entertained with upbeat music.

The highlight of the evening began at 7 p.m. when a group of law enforcement officers, FFA advisors and business owners gathered together on park benches for the Pie in the Face booth. Individuals had the opportunity to pay $5 to pie the person of their choice in the face, and recipients of the pies were Tyler Fryberger, Chad Hoeft, Ben Buriak, Robert Reynolds, Mark Shepherd, Andy Williams, Brad Gering, Stephen McFadden and Ned Bernath.

Another ongoing fundraiser during the event was a challenge bet between Ritzville Police Sergeant Mark Cameron and The Journal’s editor Katelin Davidson. The two challenged each other to see which individual could raise the most monetary donations for Relay For Life and the winner had the opportunity to throw a decorative colored pie in the face of the other competitor.

Combined, Cameron and Davidson accumulated $1,164.80 in donations from family, friends and individuals attending the block party, with Davidson winning the competition.

Due to the large amount of donations, both individuals received a colorful pie to the face in support of the fundraiser. The pies were decorated with the throwers college team of choice’s colors, with Cameron throwing a red pie for the Georgia Bulldogs, and Davidson a green and yellow pie for the Oregon Ducks.

All proceeds from the event directly benefit the Ritzville Relay For Life and are donated to the American Cancer Society. The donations are used to provide additional funding for cancer research and to expand services for cancer patients.

The Ritzville Relay For Life takes place on Friday, July 12, until the morning of July 13 at the Ritzville Rodeo Grounds. For more information, visit http://www.relayforlife.org/ritzvillewa" target="_blank">http:// http://www.relayforlife.org/ritzvillewa.