
Evans Mills, NY– 2025 marks the 40th year for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event across the United States, and organizers for the local Relay For Life of the North Country community event June 6, 2025 will be celebrating with others across America with an exciting one-night event and a new location!
The Relay for Life of the North Country presented by Samaritan Medical Center and the Walker Center for Cancer Care will take place at Evans Mills Raceway Park which is located near the main gates of Ft. Drum at 28412 Steinhilber Rd. in Evans Mills, NY. The Evans Mills Raceway Park (EMRP) is a 3/8th mile paved oval racetrack and event facility. The racing surface will be used as the track for walkers and parade laps. The path to the event area is paved and ADA accessible from the parking lot. Dependent on weather, the upper grass lot at EMRP will be open for teams and participants to set up a camp (tents/campers/RVs) to spend the night, or for race teams and fans to pull in early Friday night to attend Relay for Life ahead of the following days race, the Nicole Berry Garnsey Health & Wellness Night on Saturday June 7, 2025.
Relay For Life of the North Country is a free family friendly event. The night will include laps for cancer survivors, caregivers, and a luminaria ceremony towards the end of the night illuminating hundreds of dedicated lights and the words “HOPE” and “CURE.” All cancer survivors are invited to attend and relax in the “Survivor VIP Area” located in the infield.
Folks can participate in a variety of ways. Start a fundraising team, volunteer the day of the event, or for a committee. All are invited to attend. Your presence shows your support for the cause, and it is a fun night out. Enjoy the live entertainment for the night, walk the track and view the Team sites and luminaria, and grab a bite to eat. There will be opportunities to donate and bid on items.
EMRP was eager to step up to offer their support of this event and have created the joinable team “Friends and Fans of the Evans Mills Raceway Park.”
“Relay is a unique opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate those who have or continue to battle cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against the disease,” said Bonnie Eppolito, ACS Staff partner. “We are incredibly excited the EMRP is hosting Relay For Life this year! Working together with our community is a reminder that even in the face of adversity, we can come together and make a difference.”
Track owner Peggy Gill expressed, “we are so honored and excited to collaborate with the American Cancer Society to bring the Tri-county Relay to the grounds of EMRP, as we continue to support our community. The event aligns perfectly with the mission of our longstanding Nicole Berry-Garnsey Health and Wellness Night and all that Nicole worked for and was so very passionate about.”
Evans Mills Raceway Park general manager Nick Czerow commented “I’m happy to see this event come to EMRP. I know the racing community is a big family and how they rally around a causes is second to none. We have a lot of great people in our pits and grandstands every Saturday night and I’m hopeful we can get their participation on this event either by race teams and fans starting their own teams, or by joining our team “Friends and Fans of the Evans Mills Raceway Park.” Czerow continued, “I had a chance to support a friend’s mother at Relay for Life years ago and I always thought it was a great event. We had some luminaria bags in remembrance of our family members and enjoyed a night of walking and entertainment. I would love to see our infield packed with teams hanging out and people playing catch under the lights like I remember.”
Learn more on the web at: evansmillsracewaypark.com (or) relayforlife.org/northcountryny
You may also follow on Facebook at “Relay for Life of the North Country” or “Evans Mills Raceway Park”
For more information on how to participate and/or sponsor Relay for Life of the North Country contact Bonnie Eppolito, Senior Development Manager, American Cancer Society at (315) 486-9067 or bonnie.eppolito@cancer.org
For more information on how to partner with the Evans Mills Raceway Park or how to participate in the Health Fair at the Nicole Berry-Garnsey Health & Wellness Night contact Nick Czerow, General Manager at (315) 591-2771 or emrpgm@yahoo.com
For more than 10 decades, the American Cancer Society has been dedicated to pursuing better outcomes for every cancer, every life. Today, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, but there is still work to be done. Join us, support us, and help us end cancer as we know it, for everyone. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
Hosting race events since 1967, Evans Mills Raceway Park is a 3/8th mile Asphalt Oval Track and is a favorite among racers and fans. It boasts a tower complex which hosts 54 hospitality suites, and the grandstand offers a seating capacity of over 3,000. The complex also includes an oval go-kart track which incorporates the front stretch of the bigger oval.
How to stay informed:
• Please Join the Facebook Group “Relay for Life of the North Country” Relay For Life of the North Country Facebook Group
• Visit the Official Relay for Life website: Relay For Life of the North Country Website
• Follow Evans Mills Raceway Park on Facebook: EMRP Facebook
• Visit the Official Evans Mills Raceway Park website: https://evansmillsracewaypark.com/
How can I participate and/or donate?
• Click on this link to navigate the information below: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=109907
• Create a Team and invite people you know to join your team to help raise funds, or simply to support you.
• Join an existing Team through the website by clicking ‘JOIN THIS RELAY.” Each registration helps as the North Country is pushing to host one of the largest Relay for Life events in the United States. A donation is not required at the time of joining a team, but you may do so. You can also support teams by helping them sell fundraising items.
• Show up to the Relay for Life event on Friday June 6, 2025 at the Evans Mills Raceway Park. Your presence alone shows your support for the cause. Enjoy the live entertainment for the night, view the Team camps and luminaria, and grab a bite to eat. There will still be opportunities to donate and bid on items at the Relay for Life.
• Donate directly to the Relay for Life of the North Country through the website. You may select a team to credit your donation towards or simply support under the general event.
• Attend Team events, or purchase fundraising items they are selling like baked goods, flowers, merchandise, etc.
• Share your participation, team registration, or information of the event and teams through your social media pages. More awareness in the community helps every team.
What is a Team?
A team may be started by any individual, company, community leader, etc. You can then ask people to register online to join your team. These new team members can either help you with your fundraising goal or simply attend the event in support of your team.
Teams will then host fundraising campaigns or events before June 6, 2025. The funds they raise will be tracked on the Relay for Life website.
On the day of the event, teams registered for Relay for Life may set up a “camp” of sorts on the infield of the walking surface as a place to gather with friends. Many teams bring canopies and decorate them for attendees to visit, like a Trunk or Treat event. Some teams continue to sell fundraising merchandise at their camp, or bring games for kids to participate in.
I want to start a Team, how do I fundraise?
The Relay for Life program offers simple ways for teams to fundraise including selling white paper luminaria bags. The white luminaria bags are placed along the walking surface and will be lit as part of the main ceremony. People may purchase a bag and decorate it however they like to support or remember someone who is currently battling, is a survivor, or have passed on.
Your team can also sell track signs to individuals or local businesses. These are yard signs that are placed around the walking surface to be viewed by all attendees throughout the night. The track signs may display a name or business logo. The Relay for Life committee can supply your team with forms to sell these signs and they will handle the printing of them for you.
Common fundraising methods are successful including bake sales, raffle tickets for prize baskets, candy/chocolate bar fundraisers, and restaurant kickback nights (5% of tonight’s orders go to your Relay for Life team).
More involved fundraising ideas may include chicken BBQ’s, selling flowers for Valentines Day, T-shirt sales, Arbor Day tree planting fundraisers, and more.
Teams may be as creative as they like knowing they have tried, and true fundraising paths supported by Relay for Life (luminaria and track signs).