The sixth annual Sedona Relay for Life, benefiting the American Cancer Society, will begin at 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, on the track at Sedona Red Rock High School, and will last all night.

Hundreds will gather on Friday to promote solidarity in the face of one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

The sixth annual Sedona Relay for Life, benefiting the American Cancer Society, will begin at 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, on the track at Sedona Red Rock High School, and will last all night.

Caroline Johnson, herself a cancer survivor, is in charge of the relay teams this year and she hopeas to raise at least $45,000 at the event, she said.

She was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago and was one of fewer than 100 women to participate in a clinical study that may have saved her life.

The number of cancer-related deaths decreases every year in the United States, according to Johnson, and it’s not because there are fewer people with the disease. It’s because there are better treatments — treatments that are only possible with the help of people willing to participate in clinical trials.

The Sedona Relay for Life will support such studies and hopefully give cancer sufferers new hope.

At 9 p.m., stadium lights will go out and luminarias scattered along the track in honor of cancer casualties and survivors will provide the remaining light.

Local performers Tom & Shondra Jepperson will provide entertainment, including performances by Garrison Bailey, Daniel Hicks, Phyllis Christenson, Light Vibe Dance Company, Sedona Swing, Sedona Heat-wave and others.

Everyone is welcome, according to Johnson — even children.

Angie Hillman, a middle school teacher and team leader for the “Sunny Soles,” will bring her 10-year-old son Tristan, she said.

Relay for Life is “a real community builder,” Hillman said, and a lot of the funds raised stay in Northern Arizona.

Local restaurateurs will keep people fed through the night, and other businesses have donated items, including helicopter rides, restaurant gift certificates and more, for the raffles and the silent auction, according to Johnson.

James Mangel, manager of the local Arizona State Credit Union, inherited the Sedona Relay for Life’s public relations position a-year-and-a-half ago and he had a blast last year, he said.

“If we can just get people out there, they’ll realize it’s a fun event and it’s a moving event and they’ll come back next year,” he said.

The 2007 Sedona Relay for Life will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at Sedona Red Rock High School.

Donations may be made at the event, online through www.RelayForLife.com, or by calling Chairman Ed Johnson at 203-4433.

Tyler Midkiff can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 122, or e-mail to tmidkiff@larsonnewspapers.com