The heat may have kept some people at home during this weekend's Relay for Life, but organizers said it was still a success and they're on track to meet the $235,000 fundraising goal.
The Cole County event also is on track to beat the Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin Relay for Life in a friendly fundraising competition. The two relays took place over the same night and had similar fundraising goals.
Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin challenged Relay for Life of Racine to the fundraising challenge, which Village of Mount Pleasant President Dave DeGroot accepted in a Facebook video last week. In his video, DeGroot said Relay for Life of Racine's goal is 63 teams and a total monetary goal of $250,000.
As of Sunday, Cole County's Relay had taken in just shy of $180,000, while Relay for Life of Racine reported taking in $170,594, said Ashley Hale, American Cancer Society community development coordinator.
"It's good news we're in the lead right now, because I'm not sure how I'm going to ship Central Dairy (ice cream) or Arris Pizza to Wisconsin," Tergin joked on Sunday.
Tergin wagered those items, along with a gift basket with Jefferson City goods and memorabilia, including Missouri State Penitentiary T-shirts and a Missouri State Capitol ornament. In return, DeGroot pledged to give our community a sample of their Wells Brothers Pizza, Danish kringle pastries, T-shirts and other memorabilia from Racine's Relay for Life sponsors.
When that package arrives from Wisconsin, Tergin said, she plans to open it on Facebook Live so everyone can see what our community won.
The fundraising - along with the competition - isn't over yet. July 10 has been set as the deadline to determine a winner, Hale said.
Hale came up with the idea for the competition after seeing governors make similar bets on sports events. She said she took the idea to Tergin, who ran with it. Relay organizers are looking to make this an annual competition between the two cities, Hale said.
So far, the competition has come with its own tongue-in-cheek trash talking, with Tergin saying last week she's not worried about shipping the pizza and ice cream "because I know we're going to win, so I don't have to really worry ."
DeGroot returned the barb with a smile, saying in his video: "You'll probably have to come up here and buy (these items) because we're not planning on shipping it to you because we're going to win this."
Tergin pointed out that Cole County's relay is the top relay fundraiser in the state.
She said the challenge is a win-win for fighting cancer, and compared it to the challenge we all face to "do all we can to commit ourselves to raising funds to help the American Cancer Society and call on those who have been affected themselves - friends or others - and offer any help we can. And to get our screenings and to remind others to do so."
Nicole Roberts and Joe Gamm of the News Tribune staff contributed information to this story.