Wheels On Fire Cancer Crusaders Hold Smash Out Event
Wheels On Fire Cancer Crusaders Hold Smash Out Event
Posted
Staff Report-
Wheels On Fire Cancer Crusaders Hold Smash Out EventAKRON - Wheels on Fire Cancer Crusaders held their annual Smash Out event Aug. 20 at the Akron Community Center where hundreds of patrons were treated to food, entertainment, live auction items, goodies and pies up for bid and a memorial lighting ceremony to remember those who have lost their fight to cancer and celebrate those who are still in the fight and who have won the battle against the dreaded disease.
The evening kicked off with music provided by Mike Bowers. He entertained the crowd with selections of gospel music. Following Bowers, Kylene Crabb wooed the crowd with country hits.
Deb Collier’s School of Dance took to the stage next and amazed everyone with their young dancers. New to the event this year was Erica Snyder, who performed a chalk talk of Elvis Presley. Ed Rock rounded out the night’s entertainment with his familiar voice before the live auction action began.
The live auction consisted of 50 donated and handcrafted items. Audience members had the opportunity to bid on a custom fire ring, a Milwaukee Carry-out Pack, custom-made memorial candle boxes or a handmade sofa table. Four pieces of numbered artwork were also up for bid.
The high bid item of the night was a donated helicopter ride from WIOE Radio.
Once the live auction ended, it was time for the 59 pies to be auctioned off. Pies are made by various members of the church and the community and the bidding can get intense.
Esther May’s peach cream pie was set to be the big seller of the night until the pie made in memory of Lori Miller was presented. Miller, who passed away in April, was the chairperson of Wheels on Fire and was an integral part of the organization. The pie sold for $1,000 but it didn’t stop there. It was then cut into 10 pieces and each piece was then auctioned off. Those pieces each went for an addition $100.
After a short break, the memorial candle lighting ceremony began. Rock performed “Angels Among Us” and a short ceremony honoring Miller and Ned Heighway, who was also a member of the Wheels on Fire team and who had just passed the week before, was held. As names were read, patrons approached the lit candle to light their loved one’s candle or their own candle.
The Wheels on Fire Cancer Crusaders formed in 2004 as a Relay for Life team with just a few members participating in the overnight event. In 2016, the team made the decision to go out on their own as a mission of the Beaver Dam Church so the money raised would benefit local cancer patients in Kosciusko and Fulton Counties.
If you or someone you know suffers from cancer and needs assistance, contact the Kosciusko or Fulton County Cancer Care Funds for assistance.
The date for next year’s Smash Out is Aug. 19, 2023.
The Wheels on Fire Cancer Crusaders would like to thank all who donated items or pies, helped with food, volunteered their time at the event, and those who attended the event. Without the community, none of this would be possible.
