Though the coronavirus sidelined the onsite Relay For Life of Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon and Waterford this year, officials are planning for one final fundraiser and a wrap up luminaria event.

Both will be done as drive-thru activities, starting with the fundraising dinner on Thursday, Sept. 17. House of Beef in Oakdale will be the site for that dinner drive-thru, with tickets priced at $40 each. The dinner includes a meal for four featuring tri-tip, corn, chili beans, garlic bread and a two-liter bottle of soda. Tickets will be available from team captains and the event will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; with meal pick-up staggered in half-hour blocks. Pre-sale tickets only; deadline for purchase is Thursday, Sept. 10.

Also, to close out the American Cancer Society’s 2020 Relay season locally, organizers are putting together a drive-thru luminaria for Saturday, Sept. 19. The event will start at 7 p.m.; the location is being finalized and will be announced at a later date. The idea of the drive thru luminaria is to give people in the community a chance to see the lighted bags – those that typically line the track and provide a lighted walkway overnight for participants – that are dedicated in honor of someone fighting the disease or in memory of someone who lost their battle with cancer. The bags will be set up in such a way that motorists can drive by and see them lit up, entering from one side and exiting the other, keeping a smooth flow for those that want to view the luminaria bags.

A few years ago, the smaller individual Relays of Escalon, Riverbank and Waterford were combined with the larger Oakdale one, creating the four-community event. It has been staged on the campus of Oakdale High School, bringing together teams from local businesses, families, church groups and more. With the drive-thru dinner and luminaria, the books will be closed on the 2020 event. Organizers are hopeful that, with a few months’ break, they can come back and begin planning for an in-person 2021 Relay For Life, which will be the 20th year it has been staged in Oakdale.

For more information about the upcoming events, visit the Relay For Life of Oakdale-Riverbank-Escalon-Waterford Facebook page or contact any team captain. Tickets can also be purchased at The Oakdale Leader office at 122 S. Third Ave., Oakdale.