The Susquehanna Valley Relay For Life community hosted Lewisburg’s first-annual Bark For Life event in Hufnagle Park on Oct. 28. The American Cancer Society’s Bark For Life events are aimed at raising funding and awareness for the fight against cancer, but are also intended to celebrate the love and companionship with which dogs provide their owners as they battle cancer.

From 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., when the noncompetitive dog-walk took place, downtown Lewisburg was flooded with man’s best friends. Forty dogs were registered for the event, many of which wore costumes.

Demonstrations by the Union County K-9 Sheriff’s Unit and the Central Pennsylvania Dog Training Club were paired with doggie trick-or-treating and other fun activities. In total, the event rallied almost 100 human participants in addition to 40 canine companions.

The Lewisburg area’s first annual event received other forms of community support as well. Local businesses offered donations in many forms, such as Erin Brown’s handmade pottery, Christine DeLauter’s homemade pet-themed cookies, two of Beth Fantaskey’s mystery books, a basket of treats from The Scratching Post Café, a basket of Mary Kay products, a Cards of Hope gift basket, a Thirty-One-Thermal Tote, and gift certificates for the Campus Theatre, Pizza Phi, and Advanced Skin Care. Other donors included Tim Brouse from Villager Realty, Yanibel Jewelry, Brookpark Pets, Pompeii Soap Company, and LuLaRoe.

The Bark For Life event raised $3,200 for the fight against cancer. But the fight doesn’t stop there. The University’s annual Relay For Life event will take place on April 6, 2018 from 6:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. In addition, Susquehanna Valley’s Relay For Life event will be held on June 15, 2018, from 8:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m., at Lewisburg’s Pawling Athletic Complex on Fairground Road.

“Thank you to Carolyn Reitz, Jen Bernstein, and Jerri Brouse for making this dream come true and sharing your passion and energy in the fight against cancer, with all of your furry, four-pawed members of your family. Together, as a community, we will win the fight!” Marguerite Santorine, the event leader for Lewisburg’s Relay for Life, which has since merged with other local area Relay’s to form the Susquehanna Valley Relay.