Friday evening's rain held off long enough for the Anson County Relay for Life opening ceremonies but the majority of the event was rained out, co-chair Brandis Chewning said. Still, the rain couldn't dampen the spirits of many survivors and teams, who Chewning said "made do and walked in the rain anyway."

A total of 35 teams from local organizations joined Anson County's cancer survivors Friday, May 21, through Saturday, May 22, for the annual celebration of beating cancer.

Survivors took the first lap, with an emcee announcing their name and the number of years— or in some cases, months— the individuals have lived cancer-free. The numbers ranged from a few months to 41 years.

After the survivors took the first lap, their families and caregivers joined in for the second lap, followed by the teams participating in the Relay.

The opening ceremony had concluded by the time the rain began to fall. Thankfully, there was no thunder and lightning, only rain, Chewning said.

"It went really well, despite the rain," she added. "We had a lot of survivors there and everyone was in good spirits."

The Relay raised a total of $40,949.97, which will go toward the American Cancer Society's battle against cancer.