New Location for American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of the North Country

Evans Mills, NY– 2025 marks the 40th year for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event across the United States, and organizers for the local Relay For Life of the North Country community event June 6, 2025 will be celebrating with others across America with an exciting one-night event and a new location!  

The Relay for Life of the North Country presented by Samaritan Medical Center and the Walker Center for Cancer Care will take place at Evans Mills Raceway Park which is located near the main gates of Ft. Drum at 28412 Steinhilber Rd. in Evans Mills, NY.  The Evans Mills Raceway Park (EMRP) is a 3/8th mile paved oval racetrack and event facility. The racing surface will be used as the track for walkers and teams doing their laps. The path to the event area is paved and ADA accessible from the parking lot.  Dependent on weather, the upper grass lot at EMRP will be open for teams and participants to set up a camp (tents/campers/RVs) to spend the night, or for race teams and fans to pull in early Friday night to attend Relay for Life ahead of the following days race, the Nicole Berry Garnsey Health & Wellness Night on Saturday June 7, 2025.

Relay For Life of the North Country is a free family friendly event. The night will include laps for cancer survivors, caregivers, and a luminaria ceremony towards the end of the night illuminating hundreds of dedicated lights and the words “HOPE” and “CURE.” All cancer survivors are invited to attend and relax in the “Survivor VIP Area” located in the infield.   

Folks can participate in a variety of ways. Start a fundraising team, volunteer the day of the event, or for a committee.  All are invited to attend. Your presence shows your support for the cause, and it is a fun night out. Enjoy the live entertainment for the night, walk the track and view the Team sites and luminaria, and grab a bite to eat. There will be opportunities to donate and bid on items.  

EMRP was eager to step up to offer their support of this event and have created the joinable team “Friends and Fans of the Evans Mills Raceway Park.”

“Relay is a unique opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate those who have or continue to battle cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against the disease,” said Bonnie Eppolito, ACS Staff partner.  “We are incredibly excited the EMRP is hosting Relay For Life this year! Working together with our community is a reminder that even in the face of adversity, we can come together and make a difference.”  

Track owner Peggy Gill expressed, “we are so honored and excited to collaborate with the American Cancer Society to bring the Tri-county Relay to the grounds of EMRP, as we continue to support our community. The event aligns perfectly with the mission of our longstanding Nicole Berry-Garnsey Health and Wellness Night and all that Nicole worked for and was so very passionate about.”

Evans Mills Raceway Park general manager Nick Czerow commented “I’m happy to see this event come to EMRP. I know the racing community is a big family and how they rally around a causes is second to none. We have a lot of great people in our pits and grandstands every Saturday night and I’m hopeful we can get their participation on this event either by race teams and fans starting their own teams, or by joining our team “Friends and Fans of the Evans Mills Raceway Park.” Czerow continued, “I had a chance to support a friend’s mother at Relay for Life years ago and I always thought it was a great event. We had some luminaria bags in remembrance of our family members and enjoyed a night of walking and entertainment. I would love to see our infield packed with teams hanging out and people playing catch under the lights like I remember.”

Learn more on the web at: evansmillsracewaypark.com  (or) relayforlife.org/northcountryny  

You may also follow on Facebook at “Relay for Life of the North Country” or “Evans Mills Raceway Park”

For more information on how to participate and/or sponsor Relay for Life of the North Country contact Bonnie Eppolito, Senior Development Manager, American Cancer Society at (315) 486-9067 or [email protected]

For more information on how to partner with the Evans Mills Raceway Park or how to participate in the Health Fair at the Nicole Berry-Garnsey Health & Wellness Night contact Nick Czerow, General Manager at (315) 591-2771 or [email protected]

For more than 10 decades, the American Cancer Society has been dedicated to pursuing better outcomes for every cancer, every life. Today, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, but there is still work to be done. Join us, support us, and help us end cancer as we know it, for everyone. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Hosting race events since 1967, Evans Mills Raceway Park is a 3/8th mile Asphalt Oval Track and is a favorite among racers and fans.  It boasts a tower complex which hosts 54 hospitality suites, and the grandstand offers a seating capacity of over 3,000.  The complex also includes an oval go-kart track which incorporates the front stretch of the bigger oval.