StarLight StarBright, the annual winter solstice skiing fundraiser, will return for its third year on Thursday, Dec. 21.
Hosted by the Kenai Peninsula Outdoors Club and benefiting Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, the event promises “a winter wonderland ski through the Kenai Golf Course,” held after dark on a trail lit with luminaria “honoring our cancer survivors and remembering those we’ve lost,” according to a provided release.
Registration is already available online at acsmove.org/solsticeskiak, though there will also be time for registrations ahead of the start of the event from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Skiers will set out at 6:30 p.m., and the release says the event should be completed by 7:30 p.m.
There will be coffee, cocoa and cookies available.
Registrations for adults cost $20 if pre-registering, or $25 on the day of the event. For youth, registration is $5 in advance, $10 at the event. A family registration can be purchased for $50 on the day of, allowing for two adults and two children, with additional children added for an additional $5 each. Luminaria can be purchased online under “dedicate a tribute,” one for $5 or three for $10.
A “ski bunny,” option is also available, to support the event from “the comfort and warmth of your home.” These registrations are $30.
All proceeds will go to the Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society.
At last year’s event, dozens took to the trail ski poles in hand and lamps strapped to their bodies on a night where temperatures were holding around 14 degrees. Organizer Johna Beech said at the time that StarLight StarBright fills what had been a large hole in Relay for Life programming — busy summers were followed by quiet winters.
Holding an event on the solstice — the longest night — lines up with Relay for Life messaging that says the nighttime is the hardest for patients undergoing treatment for cancer, she said.
For more information about the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
