PHOTOS: Burnsville Relay for Life a Success, Organizers Say—in Spite of Summer Squall

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A wet, hot summer indeed. This year's Relay for Life ended with a bang—cut short by a violent thunderstorm that sent organizers scrambling to evacuate the field at Burnsville High's Pates Stadium. 

"Every year you take a chance on this. We had people watching scanners to tell us how fast it was coming, and we were hoping it would go around us, like last year," said Chair Becky Kritz.

The annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society began well enough, with a mild, clear afternoon on Friday. But bad weather swept in less than half-way through the all night vigil, which runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in ideal circumstances. The winds picked up during a slideshow dedictated to survivors and those who had passed away from the disease.

"There were three of us holding the screen to keep it still," Kritz said.

The storm start in earnest at about 10:30 p.m, when driving rains came.

"The luminaries were still burning so we were frantically picking them up. The winds were 60 miles an hour, with hail," Kritz said. "We couldn't see anything while we were trying to get DJ's equipment picked up. The planning comittee ended up huddled in the concessions stand for a while."

By midnight the committee had broken up camp and departed. Such stories are not unknown in the annals of the Burnsville Relay, which was launched in 2002.

"My first year of being a chair storm of the century came through Burnsville. We didn't even get to the luminary ceremony that year," Kritz said. "The winds were so strong that we didn't even get them lit. It's really a crap shoot."

Nevertheless, Kritz said that the evening was a good one. 

"Everything after the luminary ceremony is icing on the cake," Kritz said. "We got through all the important parts so it was still a really successful evening."

Fundraising is not over, however. Kritz said Burnsville organizers hope to raise more than $28,000, about $2,000 more than last year. Anyone who wishes to donate to the 2012 campaign has until the end of August to put a contribution in.