When Paula Hardin took the first lap of the Hartselle-Morgan Relay for Life at Sparkman Civic Center, she did it in style.

It didn’t matter whether she was battling breast cancer or that her husband, Joe, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer within a week of her diagnosis, she was going to have a good time.

Hardin was raising her hands, making faces doing other fun activities during the lap and throughout the night.

“It’s a great night tonight,” she said. “It’s great to see all of this support here tonight.”

This was the first year that the Relay for Life committee planned to have the event indoors at Sparkman Civic Center.

Karen Borden, specialist with Relay for Life who assisted Hartselle-Morgan Relay for Life, said she thought the event went well, especially after the local Relay for Life raised at least $60,000 and counting.

She said it was due to the hard work of the 24 teams more than 135 participants that helped raise money and help organize the event.

“It was a great year,” Borden said. “Our teams worked really hard and the Relay for Life committee did an outstanding job. The success of the event had nothing to do with me. They were the ones who put this event together.”

One of those teams was Team Hardin, in honor of Joe and Paula. They sold barbecue rib and chicken plates along with other items throughout the night.

Teams from each of the Hartselle City Schools also participated in the event, along with numerous other teams.

Borden said they will be scheduling a meeting following the event and talk about ways to improve it in the future.

And the fundraising will continue through August, when the yearly campaign ends.