About Midnight: Stuck in Jail at Relay!

Well, Patch readers, I am in jail!

Well, a cardboard jail. Budget cuts apparently.

Family Pride Fighters, a group of family members who have bound together to put a fight to end cancer, have set up a temporary holding cell as a fundraiser.

Amanda Petchonka, the Team Captain for Family Pride Fighters, says their team was interested in forming a team after her father Charles lost his battle with lung cancer in February 2002. This is their sixth year at Relay For Life, their first here in Dunedin. "He was an amazing man and everyone in the family just adored him," Petchonka says. 

Their fundraiser is an interesting one. For $5, someone can have a friend, family member ... or just about anyone, "locked up" for 15 minutes. They can then pay $3 to bail themselves out (a break in today's economy!) or do the dreaded Chicken Dance in front of our Relay audience. Dunedin's Relay theme this year is "movies," so all the camp sites are themed around a movie. Petchonka says their team's theme is "The Longest Yard," which is how they came to the idea of a jail cell.

It's an interesting idea. I'm stuck in a cardboard jail for a good cause! Its an even better entertainment value as I'm sitting here with my computer wide open, writing about my experiences. Ah, my mother would be proud.

Jeff Risk, who is guarding my cell, is a member of the Pride Fighters Team. In real life, Risk is actually a corrections deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. He's volunteering his time tonight all for some good fun and a great cause.

Well, hopefully someone bails me out soon! It's only $3, can't be that bad, right? Right?!? 

(I was just informed I have 7 minutes to go ... hm, another blog?)

Blog you later!