Friday event benefits Mountain Laurel Cancer Center  

This Friday night, Oct. 25, The Pavilion at the Pine in Powell Valley will host an evening of frights and fun for all ages, and it’s for a great cause.

The 2019 Halloween Bash and Fall Festival will feature costume contests for children and adults, a cornhole tournament, Halloween trivia, raffles and music and dancing with DJ Jahmal Potter. GetFed! food truck will be there too.

The festival will begin at 6 p.m. Cornhole tournament participants are asked to register by 5:30 p.m. Pavilion at the Pine is located at 2800 Country Club Road, Big Stone Gap.

Besides being lots of fun, Friday’s event will also benefit the Mountain Laurel Cancer Support and Resource Center (MLCC), a program of Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc.

MLCC provides free assistance to cancer patients, their families and caregivers in Lee, Scott and Wise counties and the City of Norton, a region with the state’s highest cancer mortality rate.

MLCC offers educational material and resources such as liquid nutrition, home-delivered meals, gas cards, transportation and assistance with utility bills to patients who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

Pavilion at the Pine owner Dr. Andrew Botts hopes the event can generate a sizeable donation to MLCC. Since July, the venue – a space for weddings, class reunions and other community activities – has hosted a monthly event to boost a local non-profit, he explained. “It’s an opportunity for us to partner with the community to help some good causes,” noted Botts. July’s event aided The Gap Partnership, and Lunchbox 276 benefited in August and September.

Like Botts, MLCC coordinator Dianne Morris is hoping for a good crowd at Friday night’s event. “We provide help to area cancer patients in a variety of ways. All of our services are free, and we provide them strictly with donations and fundraisers. Every little bit truly does help,” noted Morris.

Visit Pavilion at the Pine on Facebook for more information about Friday’s event.