Gone were the familiar surroundings of East Wake High School. Five County Stadium provided the backdrop for this year’s event.

The track — grass instead of asphalt — grew muddy as walkers made their way round and round the track.

Despite the differences, there was a lot that was familiar about this year’s event.

People turned out en masse, as they have now for 11 years. Churches, businesses and organizations fielded teams as did friends and family members of cancer victims.

Another familiar scene was the smell of food wafting above the area where the walk took place.

From roasted corn and french fries to more common fare like hot dogs and hamburgers, this year’s Relay For Life was almost as much about good food as it was about raising money. Almost.

Event organizers had plenty of entertainment lined up. Except for a small group of preteen boys who made their own entertainment by doing belly flops through a small river of overflowing water, everyone stopped what they were doing from time to time to catch a glimpse of what was happening on the stage.

And here’s another familiar scene for those who have been regular visitors at the Relay For Life.

There are few regular events that draw as much on the heartstrings as a Relay For Life event.

The Survivor’s Lap, which opens the event, is a testament to the willpower of people to hang on to life. It’s also a strong indicator that the money raised by events like this is helping provide better treatment.

As the sky turns dark and luminaries light the track, everyone is reminded that there is still work to be done.

And that’s what drives so many people to attend this annual event and it’s why so many people work so hard to raise money – hundreds of thousands of dollars right here in eastern Wake County.

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If you haven’t checked out the Eastern Wake News Web site recently, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to do that.

We’ve worked hard over the past year to improve the site. We’ve added new features, increased the number of news updates during the week and reorganized the site to make it more useful to you.

Here’s a quick look at some of the newest features we’ve added.

There’s a new video about Wendell Middle School band director Renee Todd. The video story explains how Todd has turned a first-year band into a tight-sounding team. You won’t find that story in the print edition. It’s one of those that just comes alive with sound.

We’ve also added three online-only columnists. Three writers from Wendell, Knightdale and Zebulon will add a little spice of life to our site. You’ll find yourself nodding your head in recognition as Jennifer Eddins puzzles over the wonders of raising a 12-year-old.

Jen Earp of Wendell and Barrie Davis of Zebulon will offer up their initial postings in the coming weeks.

And, if you want to get away from the rat race for a few minutes, try taking our online quiz.

There are no grades, it’s not even pass-fail. The current quiz will test your knowledge of how the government spends your money.

If you have ideas for future quizzes, send me an e-mail at johnny.whitfield@nando.com. Or you can tell our online editor, Solja Nygard Frangos. Her e-mail is snygard@nando.com.