The second annual Mayfield Dairy Ice Cream Sandwich Eating Contest is set to be part of the 31st annual American Cancer Society Cleveland Bradley Relay for Life on Saturday, April 20, in downtown Cleveland.
Last year’s Mayfield contest featured 23 contestants. Winning the championship belts were John Squires, Cleveland State Community College, Vice President for Economic & Community Development, and Carla Critchfield, formerly of Smile Doctors and representing their Relay Team. Squires and Critchfield ate 23 full size Mayfield Ice Cream Sandwiches in five minutes plus a one-minute overtime. The individual event at the Relay raised more than $15,000, thanks to each contestant raising at minimum of $500 to fight cancer.
“Twenty-three gladiators entered the Mayfield ring and shoved ice cream sandwiches in their mouth as fast as they could,” said 2023 and 2024 Chairperson Dewayne Belew. “John and Carla are now in the Mayfield Ice Cream Sandwich Hall of Fame. Seriously, these great people raised money to help rid our world of cancer as we know it.”
The 2023 Cleveland Bradley raised $172,000 and finished as the number one Relay in the State of Tennessee. The Relay was ranked the 50th most productive relay out of the 2500 plus Relays in the United States. The Cleveland Relay also featured the Wesley Cornerstone Team that ranked first in Tennessee in terms of fundraising and number 55th in the entire U.S.
The theme for this year's Relay is International festival Of HOPE. Volunteers have been working for months to organize and recruit Teams and Sponsors for 2024.
“Hope has been the watchword for the ACS Relay for Life for decades,” said Dewayne Belew.
“We want more Survivors and Caregivers to join us so we can honor them and advance cancer research.”
To learn more about the Cleveland Bradley Relay or to join the event as a survivor, participant, team captain or to donate go to relayforlife.org/bradleytn or call the ACS helpdesk at 800-227-2345.
“If you want to eat delicious Mayfield Dairy Ice Cream sandwiches to fight cancer, let us know,” Mr. Belew said. “More in 2024…Survivors, Caregivers, Money Raised, Teams, Sponsors, and Ice Cream Sandwiches eaten.”