According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 34,380 Minnesotans were diagnosed with cancer last year. Thousands more have been experienced the disease firsthand, and it remains the leading cause of death in the state.
Where any single statistic fails to capture the full breadth of cancer’s impact, Blooming Prairie’s Field of Flags stands as a palpable visualization of an incalculable calamity.
Just east of Highway 218, 250 large pink flags wave in honor of everyone who’s experienced the disease. The Blooming Prairie Cancer Group planted the flags Aug. 25 with the help of volunteers including the local volleyball, cross country and football teams.
By giving $10 to the BP Cancer Group, donors can purchase a small flag for a loved one who’s experienced cancer. This year’s field of flags features the names of 320 people whose loved ones have donated on their behalf.
That not only represents a record number of donations in the field of flags’ history, but also massive growth from its first year, which brought in 75 donations.
The field of flags has been a tradition for around a decade. Even after all these years, Cheri Krejci still finds herself moved whenever she sees them flying in the wind.
“Every time I drive by them, it’s like hope. Hope that someday there will be a cure,” she said.
Krejci, a cancer survivor who also lost her parents to the disease, has been a member of the group for years. She invited people to walk the field and read the names of the people honored and memorialized there.
A few years ago, Krejci received a card from a woman from Austin testifying to the impact the field of flags has on cancer survivors. The woman drove past the field regularly on her way to radiation treatments in Rochester. She told Krejci that seeing the flags made her feel like she was not alone in fighting the disease.
To support its ongoing efforts to fund a cure for cancer and support cancer patients and their families, the BP Cancer Group is hosting its annual fundraiser auction Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6 and 7. The event will include live auctions, bingo, a cash raffle and more.
That Saturday, the Awesome Blossoms will don pink jerseys for their game against the Fillmore Central Falcons, in support of the BP Cancer Group.
The BP Cancer Group will also host Sportsman Bingo on Sept. 5, where guests can play for firearms and a hunting trip donated by Wild Wildebeest Lodge in South Africa.
The field of flags will be on display until Sept. 15.
IF YOU GO
The 23rd Annual Blooming Prairie Cancer Auction begins 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 outside the Blooming Prairie Cue Company. The following will feature family bingo 4-6 p.m., followed by a live auction at 6:30.
For more information on the upcoming fundraiser, visit bpcancergroup.org .
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