Mary’s Walk charity event planned for Sunday in Saco

An annual charity walk that has become a tradition in Saco is set to happen on Sunday, after the ice storm last month forced a postponement. 

Mary’s Walk, a two-mile fundraising walk for cancer research, has been held every year since it was established in 1999. It was supposed to happen this year on Sunday, March 24, the day a spring ice storm struck the state. 

“By Sunday, everything was as they predicted, and frozen up,” said Kelly Martin, one of the event’s organizers with the Maine Cancer Foundation. 

Martin said the weather looks to be much nicer on Sunday, April 21, and she is looking forward to seeing more than 1,000 people participate. 

The walk begins and ends at Thornton Academy, a two-mile loop that follows the path that Mary Kelly Libby, a beloved local resident, once walked as her regular constitutional.  

Organizers established the event after Libby passed away from Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Martin said the walk brings participants of all ages, including whole families. 

“It’s absolutely a community event,” she said. 

The walk also generates revenue for research. According to its website, the annual walk has raised more than $4.2 million over the years, and this year Martin said she expects the walk will raise more than $200,000. 

“It’s definitely going to be one of our best years,” she said. 

Online pre-registration is closed, but Martin said anyone may register on the day of the walk starting at 10 a.m. Sunday at Thornton Academy. The walk itself begins at noon.