The Arroyo Grande Rotary Club?s 36th annual Rotary Relays will take place Saturday at the Arroyo Grande High School field.

This year, the all-day event will feature 350 local middle school students competing in various track and field events. Schools participating this year include Mesa Middle School, Paulding Middle School, Judkins Middle School, and seventh- and eighth-grade students from St. Patrick?s Elementary School and Central Coast Christian School.

In 1970, the Arroyo Grande Rotary Club initiated the first Rotary Relays, a track meet held at the Arroyo Grande High School field for all seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls enrolled in local public and parochial schools.

The Rotary Relays are a full-scale meet, with a professional starter supervising the races. Rotarians time the races and judge other events. The Rotary Club also provides food and refreshments and a T-shirt to each contestant. Ribbons and trophies for the Relay winners are also provided by the Rotary Club. Families and friends of the track and field competitors are welcome to attend and cheer on their favorite athlete.

The Rotary Relays is the only track and field competition for local students in the seventh and eighth grades, according to event organizers in a recent press release from the club. The event also creates an interest for many of these students to participate further in track and field activities as they progress into high school. Because of this interest, local high school teams have become outstanding, with a number of athletes competing in foreign meets, according to the press release.

For information about the Rotary Relays, contact Arroyo Grande Rotary member Nancy DePue at 489-2738.