Wacky `Anything Goes’ event fun fund-raiser to fight diabetes

Human croquet is an odd perscription for a deadly disease, but the Bangor Chapter of the American Diabetes Association is going to give it a try on Saturday.

From 1-4 p.m. at the Bangor High School Gymnasium, 100 people will take part in human croquet and nine other events as part of the Diabetes Association fund-raiser “Anything Goes!” The competition — complete with clowns, music and refreshments — is open to the public, with a $1 donation from adults.

“We really want the spectators to come out for this. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Colleen Adams, a participant and organizer of Anything Goes. Adams said that the events require speed, agility and most of all, a sense of humor.

Human croquet, a more dynamic version of the staid lawn sport, features people as both the projectiles and the wickets. In relay-race style, competitors dive through a course of wickets at top speed. “It has to be seen to be believed,” Adams said.

Human croquet is just the beginning. Other events include balloon hockey, a mummy race and the toilet paper toss.

Lisa Fortier was a participant in Anything Goes last year. This year, she is a team captain, with a squad recruited from friends, aunts, uncles and “even my sister,” she said.

Fortier said that the action out on the floor is highly competitive, when the participants are not laughing too hard. There is even greater competition, however, to see who can raise the most funds, she said.

In the fall of 1988, when the Bangor Chapter held its first “Anything Goes!,” it raised $9,000 from corporate and individual sponsors. That money went to help educate people to the nature and risks of diabetes, as well as promote research into the disease. This year the group hopes that total will reach new heights.

While she is taking part for the fun of it, Fortier understands the importance of the event as well — she is one of Maine’s 60,000 diabetics. She gives herself insulin shots twice a day to treat the symptoms of the disease, but she hopes that a cure for the disease itself can be found in her lifetime.

“I want to promote the research and I want them to find a cure,” she said. “I hope they do.”