The 16th annual Dempsey Challenge kicked off Saturday morning as actor Patrick Dempsey greeted a crowd of more than 100 cyclists and event attendees, many of whom have been impacted by cancer themselves, at the opening ceremony.

Kara Hebert, of Embden, rode in the 65-mile route, her first time participating in the challenge this year, in honor of her mother who was recently diagnosed with cancer, she said. 

“I figured she is doing something very hard, so I am, too,” she said.

The Dempsey Challenge, started in 2009, raises money for the Dempsey Center, founded a year earlier by the actor. The Dempsey Center provides wellness services to cancer patients at no cost to them. Some of those services include counseling, support groups, nutrition and fitness classes.

The routes were all changed this year to make them safer, along with an added gravel path. The Survivor Walk was renamed the Honor Walk this year as a way to respect people who do not like using the word “survivor” to describe their cancer journey, according to Dempsey Center spokesperson Katelynn Davis.

Dempsey and his family led the Honor Walk this year after most people had retired from their routes. Cancer survivor and oncology nurse Carrie Whitmore won this year’s Amanda Dempsey Award, which is given to a cancer survivor who helps others with cancer in Maine.

This year’s fundraising goal was $1.9 million. Of that goal, $1.66 million had been raised as of Saturday.

Dempsey himself could be seen at the event talking to challenge participants and meeting fundraisers. There is a real sense of community at the Dempsey Challenge, with people who come back every year, he said.

To him, the Dempsey Center is owned by the community, a community he continues to be more grateful for as time goes on, he said. He is proud of the community he comes from.

“I have had the opportunity to travel the world and I appreciate it (coming home) now more than ever,” he said.

He encourages people to monitor themselves for symptoms, eat well, stay active and reach out to the Dempsey Center if they have been diagnosed with cancer.

Kelly Wilkinson, of Buckfield, attended the event for the first year with her sisters and fundraising team Songbird. She used to do shows with Dempsey when they were young and he was just a “freckle-faced kid,” she said.

She honored her mother, who had cancer, and her sister, Rhonda Hoyt, who is now recovering from breast cancer.

Hoyt was diagnosed last year. Fortunately, her doctors caught it early and her treatments were successful, she said. She continues to be monitored by her doctor but all tests look good so far. She encourages anyone going through treatment right now to ask for help if they need it and stay positive. “A positive mindset is huge,” she said.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline could be seen walking around the event Saturday morning talking to and taking selfies with people.

“Patrick Dempsey’s commitment to honoring his mom’s legacy through The Dempsey Challenge shines through every year, and I couldn’t be more proud of the hope and healing the Dempsey Center brings to those in our community affected by cancer,” he said.

Amy Weglarz bicycled up from North Carolina as part of a ride for Challenge to Conquer Cancer, which raises money for research and survivorship, she said. The team set out on Sept. 13 and ended its trip in Maine Friday, just ahead of the Dempsey Challenge — the team’s usual end point.

It was Weglarz’s first time participating in the ride to Maine and in the Dempsey Challenge. She participated in honor of her recently diagnosed father, and her uncle who is still recovering from his cancer journey, she said.

Instead of biking, Weglarz participated in the 5K run, wearing a Buc-ee’s onesie she picked up in Virginia at the popular store during the ride up to Maine, she said. She was excited to participate.

“I think this is a pretty cool thing in a small town nobody would otherwise know anything about,” she said.