Team captains filed in one at a time at the Regions Bank downtown to deliver hard-earned donations collected during Relay for Life events this year.

Doors to the bank were locked and security guards opened them only for Relay deliveries Thursday night after 5 p.m.

Unofficially, 197 people making up 35 teams raised more than $47,000 for cancer research.

Thursday night was “Bank Night” for Pike County. And while registered Relay for Life teams were expected to drop off their collected money, organizers were hopeful other community members and businesses would generously open up their hearts and wallets, too, to contribute.

Relay Board Member Shelby Brown was counting the cash and checks at the bank and said totals won’t be revealed until closing ceremonies at 11 p.m. Friday night.

Currently on the leaderboard for top fund-raising teams are the FestiGals with $15,565, KW Plastics with $10,513 and SAHRA Doctors with $2,740.

At the close of the 2011 Relay, officials announced $168,047 had been raised in support of the American Cancer Society, bringing the cumulative total before this year to $2,652,793 since 1995.