CHESAPEAKE — The first big track meet of the season locally will go on without one of the mainstays of the event.

Kenny Dillon has turned over his position as the starter for the 39th Annual Chesapeake-Proctorville-Rome Lion’s Club Invitational Track and Field Meet. The meet will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at the Chesapeake High School track and will feature 10 teams from Ohio and West Virginia.

Dillon, an 81-year-old Chesapeake resident and Lion’s Club member, has decided to pack away his gun after nearly 20 years at the starting line.

Dillon was not just the long-time starter for the Lion’s track meet; he was a professional — literally. For more than 35 years, Dillon was a part of track meets at University of Tennessee, Ohio University and Middle Tennessee State

The starter’s job is not simply to shoot the gun at the start of each race, Dillon explained. There are many other jobs, including to inspect and test all starting and timing devices, meet with other officials to confirm times and start and finish procedures, control the environment around the starting area, check for uniform or jewelry violations.

Dillon said his age and weakened legs have led to his retirement from the track. But, he will still remain active in the meet, which takes more than two months to pull together.

There will be more than 30 volunteers to help Dillon out Friday. That’s about half of the Lion’s Club membership, he said.

“We all really get involved with it (track meet),” he said. “It is an important community event that benefits a lot of people.”

According to Bob Smith, Lion’s Club president, the money raised at the event — usually about $4,000 to $5,000 — is used throughout the year to fulfill the club’s motto “We Serve.”

“This meet provides the money we use for the glasses and eye exams provided for the needy in the communities we serve,” Smith said. “It also funds the other services we provide in the community.”

The meet is also a good time for the fans and the teams that compete.

“It’s usually jam-packed there and everybody has a really good time,” Dillon said. “It is a great tradition and it’s great to give back to the kids this way.”

Tickets for the meet are $4 each, which includes an event program.