Here at The Mercury we have embarked on a bit of craziness, and we're mixing our metaphors and stumbling over catch phrases.

We have signed on (figuratively, not literally) as community partners with the Canine Relay for Life, being held this Saturday at Riverfront Park. We have a company competition going on to see three managers get pied in the face at the event. We have changed the color of The Mercury masthead for this week to purple as part of the American Cancer Society Paint the State Purple campaign that culminates with the Canine Relay.

And, we are co-sponsoring with Relay a Top Dog contest, in which readers vote on a ballot of 40 dogs that appeared in our TimeOut section. Votes are tabulated by the amount of money donated to the American Cancer Society.

The pie in the face event, inspired by similar fund-raisers in elementary schools that end with principals getting pied, dyed or shaved, was the brainchild of police reporter Brandie Kessler, the most competitive and energetic reporter I have ever met. The goal is to raise money for the Dreams for Donna Relay team, founded by the family of Chuck Pitchford, our Sunday editor who lost his wife Donna to cancer a year ago.

Chuck has announced his retirement from the news business, effective next week, so many of us believe an appropriate sendoff would be a faceful of lemon meringue on Saturday. And others, of course, have plenty of reasons for wanting to see the editor or the publisher or the ad director blinking through gobs of whipped topping.

At any rate, we are coming together for a good cause. Which is better than falling apart for a bad one. But, that's a topic for another day.