The Olympic torch is spending the night in Prince George, and that means there will be two opportunities to catch a glimpse of the flame as it passes through the city.
It will arrive on Friday evening and begin its trip through the city from Van Bien elementary school, 5:09 p.m. start.
The torch will be carried through many Prince George streets including Westwood,
Massey, Dominion, Third Avenue, Victoria, Seventh Avenue, through Civic Centre Plaza, Winnipeg, Edmonton, 15th Avenue and Ospika before arriving at Exhibition Park for the community celebration from 6 to 8 p.m.
The next morning on January 30, the torch relay starts at 7:30 a.m. with a 17-minute lap
around UNBC, starting from the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre and then heads west with stops planned in many communities between Fort St. James and Hazelton.
"We're thrilled to be hosting the torch relay on campus Saturday morning and would like to
extend an invitation for the entire community to join with us on campus," said UNBC president, George Iwama. "It's especially fitting that the run at UNBC will start from the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre, which was created to be a local Olympic legacy."
To help ensure torchbearers' safety and provide opportunity for the public to see the flame, motorists are asked to refrain from parking along the route. People who want to see the torchbearers carrying the flame are advised to be on the right hand side of the road.
Also, free bus service to from Pine Centre and Spruceland to Exhibition Park will be available starting at 5 p.m. and lasting until 9:30 p.m. with buses picking up passengers every 15 minutes. The free family event features exciting entertainment sponsored by RBC and Coca Cola, national sponsors of the relay, and great performances by local entertainers and will be capped off with one of the most impressive fireworks show ever seen in Prince George.
The highlight of the celebration will be cheering local national junior alpine ski team member Alix Wells, as she brings the Olympic flame onto the stage and lights the cauldron.
The relay, which lasts 106 days and will involve 12,000 torchbearers passing through more than 1,000 communities across Canada, ends on Feb. 12 when it lights the Olympic cauldron, signaling the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
