Olympic Torch Relay Arrives in Valley
Jan. 8, 2002
Valley athletes, activists and volunteers will serve as torchbearers Jan.
13 when the Olympic flame winds its way through the streets of three Valley
cities on its way to Salt Lake City and the opening of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The torch will begin its Valley appearance at Chapman Chevrolet in Chandler
and move into Tempe, heading north on Mill Avenue from University Drive at
about 4:30 p.m. Tempe City Councilmember Ben Arredondo will lead the Tempe
torchbearer team as it moves through Tempe and into Scottsdale.
As the torch
heads down Rural Road it will enter Scottsdale and proceed north until making
a 15-minute stop at the Civic Center Mall, which is located just north of
the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.
A ceremony marking the torch's arrival
is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., part of a day-long festival of international music
and dance on the mall.
The free Sunday A'fair program runs from noon to 6
p.m. and features the West African drum and dance group Sankofa, the Scottsdale
International Club's youth Folklorico dance troupe and the band Swingtips.
The Olympic torch will leave the mall area at about 5:45 p.m. and resume its
journey through the streets of downtown Scottsdale before heading westbound
down Camelback Road into Phoenix.
The torch is expected to enter Phoenix at
6:45 p.m. and continue west on Camelback to Central Avenue. At Roosevelt and
Central, it will veer to First Avenue then travel south toward Patriots Square
at Copper Square in downtown Phoenix.
A free "end-of-day" celebration at Patriots
Square from 6:30-9 p.m. will feature Olympic officials, torchbearer introduction,
live entertainment, video presentations, and displays by Coca-Cola and Chevrolet,
the relay's co-presenting sponsors. Food and beverages also will be sold.
The Valley's last torchbearer will enter Patriots Square about 8:45 p.m. to
light a ceremonial cauldron. From Patriots Square, the torch will travel by
train to Yuma.
The same flame that passed through the Valley will be used to light the Olympic cauldron in Salt Lake City on Feb. 8, signifying the start of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The flame, which was lit in Olympia, Greece, will travel 13,500 miles on its way to the Winter Games. Every imaginable mode of transportation is used to transport the torch as it makes its way through 46 states in the hands of 11,500 individuals.
For more information on:
· Scottsdale's Sunday A'fair celebration, contact the Scottsdale Center for the Arts at (480) 994-ARTS or visit the website: http://www.scottsdalearts.org/sca/sundayfair.asp.
· Phoenix's end-of-day celebration, call 602-261-8069.
View Map of Torch Run
Media Contact:
| Joyce Valdez |
602-262-4996 (Phoenix) |
| Pat Dodds |
480-312-2336 (Scottsdale) |
| Mary Fowler |
480-350-8096 (Tempe) |
