The Olympic torch zigzagged around Central Alberta on Friday warming people’s hearts.
Hundreds of spectators lined streets to see the flame and cheer on torchbearers in Ponoka, Lacombe and Sylvan Lake.
Lacombe Mayor Judy Gordon said the torch wasn’t in town for long. Some of the fun was the anticipation of its arrival. But once the flame arrived, it had a big impact.
“It just sort of grabs you and makes you feel very, very proud,” said Gordon where about 3,000 people came out to welcome the flame in Lacombe.
People were happy, high-spirited, and glad to be Canadian, she said.
Ivor Bernatsky watched from on top of the Bank of Montreal building in Lacombe.
“It was inspiring to see the town get together and be connected to the country,” Bernatsky said.
In each community, people rallied and waived flags big and small. They joined in choruses of Oh Canada and snapped photos of the famous flame.
Torchbearer Ashley Wilton beamed as the crowd surrounded her at the end of her run near Diamond Willow School in Ponoka.
“Everybody wants to see it,” said Wilton about the torch she carried that was still hot to the touch.
“The support was so overwhelming. I can’t even describe it. It was so awesome.”
The torch relay brought back fond memories for Kathy Hodges, of Ponoka, and her family.
Hodges was a torchbearer in the 1988 Calgary Olympics when she was 14 and she still had her torch relay jacket.
“I wore it a lot then we put it away,” said Hodges about the red and white jacket her five-year-old son Kolton wore to Friday’s torch relay.
Fireworks crackled and streaked across the sky while people sang Oh Canada during the Sylvan Lake relay.
Mayor Susan Samson said she’s never seen such community support.
“I am so proud of our community,” Samson said choking back tears.
“I think Sylvan Lake just so embraced it — it’s unbelievable. It’s us being Canadian.”
The relay inspired young athletes in the Ponoka crowd like Kyiera Heltman, nine.
“I’d like to be a swimmer in Olympics when I’m older,” said Heltman who is in her second year of competitive swimming.
Andy Scharr, of Sylvan Lake, wearing a Canadian hockey jersey, said the relay was a rare opportunity he didn’t want his family to miss.
“Who knows when (the torch) will be back to Canada again,” Scharr said.
Now all that’s left is for the Olympic games to start.
Scharr said it may not be easy for the Canadians to win gold in hockey as the pressure from the entire nation weighs down on players. But with plenty of Stanley Cup champions on the team, he’s optimistic.
“I have no doubt they’ll do it.”
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com