The community will have a chance to celebrate past and present Olympic athletes – and meet them in person - during a parade on Main Street this Friday starting at 5:00 pm.
Emily Fisher, Executive Director of Youth Sports Alliance, says it’s a great chance for the community to come together.
“YSA Olympic and Paralympic homecoming parade is one of my favorite community events. It's something that the Youth Sports Alliance organizes every four years. We're hopeful that we'll have 40 to 50 current Beijing Olympians and Olympians that have participated in previous games. So we invite all of the current Olympians and then any Olympians who live really in most of Utah.”
The parade starts at the top of Main Street and ends at Seventh Street. There will be a stage at Town Lift Plaza where athletes will be available for autographs and photos while the local band Lash LaRue plays.
Fisher says it’s an inspirational event for young athletes who hope to become Olympians someday.
“Yeah, I mean, that's what I love about the event. We ask all those Olympians that won a medal to bring them with them. Hopefully they will hopefully they have them with them. But we know that Colby Stevenson who won a silver in Big Air will be there. Casey Dawson, who won a bronze in speed skating team will be there. Jaelin Kauf silver metal in women's moguls along with locals Ashley Farquharson and Stephen Schumann. Jared Shumate, several others will be there as well.”
With parades come street closures, and this will be no exception. Jenny Diersen, Park City Special Events and Economic Development Program Manager, says there are a few closures the community should be aware of.
“There's a couple of different things that the community should pay attention to lower Main, which is really Seventh Street, all the way down to the bottom of Main Street in Deer Valley drive that's going to close at two o'clock, we will always post that closure at one o'clock that gives people time if they you know if they've parked on there and need to get a cup of coffee or drop their skis off or whatever it is. That gives them time before we do the hard closure on lower Main. And then the rest of Main Street will be posted at three o'clock for no parking. But the street will close at four o'clock to prepare for the parade which begins at five o'clock PM.”
Diersen says public parking will be available at China Bridge for $3.00 an hour.
“So we just really want to encourage folks, please don't cut through residential roads. It's just not nice. It's not what we should be doing. So please come up Marsac if you are looking for parking, use Marsac avenue to enter on China bridge.”
