The Park City area celebrated the return of the Winter Olympics Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park.
Hundreds of people sporting 2002 Games apparel and red, white and blue showed up to celebrate together.
Live music set the jovial tone as families visited various Games-themed booths to trade Olympic pins, share their memories from 2002 and learn about legacy programs.
The Alf Engen Ski Museum set out a wooden Olympic torch for everyone to sign. Adults signed up high while little ones signed down low.
Olympic athletes were at the center of the festivities, signing posters and talking to visitors. Olympic freestyle moguls skier Nick Page was among those there.
“It's so special to be able to connect with our community here in Utah and have kids coming up to me saying I want to be in the Olympics in 10 years and be like, ‘Hey, yeah, me too,’” he said.
Page said the 2002 Olympic legacy in Utah shaped his life. He grew up in Park City and trained to be an Olympian in facilities built for the 2002 Games.
Henrike Christiansen and her two children also came to celebrate and meet the Olympians.
She said she watched the 2002 Games on TV from her home country of Germany.
Her family moved to Park City two years ago and Christiansen’s two children are enrolled in 2002 legacy skiing programs.
Her daughter Ellie now has Olympic aspirations.
“She's gonna be in a U12 race series here this year, and so it's the first time that she's really seriously racing. So we're excited,” Christiansen said.
Lori Hamburger wore a plush hat featuring Powder the snowshoe hare as she posed with Copper the coyote, both mascots from the 2002 Games.
Hamburger volunteered for the opening and closing ceremonies in 2002.
She said she went through training on how to hold her hands and got to meet athletes from all over the world.
“It was a blast. I think anybody that has a chance to do it, they would just have a great old time,” Hamburger said.
The highlight of the festivities was the Flying Ace All-Stars Freestyle Show.
The crowd cheered on National Team skiers and current and aspiring Olympians as they performed acrobatic flips off jumps of varying sizes into the Spence Eccles Olympic Freestyle Pool.
During the 2034 Games, Park City Mountain will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding events.
Moguls and aerials competitions will be at Deer Valley Resort.
Utah Olympic Park will host bobsled and ski jumping.
Cross country skiing competitions will be held at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
