A torch lighting Saturday will mark 100 days until the start of the B.C. Winter Games, which are coming to Mission from Feb. 20-23.
“It’s going to be a hoot – a real community event to showcase some of our local talent,” said Bronwen Sutherland, Games chair of entertainment, in a release.
The “festival-style” event will commence with entertainment and free food at noon on Nov. 16 at the Leisure Centre, before heading indoors to the north arena for the official torch-lighting at 2:30 p.m.
Inside, residents will get a sneak-peak of the games to watch the Mission Skating Club perform a dazzling choreographed routine. The Mission youth choir and dancers from the Scowlitz First Nation will also perform.
Former Olympic speed skater and Mission resident Eden Donatelli-Green will do the honours of bringing the flame onto the ice to light the six-foot high torch. A 12-foot LED torch – currently in the Leisure Centre lobby – will also be lit on Nov. 16. Both will remain glowing until the games.
“We’re building a lot of interest in the Games,” said Mission Games president Brian Antonson in a release. “I’m looking forward to sparking the fun of the Games on Nov. 16.”
Participants from across the province will compete in 18 sports. Events will be mainly in Mission, but also in Hemlock, Whistler, the Township of Langley, and Abbotsford.
