GAINESVILLE - Plans are picking up steam not only in Atlanta but Gainesville as well as both cities prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 1996 Olympics.
A meeting is planned Tuesday night at 6:00 the Lake Lanier Olympic Center, which hosted Olympic rowing and canoe/kayak events, to further discuss plans for the Gainesville celebration which will be held July 22.
The activities planned so far for the celebration include a torch run, silent auction, music, food, and reunion activities for 1996 Olympic Volunteers and athletes. In addition, there will be the Lanier Cup Purse race for canoe/kayak, the Georgia Games race for rowing, and Dragon Boat racing, as well.
ATLANTA'S PLANS
Organizers of the 1996 Olympic Games say their legacy continues to drive an economic revival in Atlanta ten years later.
Billy Payne, who spearheaded the city's successful bid to host the games, said projects in downtown Atlanta as diverse as the Georgia Aquarium, Phillips Arena and a planned multi-(b) billion-dollar mixed-use development can be traced back to the games.
Payne's comments Monday come one month before the tenth anniversary of the 1996 Games' opening ceremonies. Organizers are planning a series of events, from a concert in Centennial Olympic Park to a new museum at the Atlanta History Center, to mark the date.
Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, said the 17-day international stage the Olympics provided for Atlanta had a clear impact. He said about 16-hundred international companies are now based in Atlanta, twice as many as ten years ago, and a (m) million more people in the Atlanta area than there were before the Games.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
Saturday
October 12th, 2024
10:30PM
