Olympic fever is rising in Osoyoos as local plans are finalized to host the Olympic Torch overnight Jan. 24. That day, the Torch Relay will move westward along Highway 3, winding down Anarchist Mountain into this South Okanagan resort town, where major local celebrations will be held.

The Flame of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games will officially arrive at about 7:15 p.m. on that Sunday, carried by local resident Tony Batista onto the stage in the middle of a splashy two-hour show being held at Gyro Beach, downtown.

The 6-8 p.m. show will be followed by an aboriginal-themed evening event at the Osoyoos Indian Band’s NK’MIP Resort on the east side of town. The Torch and a large number of media and Relay support staff will overnight at the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort. The next morning, Jan. 25, the Olympic Flame will be carried north along Highway 97 to its next overnight stay in Kelowna.

Town of Osoyoos Recreation Director Gerald Davis says planning is well underway for local celebration activities that will begin on Jan. 24 even before the Torch arrives. These may include a Lions Club pancake breakfast, free skating at the Sun Bowl Arena, a 3-on-3 hockey tournament, a Family Jamboree curling event, and free public use of the Sonora Community Centre.  Celebration banners have already been put on local streetlight posts, and a large banner will go up over Main Street in a few weeks.

Davis says the major celebration will be held on a special stage travelling with the Torch Relay, which will be set up at Gyro Beach. The program – to be emceed by former Osoyoos mayor Tom Shields – will include about 50 minutes of entertainment by a number of local performers. It will also feature videos and entertainment from VANOC (the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games) and the two Torch Relay sponsors, Coca-Cola and RBC Royal Bank, as well as First Nations entertainment. There will also be brief speeches by representatives of Osoyoos, VANOC, and the federal and provincial governments. The event will be capped by a bonfire on the beach and a 10-15 minute fireworks display. The highlight will be the entrance of the Olympic Torch carried by Batista, a long-time champion competitor in Special Olympics swimming events. Davis says the budget for the Osoyoos community celebration is about $40,000 – with $22,000 from the provincial government, $15,000 from the federal government, and the remainder from the Town.