Relay highlights festive weekend Olympic flame welcomed DANIELLE SHUGARUE Advertiser

Olympic Flame Keeper Waneek Horn-Miller watches the crowd as Grand Falls-Windsor-Gander-Bonavista Member of Parliament Scott Simms and community torch Bearer Tony Kyritsis celebrate after the lighting of the community cauldron at Centennial Field in Grand Falls-Windsor this past weekend. Danielle Shugarue photo

In ancient Greece, the torch relay represented a summons to the Olympic Games, but this past weekend, the people of Grand Falls-Windsor and its surrounding communities were summoned to be part of the 45,000 km journey that will carry the Olympic flame across the country and allow 12,000 people the opportunity to help bring the flame to its destination in Vancouver to signal the start of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"I think the whole concept of the torch relay is connecting Canada from West to East," said Grand Falls-Windsor Mayor Al Hawkins. "To become a part of that we will have become a part of the whole Olympic experience, which is about peace and fairness in play. It will give us an opportunity to experience first-hand the whole idea of getting together."

An estimated 3,000 people gathered together at Centennial Field when community torch bearer Tony Kyritsis made his way through the field to the waiting cauldron, ignited it and raised his arms in celebration as the crowd on hand cheered.

"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity," said torch bearer Jim Hawco. "Leaving from the town hall for me that was special significance and you just fill right up with pride."

After the field celebrations concluded, the flame was taken by a flame keeper entrusted to watch over it during its epic journey.

The flame keeper was one of 12 aboriginal youth who will act as attendants throughout the relay to help maintain the flame lanterns as well as keep the backup flames burning.

Backup flames are kept in the event the flame is extinguished and needs to be re-lit. In that case, it will still be the flame that was lit by the suns rays in the symbolic ruins of Olympia.

In recognizing the First Nations tradition of fire keepers, when the relay route runs through an Aboriginal community a respected elder will be nominated as an honorary elder fire keeper to acknowledge their commitment to the traditions of their community.

The Olympic flame has a history dating back to the beginning of the games when the flame was ignited in Olympia, Greece when the suns rays set a fire with the help of a mirror. What once was a call to competition is now recognized as a symbol of peace among the continents, and with that symbol making a stop in Grand Falls-Windsor, Mayor Hawkins believes it was a chance for the town to be part of something special.

"I think it's significant in that we became a part of the bigger picture," he said. "We are a few of 12,000 runners will actually take part in the flame that will criss-cross Canada. I guess the whole theme of it is dreaming and dream big and I think that's a good message to take from the opportunity we have not only as a town, but as a province, as a country."

After spending the night, the flame was sent off early Sunday morning by six more torch bearers proudly carrying it their 300 metres from the town hall down Lincoln Road passing the flame from torch to torch. After the flame is passed is decommissioned, never to be lit again.

When the flame had reached the end of the road, it was taken back to continue the journey to Vancouver where it will be lit for the final time on Feb. 12 and summon the world's eyes, if not their competitors, to Canada for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.