NORTH TAHOE PLANNING 2010 OLYMPIC HERITAGE CELEBRATION

NORTH TAHOE PLANNING 2010 OLYMPIC HERITAGE CELEBRATION

(NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nevada) – Some would say that the 1960 Winter Olympics put Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley USA on the map. While the destination was quite likely to evolve on its own, playing host to the world’s finest athletes during the first-ever televised games pushed Lake Tahoe into the international limelight. Nearly 50 years later, area residents and visitors are preparing to commemorate the event with an Olympic Heritage Celebration. 

Locals and travelers will launch a season-long recognition of the area’s Olympic heritage, which continues to instill a sense of cooperation, camaraderie, community and respectful competition. The festivities are set to begin January 2010 in honor of the spirit and legacy of the 1960 games and will include ten days of reenacted events, competitions (on the rink as well as the snow) and recognition of past and present local Olympians.

“There’s a certain prestige to say you ski Lake Tahoe or are a Tahoe local and that’s directly related to our place in Olympic history,” Andy Chapman, tourism director for the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, said. “We’ve seen some amazing things happen here and we’ve produced some of the world’s finest winter athletes. It’s only appropriate that we embrace this very important part of who we are.”

The inaugural celebration, whose theme is “Share the Spirit,” will also launch the Squaw Valley Museum. The museum is scheduled for completion in 2012 and will combine exhibits and artifacts from the 1960 Winter Olympics, as well as showcase western winter sports heritage. As a center for the celebration of snow sports and mountain culture, the Squaw Valley Museum will pay tribute to the pioneers of winter sports in the Sierra Nevada and honor the athletes who pursued Olympic excellence.

North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations, recreation and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3296 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus, Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, work together to promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination.