Ten years later, it’s time to “Light the Fire Within” once again.

Park City is slated to celebrate the anniversary of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games on Wednesday, Feb. 1, one week before the actual 10th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony, and the activities planned should make it a memorable one.

According to Bob Kollar, director of special events for the Park City Chamber/Bureau, the festivities are scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. Wednesday evening. From 5 to 9 p.m., Main Street in Park City will be transformed from a Sundance Film Festival Mecca into a vibrant stage to relive the 2002 Olympics.

Kollar said scheduled activities will include:

  • The Kimball Art Center will unveil a special retrospective 2002 exhibit, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the garage gallery. Memorabilia and photographs from the Winter Games 10 years ago will be the main attraction. There will also be a community wall downstairs, where people will be able to post photographs and memories of the 2002 Games.
  • Former Olympians from 2002 will sign autographs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Kimball Art Center.
  • A pin-trading tent will be open on the back patio of the Kimball Art Center from 5 to 9 p.m.
  • Official mascots from the 2002 Games, Powder, Copper and Coal, will be on Main Street for photos with kids and adults.
  • A video board on Main Street will show rotating highlights of the 2002 Games.
  • A free concert featuring Robert Randolph & the Family Band kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Main Street, followed by fireworks. Kollar said half an hour prior to the concert there will be an “Olympic spirit contest,” with awards for the most spirited outfit. Kollar said he hopes to see everyone sporting 2002 Games apparel and memorabilia.
  • Representatives from each Olympic legacy venue — Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park — as well as members of the United States Ski & Snowboard Association will address the crowd on Park City’s enduring Olympic legacy and how the 10 years following the Games have affected the community.
  • A number Olympians from the 2002 Games will be on the stage on Main Street, as well as some local athletes who recently competed at the Youth Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

    Kollar said a number of other events celebrating the Olympic legacy in Park City and elsewhere in the state are scheduled throughout February. The celebration on Main Street Wednesday also kicks off the competitions over the course of the next two weeks. The VISA Freestyle International World Cup at Deer Valley Resort is scheduled for Feb. 2-4. Feb. 6-11, an Intercontinental Cup for skeleton will be featured at the Utah Olympic Park, and on Feb. 9-12, the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding & Freeskiing Grand Prix comes to Canyons Resort.

    On Feb. 9, the Utah Olympic Park will hold a community celebration open house from 5 to 6 p.m., welcoming the public to celebrate the anniversary of the Games with Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have ties to Park City and Summit County.

    “Everything is going along really well,” said Jennifer Clarke, public relations manager for the Utah Olympic Park. “It’s really snowballed into something pretty big.”

    Clarke said a new exhibit featuring 2002 Olympic Winter Games photographs and memorabilia is now open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Utah Olympic Park.

    On Feb. 18, Sarah Hughes, 2002 gold medal figure skater, will be featured in the “Tribute to Salt Lake 2002 featuring Stars on Ice” celebration at EnergySolutions Arena, along with Canadian pairs skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, who also won gold in 2002.

    “Winning the gold medal was pure joy,” Hughes said in a release. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I hold so many wonderful memories of the Salt Lake Olympic Games. I am thrilled to return to Salt Lake City to celebrate this landmark anniversary.”

    On Feb. 8, Rice-Eccles Stadium will take a step back in time and relight the Olympic cauldron at the stadium in Salt Lake City.

    For more information about these and other events and activities, including “A Tribute to Salt Lake 2002 with Stars on Ice,” go to www.saltlake2002.com. Please contact [email protected].