Lake Placid, Adirondacks USA -  Lake Placid will celebrate 11 local athletes returning from the Sochi Olympic Winter Games on Sunday, March 16, with a Main Street parade beginning at 6 PM.

The participants will gather near the Skating Oval, and will march through the village to Mirror Lake Drive, culminating at The Cottage Cafe. The community is invited to line the parade route, support the Adirondacks’ home-grown winter sports talent and join the fun when the parade ends.

Four medal-winning competitors in Sochi will deliver speeches at The Cottage, after brief comments by several local elected officials. This will be followed by the lighting of the cauldron and a fireworks display over Mirror Lake provided by Clauss Chiropractic.

The four Olympians – Andrew Weibrecht (silver, alpine skiing); Erin Hamlin (bronze, luge); Steve Holcomb (two bronze, bobsled); and Steve Langton (two bronze, bobsled) - will bring their Sochi medals on Sunday for photo ops.

They will be joined in the parade and post-event festivities by fellow Sochi Olympians Justin Olsen (bobsled), as well as Chris Mazdzer, Tucker West, Aidan Kelly, Summer Britcher, Matt Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman (all luge).  All 11 Olympians will be available to meet and greet fans, residents and visitors after the fireworks display.

Numerous local scholastic groups will also participate in the Olympic parade and related events, including the Lake Placid High School Chorus, New York Ski Educational Foundation, Lake Placid Ski Club, Lake Placid Skating Club, Northwood School, National Sports Academy, USA Luge juniors and candidates, as well as youth groups from the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.

Saranac Lake Parade and Celebration

There will also be a parade and Olympic celebration in nearby Saranac Lake on March 26, at 3:30 PM, featuring Sochi Olympians Tim Burke, Lowell Bailey, Annelise Cook (all three in biathlon); Chris Mazdzer (luge); Bill Demong (Nordic combined); and Peter Frenette (ski jumping). Other Olympians may also attend.  

Organizers are asking attendees to make posters, dress in red, white and blue, and bring American flags and noisemakers. The parade will proceed from Boadway to Main Street and continue into the town hall, where Olympians and elected officials will speak, and all attendees will have a chance to obtain autographs from the Olympians. Light refreshments will be served. 

###

The Lake Placid Olympic parade is a collaboration of the Villages of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, Town of North Elba, U.S. Olympic Training Center, Lake Placid Central School, Lake Placid Business Association, New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST).