Big Olympic Day

History will be made when the 2010 Vancouver Olympic flame makes its way through the region.

Eel River Bar

The Olympic Torch Relay is set to arrive in Restigouche from Bathurst at Eel River Bar and be run through the community along Route 134 from 9:02 a.m. to 9:36 a.m. according to information on the Olympic Torch website. (See http://tinyurl.com/localtorch)

Dalhousie

From there, it will be brought to Dalhousie. Runners take it from the corner of Gray and Renfrew streets at 9:40 a.m. down Convent Hill to William St. all the way past Lounsbury Motors to George St. ending at 9:52 a.m.

Campbellton

From Dalhousie, the torch will be brought to Campbellton where runners will begin its trek through the city where Arran and Ramsay streets meet at 10:16 a.m., according to the web site. It will continue down Ramsay to Salmon Blvd. then on to Andrew where it will turn east on Pleasant toward the curling club, to Ritchie St., then to Water St.

From Water it heads west to Subway St, to Roseberry then Sugarloaf St. to Val d'Amour Rd. ending at 11:02 a.m..

Atholville

It will make a brief stop on Val d'Amour Rd. in Atholville near the Sugarloaf Mall where at 11:02 a.m. it will be carried by a handful of runners to the traffic lights by the Superstore, ending at 11:07 a.m. From there, it heads west toward Kedgwick and Saint-Quentin.

The torch is to travel from Bathurst to Edmundston Saturday, with runners carrying it through most larger municipalities, and vehicles used to transport it through most of the country.

Participants

Mike O'Toole, a teacher at Sugarloaf Senior High School in Campbellton said he entered the contest earlier this year to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime event.

"I wanted to be a part of this so I sent in my name and why I should be chosen. The students from Sugarloaf and myself are all very proud to be taking part of this and will share memories that will last a lifetime."

Alaina Petersen-Noel of Dalhousie was also excited about running.

"I am so excited and proud. My brother Denis Petersen ran with the torch for the 1988 Calgary Olympics. So too have two people in the same family. Doing this 21 years apart is amazing," she said.

"I remember waiting on the side of the road in the cold and rain when he ran by us and it made us all warm inside. So no matter what the weather will be on Saturday nothing can dampen or freeze my spirits. I can't wait for Saturday. This is a once in a lifetime chance and the memory will last forever."

Unfortunately, finding the names of runners from Restigouche who will be taking part was not possible. The Coca Cola and 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games websites provided few details on participants, other than first names and initials of last names and the area in the province they are from.