Celebrate 50 years of Olympic legacy

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympic Winter Games, Squaw Valley USA and North Lake Tahoe are hosting a weeklong celebration.

The week kicks off today with an Opening Celebration and fireworks display at the Village at Squaw Valley USA. Local Olympians are set to run a torch relay from Sugar Pine Point State Park on the West Shore up to Squaw Valley where the resort will reignite the Olympic flame.

Following speeches by Uncle E, Jonny Moseley and Squaw Valley CEO Nancy Cushing, the sky will erupt into a fireworks display.

Olympians from the 1960 Winter Games plan to return to the area, many for the first time since then.

The 10-day celebration will culminate with the 1960 Olympic Legends Gala, where revelers will have the opportunity to mingle and dance with Olympians past and present in the Grand Ballroom at the Resort at Squaw Creek.

Planning to attend are 1960 Olympic legends Penny Pitou, the 1960 hockey team coach Jack Riley, Osvaldo Ancinas, Starr Walton, Babette Haueisen, as well as others.

A multimedia presentation depicting mountain culture in 1960 will kick off the evening.

The cocktail reception begins at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. Ticket proceeds benefit the Squaw Valley Olympic Museum and Winter Sports Heritage Center. Tickets are on sale now at www.squawvalleymuseum.org/store.

Other events during the Olympic Heritage Celebration include biathlon and Nordic racing at Sugar Pine Point State Park. Squaw Valley USA is re-creating the original men's and women's downhill courses, open for guided tours by past Olympians.

On Thursday, Squaw Valley commemorates the astounding success of the 1960 Hockey Team, the first "miracle on ice," with a day of hockey exhibitions at High Camp and a 1960 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team tribute dinner at The Light Towers, a new spot in the Olympic House.

The 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics saw many firsts. It was the first time the Olympic games were held in the Western United States, the first time the games were nationally televised and the first time computers were used to calculate scores.

The 1960 Winter Games were also the first and only time that the Olympic athletes were housed under one roof. In a time before grooming machines, sponsorship contracts and HD television, the 1960 Olympics revolved around ideals of simplicity, athleticism and international camaraderie.

Olympic Heritage Events

Today

9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Commemorative Relay from Sugar Pine Point State Park to Squaw Valley USA

4:30 p.m.: Opening Celebration and Fireworks-The Village at Squaw Valley USA

6:30 p.m.: 1960 Olympians Reception - Squaw Valley Lodge

Saturday

11 a.m. & 1 p.m.: Biathlon Re-enactment - Sugar Pine Point State Park

10 a.m.: Shooting Stars Youth Slalom Race - Squaw Valley USA

8 p.m.: 1960 Retro Party - Olympic Village Lodge, Squaw Valley USA

Sunday

10 a.m.-noon: 50th Anniversary Jazz Service - Squaw Valley Chapel

10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Cross Country Expo and Demo-Sugar Pine Point State Park

10-11 a.m.: Historic Biathlon Video-Sierra Conference Room, Village at Northstar

1-3 p.m.: Biathlon Demonstration and Race - Northstar Cross-Country Ski Center

10 a.m.: Traditional Ski Jumping - Auburn Ski Club Training Center, Donner Summit

11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Plumas Ski Club Longboarding-Resort Run, Squaw Valley USA

3 p.m.: Apres Ski Social-Sun Deck, Resort at Squaw Creek

Monday

10 a.m. & 2 p.m.: 1960 Men's Downhill Course - Olympian Guided Tours - Squaw Valley USA

Tuesday

8 a.m.-4 p.m.: Freestyle Moguls Competition - Alpine Meadows

Noon: Silver Belt Luncheon and Ski Tour-Sugar Bowl

7 p.m.: Mark McLaughlin Lecture: From Long Board to the Olympics - Resort at Squaw Creek

Wednesday

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Elementary School Cross Country Day - Sugar Pine Point State Park

10 a.m. & 2 p.m.: 1960 Women's Downhill Course - Olympian Guided Tour-Squaw Valley USA

Thursday

9 a.m.: Squaw Valley Institute 1960 Historic Walking Tour-Squaw Valley USA

3 p.m.: Youth Hockey - High Camp, Squaw Valley USA

4 p.m.: Hockey Expo-High Camp, Squaw Valley USA

7 p.m.: Hockey Dinner - A Tribute to 1960 US Olympic Team - Olympic Village Lodge, Squaw Valley USA

Jan. 15

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Scholastic (CNISSF) Nordic Race-Sugar Pine Point State Park

3 p.m.: Figure Skating Exhibition-Resort at Squaw Creek

4-5:15 p.m.: "Skate with Taste," followed by Winemaker's Dinner -Resort at Squaw Creek

5-7 p.m.: Snowboard Rail Jam - Base of Big Springs Gondola, Village at Northstar

6 p.m.: 1960 Nordic Olympian Dinner - Granlibakken Resort

Jan. 16

10 a.m. & 2 p.m.: Biathlon "Citizens Against the Clock" - Sugar Pine Point State Park

10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Olympic Legends GS Challenge - Exhibition Run at Squaw Valley USA

3 p.m.: Closing Celebration - The Village at Squaw Valley USA

6 p.m.: 1960 Olympic Legends Gala - The Resort at Squaw Creek

Jan. 17

3 p.m.: Youth Figure Skating Program - High Camp, Squaw Valley USA

Ongoing Events

Interpretive Programs on Mountain at Squaw Valley USA

1960 Men's/Women's Slalom and Giant Slalom-flagged/marked-Squaw Valley USA

Temporary Museum Exhibits at Squaw Valley USA and Sugar Pine Point State Park

Squaw Valley Institute Winter Film Festival-Bar One, Squaw Valley USA

1960 Mountain Venue Tours-Squaw Valley USA

1960 Cross Country Trails-Sugar Pine Point State Park

For a complete listing of all Olympic Heritage events visit www.squaw.com, www.squawvalley1960celebration.com, or call (530) 583-6985.

More information about the Squaw Valley Museum Foundation is available at www.squawvalleymuseum.org.