Olympic Torch Relay in Long Lake NY – 1980’s Flashback

Photo by Jim Swedberg

Olympic Flame Arrives at Long Lake Central School

On Friday, February 8, 1980 the Town of Long Lake hosted the Olympic Torch relay.

On Monday, March 5, 1979 the Long Lake Town Board passed a resolution having the Town become part of the Olympic Torch Trail Route. The torch bearers were a relay team of top runners who started in Jamestown, Virginia, traveling and running to Albany where they will become two teams, one going up Route 9 to Lake Placid and the other team heading north from Schenectady through Speculator and up Route 30 through Long Lake to Lake Placid.

On Friday, February 8th, 1980 the teams of runners met up with the Olympic Torch which flame had been kindled on January 30th, 1980 at the sacred grove at Olympia where all the Olympic Games of antiquity were held. The flames was flown to the US and arriving at Langley AFB in Virginia and traveled 1000 miles through six of the original colonies and reach Long Lake, on February 8th.

Some of the Long Lake Torch bearers in Long Lake included Town Supervisor John Hosley, Tony Marcone, John Rayome, and Chuck Kitchen If you were a Long Lake Torch Bearer for this special event, let us know by emailing longlake@mylonglake.com Send photos.

Special thanks to Glen LaBlanc and Jim Swedberg for digging in the archives for these historic images and for Tony Marcone for emailing me to look for photos from the route stretching from North Point Road to the Long View Lodge. Didn’t find any photos yet! Still looking!