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Kootenays being showcased on BC Street at Olympics

At last the wait is over and the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games have begun.
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Kootenay Street — Wally Penner

At last the wait is over and the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games have begun.

Feb. 12 marked the Opening Ceremonies of the Games as well as the inaugural day of BC Street at the City of Richmond’s O Zone.

BC Street will showcase seven regions of the province, each with their own unique pavilion, making it the most comprehensive interactive showcase of the Olympics.

Spearheaded by the Regional Districts of East Kootenay, Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary along with Kootenay Rockies Tourism, the Kootenays are proud to be displaying a booth at BC Street and volunteers from across the region are eager for the chance to demonstrate to visitors what our corner of British Columbia has to offer.

Local media and residents are invited to follow the excitement by checking in daily at the Kootenay Rockies booth website at www.BCStreet.ca where both volunteers and tourists will be posting pictures and blogging about their experience at BC Street and the Winter Games.

Some highlights of the Kootenay Rockies pavilion include:

- A photo booth with a massive backdrop of Elizabeth Parker Hut at Lake O’Hara within Yoho National Park that visitors can stand in front of or pose on a rustic bench and have their picture taken.

- Various high-resolution DVD’s will be available to watch on demand in another corner of the pavilion featuring different tourism activities within the region such as snowboarding, mountain-biking and golfing. This section will also showcase the Kootenay Rockies as the “Birthplace of skiing in BC” with historical photos of the first ski jump in the province, the first chairlift and the first heli-skiing operation.

- A community booth that provides information on the great lifestyle the Kootenay region has to offer as well as a slideshow showcasing photographs of every Kootenay community.

- The opportunity for visitors to win a souvenir toque and scarf set, designed by Kootenay Knitting Company, a Cranbrook-based Vancouver 2010 authorized merchant.

- Volunteers at the booth will also be wearing Kootenay Knitting hockey-style sweaters, as well as jerseys of local hockey teams, from the Kootenay Ice to the Trail Smoke Eaters.

Share in the excitement and follow along on the website at www.BCStreet.ca to see as they showcase the Kootenay Rockies Region to the world.

BC Street will be open daily during the Games, February 12th to February 28th, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. weekends. For more information on the Richmond O Zone and BC Street, please visit: www.RichmondOzone.ca.

The City of Richmond built the Richmond Olympic Oval, the premier venue of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and home to 12 days of long track speed skating competition. As an official 2010 Venue City, Richmond has also created the O Zone, the largest official celebration site for the 2010 Games at nearly 60 acres, located in the heart of Richmond along the Canada Line.