The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay comes to 100 Mile House on March 27, as one of the overnight stops on its cross-country journey, which began Aug. 24, 2011 in Cape Spear, Newfoundland and ends May 22, 2012 in Vancouver.
It retraces the Canadian portion of the route taken by national hero Rick Hansen 25 years ago when he made his historic Man in Motion World Tour.
A total of 7,000 Medal Bearers from across the country will cover a leg of the journey.
The 100 Mile House segment will start at 4:30 p.m. at the corner of Exeter Road and Highway 97. It will head behind Central GM and along Birch Avenue where it will continue through downtown, crossing the highway at Airport Road.
From there, Dianne Bob, the final Medal Bearer, will carry it to the South Cariboo Rec. Centre (SCRC) where a celebration with a number of fun activities will take place.
Karaoke starts at 4:45 p.m. at the SCRC and will keep people entertained until 5:35 p.m. when the opening ceremony begins.
Folks are in for a real treat at 6 p.m. when a couple of youth hockey teams will take to the ice in an exhibition sledge hockey game.
The 100 Mile House Bantam Rep Female Donex Thrashers take on the Williams Lake Tier 2 Bantam Boys squad to demonstrate that disabilities don't have to interfere with a person's passion, whatever it may be.
Both teams got a feel for the sledges back in November when James Gemmell, a member of the Canadian men's sledge hockey team, held an introductory session with them at the SCRC.
Ken Mills, one of the key local co-ordinators, says some time during or after the game, fans will even be able to give the sledge hockey tubs a try themselves. The players will be on hand to help people out and give them a few pointers.
The relay commences again at 10:15 the next morning, March 28, taking the medal from the SCRC through downtown, following Birch Avenue as far as the intersection of Horse Lake Road and Highway 97 where the tour will continue south, towards its next stop in Clinton.