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Keith McCord ReportingOne week from tomorrow, the Winter Olympics will get underway in Italy. When the activities begin there, a lot of memories will be rekindled about our games four years ago, and word has it our cauldron will fire up again.
They'll light it at the same time the cauldron in Torino lights up. So, with the time difference, it thing will turn on about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Our cauldron and the entire park is expected to see more visitors when the games begin.
The Olympic Cauldron Park opened at the south end of Rice Eccles Stadium in August 2003. The park is free to visitors, and since it opened, the busiest times have been during the summer months.
Shane Hinckley, U. of U. Auxiliary Services: "Because the park is free, we don't take a head count, but we do have a guest book, and we have visitors from every states, and 50 countries worldwide."
The cauldron is the big draw, but inside the visitors center is an impressive display of award winning photographs;
But when you're there, you must see the 12-minute Olympic Movie-- a multi-screen experience that will get the heart pumping again!
Shane Hinckley, U. of U. Auxiliary Services: "It's really a multi-sensory environment. There's fog, lights, it gets cold like your outside on the slope going downhill skiing, shows the spirit of the games."
Jean Beck is one of the 15 to 20 volunteers up there; she volunteered during the Salt Lake games as well. She says folks from all over the world love the movie.
Jean Beck, Volunteer: "Oh my goodness, they've been here from Australia, Austria and Germany, and France."
Usually there's a small fee to watch the movie, but next weekend everything is free. As far the cauldron goes, it will burn until 11 pm each night next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other than Friday, the flame will not burn during the daylight hours.
Shane Hinckley, U. of U. Auxiliary Services: "It runs at about $100 an hour, and the cost of getting the staff involved to light it, the cost is about $12,000 to light it over the course of the weekend."
Other activities are planned for next weekend too, including a pin trading show. The park will also have extended hours, until 8 pm. So, if you didn't get that photo four years ago, standing in front of the burning cauldron, you'll get another chance. But remember it's three days only, beginning a week from tomorrow.
