Cloverdale cheers on the Olympic flame
There was a massive turnout for the torch relay in Cloverdale, where thousands of school children crowded onto Surrey Museum Plaza to welcome the Olympic flame Monday afternoon.
Sidewalks along a four-block stretch of Highway 10 were jammed with people hoping to get a glimpse of the torch relay as it made its first steps in Surrey, lining up well ahead of the 2:40 p.m. arrival time to stake out a good viewing spot along the busy roadway.
The torch wasn't scheduled to make a stop in Cloverdale because Surrey’s official torch relay celebration is taking place at this evening at Holland Park, but that didn't stop an estimated 9,000 people from coming out to watch the relay.
Hundreds wore the colour red to cheer on Team Canada, and the maple leaf was everywhere, from hand-held flags waved by smiling spectators of all ages to a giant, two-storey high Canadian flag that was draped across the southern wall of the Surrey Museum.
The torchbearer made a brief foray onto the plaza, where the Cloverdale Legion's colour party, local RCMP, and various local dignitaries including Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, local MP Russ Hiebert, and Health Minister Kevin Falcon were on hand to welcome the flame.
Local organizers of the Cloverdale celebration had been preparing for about 3,500 people to come watch the torch but Monday's turnout shattered those expectations.
RCMP crowd estimates put the actual turnout in the thousands.
"I never did see the plaza," said Staff Sgt. Dave Woods, district commander of the Cloverdale/Port Kells district office of the RCMP. "I understand it was full. I would say it was either eight or nine thousand. It was a lot of people."
The torch arrived in Cloverdale after earlier stops in Walnut Grove, Fort Langley, Aldergrove and along the 200 Street corridor.
Photo slideshow: Torch relay in Cloverdale
For even more photos of the torch relay through B.C. see our Olympic Spirit photo group on Flickr. Follow the instructions there to add your own photos.
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