Waving Canadian flags, jumping and cheering, holding their hands out for high fives and taking photographs, thousands of people welcomed Bent Harder and the Olympic flame into Lewis Park.

The 83-year-old, who is originally from Denmark and is well-known for his volunteer work, was the community torchbearer Monday for Day Four of the Olympic torch relay.

He brought the flame into Lewis Park and lit the cauldron on the stage in front of a large and loud crowd.

“It’s hard to describe,” he said after signing autographs and posing for photographs with children. “It was pretty awesome.”

Lighting the Olympic cauldron was a special moment for Harder.

“Lighting the flame, I keep using the word ‘awesome,’ and that’s what it was,” he said. “The feeling, you can’t even describe it. It’s a great honour. When I came to Canada, I never dreamed of doing something like this. I didn’t even dream of this when I applied (to be a torchbearer).”

Courtney Cameron, 15, of Courtenay carried the torch in Qualicum Bay early Monday morning.

“It was amazing,” she said as she took in the celebration at Lewis Park, describing the experience as pure adrenaline. “It was pretty cool to see how everyone is so affected by it.”

Carrying the torch, Cameron ran for her father, who was asked to carry the torch by Coca-Cola but has muscular dystrophy and asked his daughter to run.

“It’s something I’ll remember forever,” she said.

The 2010 relay is the largest torch relay in the history of the Olympics, MP John Duncan told the crowd.

“It’s a great way to unite Canadians, and it sends all the right messages to the international community,” he said. “It’s a great day, and you’ve turned out in record numbers. This will be unforgettable.”

Randy Wiwchar, co-chair of the torch relay committee, estimates 4,000 to 5,000 people took in the celebration at Lewis Park.

Thousands of people lined the streets during the relay, and Wiwchar guesses between 10,000 and 15,000 people saw the relay and celebration.

Marilyn Tevington, co-chair of the torch relay committee, was thrilled with the entire day.

“The day was exceptional,” she said. “You talk about perfect ... I think at 10 o’clock, I looked up, and there was a rainbow. It was like it was meant to be.”

It all began with a breakfast at Courtenay Elementary School, which she feels was a great start.

“The children were so excited,” she said. “The energy in that room got us excited for the rest of the day.”

Tevington was excited to see the crowd celebrating at Lewis Park.

“Just looking at the people in the crowd, especially the school children, they were so stoked,” she said. “To me, that’s what the Olympics are all about. They are our athletes of the future ... it was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m so thankful for the school district for letting teachers bring their children down.”

The torch arrived in Fanny Bay just after 9 a.m. and left Black Creek at about 3:30 p.m. as part of a 106-day journey that will visit more than 1,000 communities before ending in Vancouver Feb. 12.

writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com