TORCH TO BLOW THROUGH JACKSON

The symbol of the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame, will be passing through Jackson on its way to Atlanta, the site of the games set to begin later this year.

The torch will arrive by train in Cape Girardeau May 27 -- Memorial Day -- around 1 p.m. The torch will then be carried in a relay manner by a total of 31 individuals who have been chosen from throughout southeast Missouri.

The torch will arrive in Jackson after traveling north on highway 61 into town. It will then come up Hope Street, around the County Courthouse and north on highway 61 again.

Twenty-five "Community Heroes" from southeast Missouri will help the torch along, as they carry it along the relay route.

Kacie Crites, 12, of Jackson is one of those who gets to participate in the fine tradition. She says her mother used to push her in a baby carriage while she jogged to build up her strength.

"I like to run, too," said Crites, who also plays basketball, soccer and other sports. "I think this will be a very good experience."

Joyce McIntosh of Jackson, an aerobics instructor, was nominated by a friend to carry the torch.

"I really never even thought about doing it," she said. "I had a sister who ran the torch in Lake Placid, N.Y., a couple of years ago when it was there, and I thought it would be nice to do it, too."

Everyone from the surrounding area is urged to come out and support the Olympic spirit by lining the route and cheering on the local runners. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many and local troops and organizations are being asked to adopt a section of the route.

For 15,000 miles and 84 days, the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay carries the most recognized symbols of the games. After being ignited by the rays of the sun in Olympia Greece, the flame toured the historic birthplace of the Olympic Games before arriving in Los Angeles on April 27.

It winds its way across the continent, crossing desert and wine country, prairie and farmland, rivers and lakes and cities and small towns as it paints a portrait of America welcoming the world for the Centennial Olympic Games.

From the streets of Los Angeles to the shores of the Great Salt Lake, across the Rocky Mountains and up the Mississippi River, from the birthplace of the blues to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, from Space Camp USA to Cape Canaveral, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and through the piedmont of Georgia, the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay presents a rich sampler of American history, culture and geography.

The 1996 Olympic flame will pause along the way for local celebrations. Making nearly three stops each day, the flame will cover many sparsely-populated areas west of the Mississippi River in a special edition, 19-car train.

One of its stops will be in Cape Girardeau for a celebration which will begin at 11 a.m. downtown at Common Pleas Courthouse Park before it arrives in Jackson.

The theme for the festive occasion is "Picnic in the Park." Everyone is invited to bring their families and a picnic lunch to celebrate the spirit of our community. There will be family style entertainment and activities, music and fellowship.

Spanning 50 percent more miles than the 1984 relay, and involving more than 10,000 individual torchbearers, the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay is the largest ever planned.

"The 1996 Olympic Games are an historic event for the world and for the United States," said Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games President and CEO Billy Payne. "Our hope is that this relay will give nearly every American the opportunity to participate in the spirit of the Centennial Games and express their own invitation for the world's finest athletes to compete in peace on our shores."