The Olympic torch relay heads down Highway 16, bound for Prince Rupert

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The Olympic torch run, now in its homestretch for the Vancouver games began its travels down Highway 16 on Friday, stopping in Prince George with a rendez vous in Prince Rupert set for Monday.

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Friday's Olympic torch celebrations took place at the Prince George Exhibition Park grounds with a Prince George High School student and alpine skier taking the final steps prior to the lighting of the cauldron in Prince George, climbing the stairs in front of an estimated 5 to 6,000 residents there to capture the moment...

Prior to the lighting of the cauldron, a variety of community members provided for the evenings entertainment, while a video presentation outlined Prince George's attachment to winter and sports.

Some of the details of the night in Prince George are found below:

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Not everyone however was in attendance to celebrate the Olympics, there were two protests during the evening, as a wide range of topics were addressed by protesters from pending school closures to First Nations land claims, housing concerns and other social issues, those two protests attracted a combined total of about 100 participants.

The torch relay continues on in Prince George on Saturday morning, then makes the trek towards the west, with stops set for Kitimat, Terrace and Prince Rupert on Monday. The Prince Rupert civic celebration is planned for 445 pm downtown at City Hall, with a number of events planned to coincide with the arrival of the torch in the city which is anticipated to be at 6pm.

The route of the Prince Rupert relay will be down McBride from the Civic Centre to 1st Avenue West, past the Museum of Northern BC, up 2nd Street to 2nd Avenue West, along 2nd Avenue West to 7th Street and then eastbound on 3rd Avenue West until the torch reaches City Hall. (click on map above for expanded route description)

Fireworks at City Hall will bring the night to an end at 7 pm.

The torch next appears in Bella Bella bright and early on Tuesday, February 2nd as it continues its journey towards Vancouver and the Opening Ceremonies on February 12th.

More details on the torch relay can be found on the relay site, the City of Prince Rupert website also has information on the planned Civic Celebration for February 1st..