Olympic Torch Passes Thru Fulton

The year was 1984, and the summer Olympics were being held in Los Angeles that year. Sometime in the middle of a hot summer night (or early morning!), the Olympic torch passed through Itawamba County and was greeted by crowds of enthusiastic Itawambians. According to Wikipedia, the Olympic Torch relay began its journey in New York City and covered 9,320 miles before concluding in Los Angeles. The relay had 3,616 runners that carried the torch, including the fellow you see above.

Thanks to Wilda Senter Ivy for sharing her photograph collection with me recently. The photos above came from her, and as the XXI Winter Olympics begin this weekend in Vancouver, a beautiful city, it seems appropriate to remember Fulton's small part in the 1984 Olympics. Also, some of you may remember when the Croatian rowing team came to Fulton in the summer of 1996 in advance of the Olympics held in Atlanta that summer. The team used the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway for their rowing practices. Small world, isn't it?