Atascadero is host town for 2015 Special Olympics athletes
Athletes compete in the 2014 World Games. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics.
On July 21, Atascadero will host 100 Special Olympics athletes and their coaches. Atascadero will play host to athletes from Bangladesh and Cambodia.
This event will be part of the 2015 Host Town Program. The program is a special 3-day experience that will take place in the days leading up to the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. Delegations from around the world will be welcomed at various host towns throughout the Central Coast and Southern California where they will be celebrated and honored in each of the participating communities.
The program allows the athletes who will be arriving from distant corners of the globe to become acclimated to the area prior to the start of the games. Several communities throughout SLO County have agreed to conjointly participate in the program.
Atascadero will play host to this special contingent of athletes and their coaches at the “Tuesday Evenings in the Park” event at the Atascadero Lake Park, including an Elks Bar-B-Q dinner, a tour of the Charles Paddock Zoo, plus live music and dancing. Tickets will be available at the Chamber of Commerce; the public can also show support by sponsoring an athlete and purchasing their ticket as well.
Local service clubs as well as the chamber are assisting the city by actively planning and fundraising for this event. Community members are encouraged to contact their local service groups to see how they may be able to join the effort.
For more information about this or another city government related topic, contact City Manager Rachelle Rickard at [email protected], or (805) 470-3400.
