Olympic torch relay draws crowds in Nova Scotia

Excitement was certainly apparent on Friday in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia as crowds lined the street in anticipation of the Olympic torch relay.

Celebrations of the Olympic torch's arrival kicked off in the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia at approximately 10:30 AM with a Mik’maw ceremony of dancing and drumming that will serve as a blessing and a passing of the flame. Entertainment was provided ranging from the traditional to contemporary and included Mary’s Islanders (a dance troupe) and La Baie en Joie and the Port Royal Pipes and Drums. The torch arrived at about 11:30 AM and then was quickly off to visit other towns and villages throughout the valley. All along the route, crowds lined the streets waiting to cheer on the runners and of course, to see the Olympic torch itself.

Courtesy of Dana MacDonald

Crowds of people lining the streets in Kingston, Nova Scotia

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Coca-Cola and Royal Bank were also in the procession with custom trucks playing music and revving up the crowds.

Courtesy of Dana MacDonald

Coca-Cola truck

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Courtesy of Dana MacDonald

Coca-Cola providing entertainment and cheering up the crowds.

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Courtesy of Dana MacDonald

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No problems were reported along the route and protesters were non-existent. Corporal Candow of the New Minas detachment of the RCMP said in a telephone conversation this afternoon, "I can only speak in regards to the Kings County portion of the run that we had no problems at all." The Kings County relay started in Wolfville and ended in Kingston.

Courtesy of Dana MacDonald

Guys at the local hardware store in Kingston used this machine to get a great view of the relay.

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The torch relay will take in Amherst, Nova Scotia and into Prince Edward Island today. The Olympic torch relay will visit over 1,000 Canadian communities and places of interest and will take over 100 days to complete. The torch will travel over 45,000 kilometers on its way to Vancouver and it is now recognized that the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay has become the longest in history to be contained within any host country, according to the Olympic website.