Local Historian & Author To Lead Olympic History Walking Tour Jan 14

Local Olympic historian David C. Antonucci will lead a lecture and walking tour of the 1960 Winter Olympics sites on Thursday, January 14 as part of the Olympic Heritage Celebration.

Titled “ A Snowball's Chance: The Story of the 1960 Winter Olympics
Lecture and Squaw Valley Walking Tour,” the event will begin at 9:00 AM at the Squaw Valley Chapel with a multi-media presentation covering the 1960 Winter Olympics. Immediately following the presentation, a tour on foot will take participants on an exploration of a variety of Olympic venues and sites in the Squaw Valley base area.

The Squaw Valley walking tour will cover the Squaw Valley Chapel, Olympic Village Inn, California and Nevada Welcome Centers, as well as race courses, the site of Blyth Arena, ski jump hill remnants and other historic sites.

Squaw Valley Chapel is located at 444 Squaw Peak Road.  A $10 donation to Squaw Valley Institute is requested for Squaw Valley portion of the day. There is no charge for children and students with ID.

Antonucci, 59, has been a resident of Lake Tahoe for over 34 years. He is the founder of the Olympic Trails Restoration Committee, serves on the board of the Squaw Valley Ski Museum and is a member of the Olympic Heritage Celebration Committee. He regularly gives multi-media presentations to visitors and conference groups on Lake Tahoe interpretive history, Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe and the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Antonucci is the author of the new book, Snowball's Chance: The Story of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games -- Squaw Valley & Lake Tahoe. The book, which was published in November, features exclusive photos by official Olympic photographer, Bill Briner. The book details the bid to host the Games, competition venues, "you-are-there" accounts of the competitions, opening and closing ceremonies, and many other fascinating aspects of this historic event. Many never-before-seen photos of Olympic events captured by photographer Briner help tell the story in the only book devoted exclusively to the history of the VIII Olympic Winter Games.

The event is presented by the Squaw Valley Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting programs having artistic, cultural and educational values. The Institute presents lectures, performances, forums, exhibitions and classes in the unique mountain environment of Squaw Valley, North Lake Tahoe, Truckee and surrounding communities. For event tickets and other information, visit SquawValleyInstitute.org.