When the Olympic Torch Crossed America on its way to L.A.
I grabbed my Kodak Disc camera and walked through my neighborhood in Avon Lake, Ohio, to Bus Stop 45 to watch history run through the rain.
It was 1984. I was a teenager. I stood with my best friends, Scott and Matt, between the bus stop and Aftermath Pub (now aptly named Close Quarters because it’s the world’s smallest bar), and Kekic’s Gas Station with its orange wooden airplane on a post high overhead.
When the Olympic Torch traveled U.S. Route 6 on its way across the United States to the Los Angeles Summer Games, many others also lined the roadside to witness something special. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
The photo that accompanies this story hints at a bygone time. The background houses were the lakefront properties before they were torn down one by one and replaced with today’s mega mansions. I snapped that photo. Just one. After taking it to Fotomat (a little, yellow-roofed kiosk that sat lonely in the middle of the Fisher’s Big Wheel parking lot), I got back the slightly blurry image you see here. This was long before Photoshop and the age of Artificial Intelligence, so I considered editing it for this story, but decided to go with authenticity in modern times, when bad photos are rarely part of the culture anymore. Too many things seem to lack human imperfection, when in this case, I think it celebrates it.
Triumphant moments of the XXIII Olympiad would soon follow. Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton would become household names. Lewis dominated track and field, winning several gold medals, matching Jesse Owens’ 1936 record of four gold medals. Retton captured the nation’s heart by scoring perfect 10s and earning multiple gold medals herself, becoming the first non-European to win the gymnastics all-around title.
The Soviet Union and 14 of its communist allies (including East Germany) boycotted the LA Games in retaliation for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games.
After watching the torch pass down Route 6, we headed to McDonald’s, hoping their Olympic scratch-off card would win a free Big Mac. Ironic, I think America put on weight that summer because of the free food scratch-off cards tied to the U.S. medals, since the Soviet-led boycott of these Olympics meant the USA won far more medals than expected, and McDonald’s ended up giving away mountains of free food.
Soon, the Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, California, again. I wonder where the Olympic torch will be relayed by runners across the continent in the lead-up to the 2028 Opening Ceremony?
And will there be any bad photos when it does?
Explore more Vacationland: Echoes of Ohio’s Nostalgic Destinations
By Frank Rocco Satullo, The OhioTraveler, Your Tour Guide to Fun
