It was the summer of 1996 in a former cotton mill town 60 miles south west of Atlanta. The sweltering heat and humidity of a southeastern June made it almost unbearable to be outside, but under the shade of the Georgia pines on a track in LaGrange, Georgia, 45 resilient athletes from 20 countries trained for the competition of their lives – the 1996 Summer Olympics.
If the ultimate goal and purpose of the Olympics is to create a peaceful, friendlier, more understanding world, what better place to start than in a small town? At the time, LaGrange had a population of about 26,000, and many never dreamed of something as worldly as the Olympics affecting LaGrange as heavily as it did.
The “I Train in LaGrange” program brought athletes from all over the globe to LaGrange, including countries such as South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Swaziland. These nations established temporary headquarters in LaGrange, where many athletes were hosted in LaGrange College dorms. They even built a specialized track for the Olympic athletes, where it still stands today on Fort Drive behind the former Whitesville Road Elementary school. It was here that Olympians spent hours a day training.
Bringing Home to the World
48 communities in the state of Georgia hosted training camps for the 1996 Olympics, but former LaGrange mayor, Chris Joseph, urged for a tighter bond between the city of LaGrange and the athletes hosted in town. Through community efforts, Joseph established a local track and field club for children through the Troup County Parks and Recreation department. LaGrange now holds the title and privilege of being one of the very few track and field centers associated with the International Olympic Committees.
During their stay in LaGrange, many of the athletes assimilated into small-town life, visiting churches, homes and participating in local events to share about their cultures and home countries. Athletes even spent time in LaGrange schools, running alongside children in the LaGrange Track Club.
A Culture of Hospitality
In return, LaGrange community members shared stories about American culture, taking the Olympic athletes to American grocery stores and pizza parlors around town through a program called “Adopt an Athlete,” where Olympians were partnered with families in the community to go on outings around the city. The Olympics left long lasting effects on LaGrange, but LaGrange also left the same impact on the athletes who called this city home for the time leading up to the biggest sporting competition of their lives.
LaGrange played a part in race walking, as well, a competitive long-distance foot race that requires competitors to maintain continuous foot contact to the ground at all times. Olympic trials for the sport were held in Southwest LaGrange, and on LaGrange College’s campus.
Passing The Torch
Several people in LaGrange had the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch, symbolizing peace and friendship between nations. The passing of the flame from person to person through the Torch Relay dates back to ancient times, and the modern-day flame is passed from person to person for a number of weeks. The flame travels by car, train, sea and other forms of transportation, however a lot of the movement comes from Olympic runners themselves. The relay ends in the host city for that year, where the final runner carries the flame into the arena, lighting the cauldron and signaling the beginning of the games.
The Olympic Flame had been on the road for weeks before it made its way to LaGrange, starting its journey in California and traveling across the entire country. When it finally made its way to the Georgia-Alabama border, the flame had already traveled about 15,000 miles. It was passed on to 23 residents of LaGrange, including former LaGrange mayor Chris Joseph, where it traveled down New Franklin Road, past the Dairy Queen and through Bob Williams Drive, advancing onward toward its northwestern destination in Atlanta.
Local Legacy
The Olympics created a lasting impact on LaGrange, one that still affects the city to this day. As LaGrange continues to develop and expand, so does the art scene that gleans inspiration from its beautiful history. Currently, LaGrange is relentlessly improving the city by beautifying even the smallest details of the city– including traffic control boxes.
While most of the time these boxes are overlooked, the City of LaGrange decided to use them as a blank canvas to not only improve the city, but to use them as a learning tool dedicated to LaGrange’s historical significance. From depictions of Horace King, the man who constructed East Lafayette, to landscapes of LaGrange through the ages, each of these boxes will be decked out with a new, stylish wrap in hopes of creating an authentic and significant solution to the clunky eyesores. The traffic boxes even include a QR code that allows scanners to learn more about the importance of the art, infused with rich local history.
Because the Olympics carved out such a lasting impression on LaGrange, one of the traffic control boxes that is being revamped will depict artistic imagery from the 1996 games, honoring a special part of LaGrange history.
