Press Room
Olympian Shannon Bahrke to Join ‘Magical Memories’ Holiday Celebration Kickoff Event
Gingerbread Village Unveiling and Grand Tree Lighting Ceremony Take Place
Olympic Valley, Calif. – Resort at Squaw Creek™ has announced that two-time Olympic medalist Shannon Bahrke, who was raised in Tahoe City and mastered moguls in her years on the Squaw Valley Freestyle Team, will be joining Santa and Mrs. Claus to launch the “Magical Memories” annual holiday celebration on Friday, November 26, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Every year, the free event draws hundreds upon hundreds of people. The Gingerbread Village Unveiling and Grand Tree Lighting Ceremony signals the official commencement of the holiday program that spans from November 24 through January 2.
"This is a very special event for me because as a young girl, our family would always come to Squaw Creek to see all of the Gingerbread houses,” said Bahrke. “I always wanted to eat them all up!
Bahrke won a silver medal in moguls at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games. In 2010, at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, she landed on the podium again, scoring a bronze medal and catapulting her name into the history books as one of the few U.S. skiers to medal in two Olympics.
After winning her silver medal in Salt Lake City, Bahrke founded the aptly named Silver Bean Coffee Company. The company offers a variety of coffee blends, including “athlete blends,” which help U.S. Ski Team athletes make their dreams come true by providing revenue to cover the costs associated with competing at a very high level. For every bag of “athlete blend” coffee sold, $1 goes back to the athlete and also a charity they have chosen.
In addition to the appearance by Olympian Shannon Bahrke, the Gingerbread Village Unveiling and Grand Tree Lighting Ceremony will feature a performance by a group of local ice skaters, live music, carolers, visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus and Santa’s merry elves, ice skating with Buddy Bear, complimentary servings of hot chocolate and s’mores roasts under the stars. For the official tree lighting, Santa arrives via classic fire engine. The grand illumination of the lights creates an unparalleled winter wonderland scene. Also, this year, by popular demand, the giant gingerbread village returns.
Subsequent days will feature events such as breakfast with Santa, live music, a film festival, children’s holiday crafts, winter wonderland stories, ice skating with Buddy Bear, moonlight snowshoe tours, broomball Mondays, snowman making contests, elf tuck-Ins, movies for the kids, and ski film movie nights in Sandy’s Pub. Major musical presentations are offered on December 11 and 12 with a holiday performance by the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus, and on December 19 with Handel’s Messiah performed by TOCCATA in conjunction with the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus.
In celebration of the event, a special $179 “Magical Bed & Breakfast” package featuring a Deluxe Guestroom and breakfast for up to two adults and two children (12-and-under) has been released. This offer is valid November 19 through December 16, 2010, and is subject to availability. To book a reservation, utilize promo code: MAGICRSC at www.visitsquawcreek.com, or call 800.401.9501.
For more information and a complete list of events visit www.magicalsquawcreek.com.
The Destination Hotels and Resorts-managed Resort at Squaw Creek™ offers a ski-in, ski-out chairlift to Squaw Valley USA, providing quick access to more than 4,000 acres of terrain served by an extensive network of 33 lifts including North America’s only Funitel and the world-famous KT-22 Express lift. Visitors also can enjoy a host of other activities, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sled tours, horse-drawn sleigh rides and an on-property ice skating rink. Plus, the property’s on-site ski shop provides ski and snowboard rentals, expert boot fitting, lift tickets for purchase and complimentary ski lockers. Squaw Valley USA’s planned opening date is November 20.
For reservations, call (800) 401-9501, or for more information about Resort at Squaw Creek™ and/or Magical Memories, visit www.visitsquawcreek.com.
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Marc Sapoznik
High-resolution, downloadable images of the Resort at Squaw Creek and images of other properties in the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection are available by visiting www.leonardo.com/destination.
