54 F
Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

City of Ocala honoring Olympic medalists Brittany Bowe, Erin Jackson, and Joey Mantia with parade

The City of Ocala will be welcoming home Olympic medalists Brittany Bowe, Erin Jackson, and Joey Mantia with a parade.

The celebration will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at Webb Field (1510 NW 4th Street) with a parade that will travel eastbound on State Road 40 to the historic downtown square.

After the parade, Mayor Kent Guinn will host a recognition ceremony at the Ocala Downtown Gazebo (SE 1st Avenue) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a meet-and-greet with the athletes will be held from 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Ocala honoring Olympic medalists Brittany Bowe Erin Jackson and Joey Mantia with parade
Erin Jackson (left), Brittany Bowe (center), and Joey Mantia (right) are bringing home medals from the 2022 Olympic Winter Games (Photo courtesy of U.S. Speedskating)

The parade and recognition ceremony are both free and open to the public.

Due to the brief parade route, attendees are asked not to place chairs along the parade path prior to the event. According to the city, this policy is in place as a precaution to prevent the chairs from interfering with vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The following road closures will be in effect on Saturday, March 26 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.:

  • Pine Avenue (U.S. 441) from SW 10th Street (State Road 200) to NW 14th Street (State Road 492).
  • State Road 40 from NE 8th Avenue to NW 16th Avenue (MLK).

The following road closures will be in effect on Saturday, March 26 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.:

  • NE/SE 1st Avenue from E Fort King Street to NE 1st Street.
  • NE/SE Osceola Avenue from SE Broadway Street to NE 1st Street.
  • N/S Magnolia Avenue from W Fort King Street to NE 1st Street.
  • NW/SW 1st Avenue from W Fort King Street to NW 1st Street.
  • NW/SW 2nd Avenue from W Fort King Street to NW 1st Street.
  • NW/SW 3rd Avenue from W Fort King Street to NW 1st Street.
  • SE/SW Broadway Street from U.S. 441 to SE 1st Avenue.
  • NE/NW 1st Street from NW/SW 3rd Avenue to NW 1st Avenue.
  • NE/NW 2nd Street from NW 3rd Avenue to NW 1st Avenue.

Drivers should use the following detour routes:

  • State Road 40: NE 8th Avenue to NE/NW 14th Street (State Road 492) to NW 16th Avenue (MLK) back to State Road 40.
  • Pine Avenue: SW 10th Street (State Road 200) to NW 16th Avenue (MLK) to NW 10th Street (State Road 492) back to Pine Avenue.
  • Magnolia Avenue (southbound): NE 3rd Street to NE Watula Avenue to SE 5th Street back to Magnolia Avenue.
  • SE 1st Avenue: SE 5th Street to SE Watula Avenue to NE 3rd Street back to NE 1st Avenue.

Attendees may utilize the downtown parking garage (296 SE Broadway Street) and designated street parking where available. Carpooling, biking, walking, and public transportation are encouraged due to the potential crowd size.