The curtain has come down on the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and has been called “truly exceptional” by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge. With the Olympic spirit still rippling across the world, it’s hard to believe that twelve years ago the Summer Olympic Games took place right here in our own back yard.

In the spirit of the Games and in an effort to reconnect, a 1996 Olympic Games Staff reunion (specifically those that worked in the Cleveland/Ocoee region) is being planned for this coming September. The reunion will include participants that were employed by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, volunteers for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and former staff members of the Tennessee Ocoee Development Agency.

Also participating in the event will be Olympic Gold Medalist Joe Jacobi and 1996 United States Olympic Team Manager Lisa Jacobi. In 1992, Joe teamed with Scott Strausbaugh to win American’s first-ever Olympic Gold Medal in Whitewater Canoe Slalom. Twelve years later, Joe returned to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens as an athlete, finishing a career which included paddling rivers in more than twenty countries and thousands of competitive experiences that shaped his “Gold Medal Life.” For more information on Joe and to read his “Gold Medal Living” blog, visit www.joejacobi.com. Joe has also been in Beijing, China covering the 2008 Summer Olympic Games for NBC Sports. You can read his blog on the official NBC Sports website.

Events also include the band Convertibull, the five-member party band that played for the Olympic Wrap-up Party in 1996. They are set to take the stage on Friday night, September 19th. On Saturday night, September 20th, Sunny 92.3’s DJ Gene Lovin and 410 Productions will be providing the entertainment.

There will also be information available all weekend during the event about how to volunteer for future Olympic Games including the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, the 2012 Games in London and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Materials will be located at the front desk of The Whitewater Inn at Ocoee.

The 1996 Olympic Games Staff reunion will take place on September 19th and 20th at The Whitewater Inn at Ocoee; all former staff members who have not yet been contacted are invited to email 1996olympics@gmail.com for more information.

Sponsors include Sunny 92.3 WDEF Radio, Chattanooga’s all-new hit music station, 96.5 The Mountain, The Whitewater Inn at Ocoee, Cherokee Rafting and The Polk County Chamber of Commerce.

Food vendors and sponsors interested in participating in the event should email 1996olympics@gmail.com for more information.

For more details, please email Holly Abernathy, Event Coordinator, at 1996olympics@gmail.com or call (423) 870-8280.