Torch arrives Monday

If you go:

What: Olympic Torch Evening Celebration

When: 5-9 p.m. today

Where: Caesars Tahoe, 55 Highway 50, Stateline

What: Olympic Torch morning break

When: 9 -9:15 a.m. Monday

Where: Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St.

The Olympic Flame arrives in Carson City around 7:45 a.m. All times may vary from 5 to 15 minutes. The Chevrolet Interactive Trailer will be open at the Community Center from 8-9:30 a.m.

A shining bit of the Olympics will arrive in South Lake Tahoe tonight and reach Carson City on Monday morning.

The Olympic Torch arrives in Nevada's capital city around 7:50 a.m. Monday at the intersection of Clearview Drive and South Carson Street. The torch will wend its way along Silver Sage Drive before returning to Carson Street, heading north with a west-side detour by the Governor's Mansion before heading east for a 15 minute break at the Carson City Community Center.

The Olympic flame travels to Carson City from Douglas County via a specially designed Chevrolet Avalanche, outfitted with a cauldron that can carry the flame at up to 75 mph in rain, wind, snow and temperatures to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The truck allows the torch -- for the first time in Olympic history -- to travel exposed, said Lindsay Woods, a spokeswoman for the Chevrolet Olympic Torch team.

"Now twice as many people can see it burning bright on the highway," Woods said.

Today the torch travels through Lake Tahoe where it will be carried by ice skates, skiers and by horse-drawn sleigh before it rests for the night at South Lake Tahoe. The torch arrives at Caesars Tahoe in Stateline around 7:30 p.m., but the festivities begin around 5 p.m. with special events brought by Olympic Torch official sponsors, Chevrolet and Coca-Cola.

Chevrolet has two interactive trailers on the torch relay featuring three interactive displays which allow people to experience actual Olympic events.

At the Hockey Shooting Corral, guests will become a goalie and take shots at blocking virtual pucks. Visitors can also design and be scored on virtual ice skating routines performed by Michelle Kwan.

Finally, the trailers feature a virtual reality ski jump game completed with wind blowing and the scent of pine. Also, Chevrolet is offering free photos of people with a real Olympic torch that will be posted on www.chevrolet.com, where they can be downloaded and printed.

"Anybody who comes out will not be disappointed," Woods said.

Around 8 a.m., one of the two interactive trailers will be at the Carson Community Center with the figure skating and skiing games. The trailer will leave the Community Center about 9:30 a.m. The torch run has a 15-minute break at the Community Center where city officials are planning a small celebration with refreshments and music before the torch heads back to Carson Street for its trip north to Reno. A half-hour celebration under the Reno arch on Virginia Street is scheduled for noon.

The torch will travel more than 13,500 miles across the country and will be carried by roughly 11,500 torchbearers, including 14 Carson City residents. Each torchbearer will carry their individual torch for about one-quarter of a mile and will have the opportunity to purchase their torch. Minus the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii, the torch will travel through every state and 125 cities before it reaches the the Salt Lake Olympic Stadium on Feb. 8. The games end Feb. 26.

The torch began its journey to the United States from the Olympia, Greece, flame on Nov. 19, 2001. It started its cross-country tour Dec. 4 from Atlanta, Ga., the site of the 1996 summer Olympics.