Friday June 28, before the Olympic Torch relay passed on the esplanade, all the children from the area’s schools as well as the middle school students took part in a big balloon release in front of the town hall.
The impeccable organization of this episode was praised. We can particularly pay tribute to the two deputy mayors of Colombey, who ensured the smooth running of this popular festival, between distribution of t-shirts, flags and balloons, and coordination of the procession. The balloon release was really very successful, both visually – with all these Olympic colors brought together, added to the white of the balloons – and from a simply festive point of view. The village residents appreciated it.
The procession then set off towards the Cross of Lorraine, in an equally festive atmosphere thanks to Catherine and her traveling sound system. As the heat became heavier, the organizers of the Grand-Est Region truck, located at Place de l’Église, had the good idea of distributing bobs and kerchiefs to the students. The young people were warmly greeted throughout the journey by their loved ones, by journalists and by the inhabitants of Colombey, installed in front of their houses or who came especially for the occasion.
After the passage of the Torch relay, the students were able to quench their thirst thanks to the distribution of bottles of water orchestrated by the director of the Memorial, Thomas Wauthier, and the second assistant, Marie-Béatrice Jourd’heuil. If three or four students suffered from the heat, they were taken care of very quickly by the volunteer firefighters from the Colombey emergency center, present on the scene. This day will undoubtedly remain engraved in the collective memory of young people and teachers, testifying to a strong feeling of unity, around the values conveyed by sport and the Olympic Games.
