Special Olympics Torch passing through Troy, Libby
Libby Police Officer Cody Dewitt leads the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics through Libby on April 25, 2018. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Escorted by Troy Police and cheered on by classmates lining the roadway, students from W.F. Morrison Elementary School carried the the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics torch through down Highway 2 to Trojan Lanes on April 25, 2018. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Local law enforcement from Libby, Troy and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office will once again head out from the Idaho stateline early Monday morning, shepherding the Special Olympics Torch along Highway 2 through Troy and Libby.
Motorists traveling Highway 2 Monday morning are advised to keep an eye out for the team, who will be riding bicycles eastbound on the shoulder as they accompany the torch.
The torch run starts at the stateline at 7 a.m., said Troy Police Chief Katie Davis. In Troy, cyclists carrying the torch will meet up with local students, who will help escort the torch through town.
Davis estimated that the torch should reach Troy by around 9 a.m.
Last year, the torch stayed a bit ahead of schedule, and it’s hard to say exactly how long the trip will take.
Once the torch has passed through Troy, participants will escort it by bicycle to the western edge of Libby, where they will meet with more participants.
In Libby, the torch will pause at Les Schwab Tire Center, where they will be joined by participants from Achievements, Inc.
After the stop at Les Schwab, the torch will pass through Libby, with an exchange at the edge of town, and on to Happy’s Inn.
Since Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Fisher was first assigned to oversee the torch relay in southern Lincoln County, it has gone from an added duty to a personal passion, he said last year.
For many of the officers who Fisher has talked with about their involvement with Special Olympics, the experience has been a career saver, he said.
“We don’t always have the most positive job,” Davis said. “We don’t deal with a lot of happy people.”
More information about the torch run can be found on the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.