Olympic flame concludes journey through Colchester County

MILLBROOK - Lawrence Paul had something very important on his mind as he walked along Queen Street early Wednesday morning with the Olympic torch.
The drawstring for the Millbrook First Nation chief's tracksuit came loose and he was concerned for the worst.
"I didn't tie it tight enough so my pants almost fell down," he said with a laugh following his 300-metre journey.
"I was carrying the torch like this," he said, visually describing his efforts, "and holding up my pants with the other hand."
The significance of the moment was not lost on the 75-year-old Paul, who received the torch from Truro resident Farida Gabbani on Lorne Street and passed it to Halifax's Paul Jewer.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event. I'll never see this happen again in my lifetime," the chief said.
Kendra Collicutt was at the Glooscap Heritage Centre to see the flame arrive. The Marion Bridge resident was sporting the tracksuit she wore almost 21 years ago to the day when she carried the Calgary-bound torch in Ben Eoin, Cape Breton. But Wednesday was her son Jimmy's day - he carried the torch 300 metres as it left the Glooscap centre heading for Stewiacke.
"It was nice to see my son run with it. I was very proud," she said, noting it is going to be nice to have the two tracksuits as souvenirs.
During the stop in Millbrook, Madeline Martin blessed the torch and said a prayer.
She said it was an honour to participate in the event as it passed through the native
community.
Not all the people running with the torch during the past two days were from Colchester County. Some people came from as far away as Newfoundland, Whitby, Ont.; Montreal, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Indianapolis, Colorado Springs, California, Switzerland and England to participate in the event.
"It tells me the interest and the power of the Olympic movement and the Olympic spirit is very powerful and alive in our country and the world," said Bernie MacDonald, a Truro resident who ran along Willow Street from the Stonehouse Motel to the Colchester Regional Hospital.
"I felt very privileged to think I was only five minutes away from home and was able to participate in this wonderful experience."
While running with the torch MacDonald thought of the country's vastness and diversity. "It was very exhilarating to be part of a process to bring the country together and to share in the Olympic spirit," he said.
MacDonald, who is a co-president at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, wore
his tracksuit to work but changed at noon hour, only to have people visit his office to see him in uniform.
"I promised I would wear it tomorrow," he said Wednesday.
Alan Syliboy, who will have his artwork displayed at the Olympics in Vancouver and on Coke bottles for the Games, enjoyed Wednesday's ceremony.
"It's great to see the turnout, to see the enthusiasm, it's really fantastic," he said. "We're sending the torch out West, we're two coastal peoples, and it's going to connect us all together." He can't wait for February when he will be in Vancouver for the Games.
"That's going to be very amazing," he said after taking photos at Wednesday's event.
"It's a thrill of a lifetime. I've documented everything, every bit of this, so we have it forever now."

jmalloy@trurodaily.com