World Special Olympics ‘Host Town’ event held in Solana Beach

The Cities of Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas co-hosted a welcome luncheon from July 22 at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church.

Special Olympics athletes from Ghana, Swaziland and Thailand attended this kick-off event for their three-day Host Town experience, prior to their participation in the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. Senior Pastor Mike McClanahan served as the MC of the event, and Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner and San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts were guest speakers.

A live musical performance by “Banding Together” highlighted the entertainment schedule.

Other Host Town events for these three delegations included a Day at the Races, then dinner at the Powerhouse Community Center, hosted by the City of Del Mar on July 22. A Day at The Park was hosted by the City of Encinitas, then a special on-field parade at Petco Park prior to the Padres Game on July 23. Then a farewell and Good Luck party was held on July 24 as the delegations headed to Los Angeles to participate in the World Special Olympics Games.

Photos by Jon Clark.