ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Milan and Cortina Winter Olympics will officially kick off on Friday and the Rochester area is celebrating.
Olympics guide: How to watch Friday’s opening ceremony and local athletes to follow
The opening ceremony gets underway at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. This year, Team USA will send 235 athletes, including three from the Rochester area. News10NBC is your home for the Winter Olympics and has a guide to some Olympic-themed events on Friday. See more of our Olympics coverage here.
Opening ceremony viewing at Fairport Brewing Company
People will gather at Fairport Brewing Company to watch the 8 p.m. re-broadcast of the opening ceremony on NBC. On its Instagram, Fairport Brewing says the family and friends of gold medalist Chris Lillis will be there.
Lillis, a Pittsford native, is competing in his second Olympic Games in aerial freestyle skiing. He won gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics for the aerials team event. Fairport Brewing says people who donate over $50 to help the Lillis family with travel expenses can get an autographed picture.
Opening ceremony viewing at Nazareth University
Nazareth University’s Italian language club and other campus organizations are holding a watch party for the live broadcast of the opening ceremony. It’s happening from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Shults Community Center, Cabaret.
There will be pizza and gelato at the party. Frank DiMino Casa Italiana, Club Italianissimo, and Student Engagement are hosting the event.
Olympians at Amerks game
Two Olympians who represented Team USA during the 2018 Winter Olympics will be honored at Friday night’s Rochester Amerks game at the Blue Cross Arena.
Former Amerks Brian Gionta and David Leggio, who were teammates for men’s hockey during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, will be at the game. Gionta will meet fans and sign autographs during the first intermission. Leggio will be available in the second.
The Amerks will take on the Springfield Thunderbirds for the special Olympic-themed night. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. and you can get tickets here.
The first 2,500 fans will get a replica of the 2018 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team photo, featuring both Gionta and Leggio, courtesy of The UPS Store. In addition, there will be Olympic-themed contests and other promotions during the game.
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