SAM Magazine-Lake Placid, N.Y., Mar. 4, 2010-Winter resorts across America are celebrating Winter Olympians for representing the U.S. and often winning medals at the Vancouver Games.

Local officials in Lake Placid declared Feb. 26 "Andrew Weibrecht Day" and held a parade in his honor. Weibrecht, who earned a bronze medal in the super G, rode atop a fire truck in a snowstorm along a jam-packed Main Street in the Olympic village of Lake Placid. Town officials and dignitaries marched along with the high school marching band and ski club. Large banners lauded Weibrecht and Nordic combined large hill gold medalist Billy Demong of Vermontville. The parade ended at Mirror Lake Inn's Cottage Café, owned by Weibrecht's parents.

Olympic moguls gold medalist Hannah Kearney brought her moguls skiing gold medal home to Norwich on Feb. 26, too, parading through two separate towns-Norwich, Vt., and Hanover, N.H. Kearney was born in Hanover, went to elementary school in nearby Norwich, then returned to Hanover for middle and high school while still living in Norwich. Vermont governor Jim Douglas declared it "Hannah Kearney Day."

Vail has renamed the "International" trail, the site of the women's speed events during the World Alpine Ski Championships at Vail in 1989 and 1999-it's now "Lindsey's" in honor of Olympic gold and bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn, Vail's first-ever Olympic gold medalist. A new trail sign greeted skiers and snowboarders on Feb 28. Vonn was the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in downhill.

And the celebrations are not over yet. On Mar. 5, the Village of Saranac Lake, the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, the Women's Civic Chamber and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), will honor several of the area's athletes who competed in Vancouver with a parade. Honorees include Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), 2010 Olympic biathlete; Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.), 2009-10 overall biathlon World Cup leader and 2010 Olympic biathlete; Ashley Caldwell (Lake Placid), 2010 U.S. Olympic free-style aerialist; Bill Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.), Olympic gold and silver nordic combined medalist and U.S. Olympic team flag bearer during the Olympic Closing Ceremony; Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake), 2010 U.S. Olympic ski jumper; Mark Grimmette (Lake Placid), 2010 U.S. Olympic luge athlete and U.S. Olympic team flag bearer for Opening Ceremony; Haley Johnson (Lake Placid), 2010 U.S. Olympic biathlete; Chris Mazdzer (Saranac Lake), 2010 Olympic luge athlete; and Emily Sweeney (Saranac Lake), U.S. national luge team athlete. \

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