A new exhibit at Keystone Square Museum highlights the two times Gladys Dickison was an Olympics torch bearer. Did you know that Lampasas has a two-time Olympic torch bearer?

Lampasas resident Gladys Dickison carried the torch for the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, and for the 2002 Winter Games held in Salt Lake City.

A new exhibition at Keystone Square Museum takes a look at Mrs. Dickison’s experiences.

“The thrill was indescribable,” she said.

The exhibition includes a torch, the official clothing issued to Mrs. Dickison as a torch bearer, and other artifacts. Newspaper articles on the event explain the role of the torch bearer, and photographs of the Lampasan bearing the torch, as well as brochures and other materials, help viewers understand how the relay works.

The custom of the torch relay started in 1936 at the Berlin Summer Olympics. Today, the torch is ignited in a ceremony performed by 11 women, representing the Vestal Virgins in Olympia, Greece, several months before the opening celebration of the games.

Usually, the torch is carried to the host city by runners, but it also has been transported by boat, airplane and even by radio satellite (in the 1976 games).

The exhibition is on view at the museum, 303 S. Western St., through March.

The museum is open Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Phone 556-2224 for more information.