LAKE PLACID – John L. Opar and wife Mary Opar of Lake Placid are preparing this week to relocate to Westchester County. In organizing the move, the Opars decided to bequeath an architect’s rendering of the Lake Placid ski jumps to the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa.
The AAA Four Diamond property, whose Olympic legacy dates back to the 1932 Winter Games in Lake Placid when it hosted the Norwegian delegation, formally accepted the gift on April 11. Lisa Weibrecht and son Andrew, a two-time Olympic medal-winning skier, greeted the Opars. The Inn is now displaying the depiction of the 70 and 90-meter ski jumps that were constructed in the 1970s at the Intervale site for the 1980 Winter Games.
“We saw this display at Twigs Rustic Gallery and John liked it, so I bought it for him for his birthday,” said Mary Opar. “Prior to that, it was on display in the Olympic Center.”
In the years before becoming homeowners in Lake Placid, the Opars stayed in the hotel.
“We thought this display belonged in Lake Placid,” added John L. Opar. “We stayed at the Mirror Lake Inn countless times. In fact, we had our first vacation here and have fond memories of the Inn.”
Much like Andrew Weibrecht’s Olympic medals reside in full view directly behind the front desk, hotel management will give the Opars gift a prominent location.
“Lake Placid prides itself on its connection to the Olympic movement, and certainly, our hotel does the same each day,” stated Andrew, whose father-in-law Jay Rand was an Olympic ski jumper and former manager of the Lake Placid ski jumping complex. “We can never forget the great Olympic moments that occurred here, and items, such as this rendering, are a noteworthy reminder of what our community is about.”