BEE CAVE/LAKEWAY – Special Olympics Texas’ (SOTX) 2023 Winter Games Opening Ceremonies will be held on February 18th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave, Texas (15000 Hamilton Pool Rd. Bee Cave, TX 78738). The event will be the kickoff celebration for the 2023 Winter Games held in the Lakeway and Bee Cave communities for the second year in a row. The three-day gathering, which is free and open to the public, will be SOTX’s first statewide competition of 2023, and is expected to attract thousands of athletes, Unified Partners, families, and volunteers from all around the state of Texas. 

Opening Ceremonies will host Bee Cave and Lakeway leaders, Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) officers, and artist and performer Kelley Jakle. Kelly has been an advocate for Special Olympics for several years and recently made an appearance at Special Olympics Texas’ Winter Games Press Conference in December of 2022. 

"I am so honored to be returning to the SOTX Winter Games and can’t wait to celebrate these remarkable athletes,” says Kelley Jakle. “The Opening Ceremony will truly be a night to remember filled with joy, camaraderie, and a whole lot of dancing!”

The event will open with athletes from throughout Texas marching in with their coaches and teams. Attendees will then listen to speeches from staff, politicians, and LETR members, before witnessing the Flame of Hope lighting to start the Games. Directly afterward, Kelley Jakle will perform several songs alongside musician Gary Johnson while a firework show takes place. The Victory Dance celebration will then begin to close out the ceremony.