The Wabash County Bicentennial Committee is excited to announce the finalized plans and route for the county’s upcoming Bicentennial Torch Relay and 200th Anniversary celebration events. The Torch Relay will be held on Wednesday, September 28th from 4 to 7 p.m. and the entirety of Wabash County is encouraged to line the streets, cheer on their neighbors, family and friends as the torch is received from Grant County and travels north through Wabash County.
“The Torch Relay is the premier event of Indiana’s Bicentennial. A Visit Indiana initiative, designed to inspire and unify Hoosiers by symbolically “passing the torch” connecting generations to ignite our future,” said the State of Indiana in a statement. The relay was designed to inspire Hoosiers and promote unity across the state by connecting people, communities and regions. The torch will journey through Indiana’s 92 counties, traveling 3,200 total miles. The relay began September 9th and will finish October 15th on the Statehouse Grounds with a celebration. It travels six days per week (Mondays are rest days) for five weeks and 32 days. The torch will be passed among over 2,200 community-nominated torchbearers via walking, running and torchbearers employing modes of transportation that are representative of Indiana culture and heritage.
15 of those torchbearers will be from Wabash County and include Michael Beauchamp, Brady Burgess, Jabin Burnworth, Jason Callahan, Jon Foor, Steve Ford, Sam Frazier, Kathy, Joel and Joshua Garber (in honor of Posthumous Nominee Christopher Garber), Jeff Hawkins, Sally Krouse, Clint Kugler, Mayor Scott Long, Dave McFadden, Mike Pyle and Natalie Guenin Unger. In addition to the torchbearers, honorary members of the community were also selected to accompany the torch by riding on Visit Wabash County’s Trolley #85 for the duration of the relay.
Wabash County Bicentennial Committee Chairman Mitch Figert said, “As we celebrate Indiana’s Bicentennial this event is a great way to involve the local community and represent our rich history to those watching from around the state.”
At approximately 4 p.m. the torch will be received in LaFontaine and will travel north to Wabash, stopping briefly at Visit Wabash County. From there, the caravan will head north on Miami Street to Harrison Avenue and then continue north on Wabash Street stopping briefly at O.J. Neighbours Elementary School.
The torch will then continue north to North Manchester where it will travel through Manchester University and begin to head south. It will stop briefly in front of the Thomas Riley Marshall Home and pause for a short program and community celebration, then travel south back to Wabash where it will end at Paradise Spring Historical Park with a program and celebration immediately following the conclusion of the relay.
The community of North Manchester is encouraged to participate in the celebrations held in conjunction with the torch relay. Manchester Intermediate School’s fourth grade will hold its annual Pioneer Day at Warvel Park. The students will attend from 12:55 to 3:10 p.m. and then the community is invited to join in time era activities and fun from 4 to 5:40 p.m. at the corner of Market and 9th Streets. Planned activities are candle dipping, funnel cake making, apple cider pressing and tasting, pioneer music concerts, horse drawn carriage rides, tin punching and pioneer games.
Immediately following these events, the community will see the torch traveling from Manchester University and passing the park at approximately 5:45 p.m. All are then invited to follow the torch two blocks south on Market Street to the Thomas Marshall House near the North Manchester Public Library. Around 5:50 p.m., a brief town Bicentennial program will occur followed by the torch traveling toward Main Street and eventually back to Wabash.
For those attending the celebration at Paradise Spring Historical Park in Wabash, there will be food available for purchase and music from 5pm to 8pm. At 6 p.m., the Wabash High School Choir, directed by Emily France, will sing for half an hour. Then, at 6:30 p.m., the Paradise Spring Reenactment Players will present a historical skit. At 6:45 p.m. the State of Indiana Birthday Celebration will begin with the Color Guard of the American Legion presenting as the crowd will sing the national anthem. This will be followed by the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” and the torch will enter the park being carried by Sam Frazier. The celebration will continue as the caldron is lit and Hugh Hanna, founder of the City of Wabash (played by Ware Wimberly) will welcome attendees. Torchbearers will be introduced and statements will be given by Mark Newman, Executive Director for the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, Mitch Figert, and Mayor Scott Long.
As the relay progresses, the public can also follow along using social media as live updates will be tweeted on the Visit Wabash County Twitter account (@VisitWabashCo). This is a once in a lifetime event and organizers are eagerly anticipating community attendance and involvement.
Figert said, “After spending months planning these events, it’s so exciting to see plans coming to fruition. This will be a momentous day for Wabash County and I look forward to seeing numerous families lining the torch route to support the torch bearers and represent our entire county.”