Torchbearers to be featured as bicentennial relay approaches

The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay kicks off today in Corydon, set to cover 92 counties and 3,200 miles over the next 37 days.

The relay will reach Putnam County early in the evening of Thursday, Sept. 22, with the first of 21 local representatives, Makenzie Carr, set to take the torch in downtown Putnamville on U.S. 40.

Over the following three hours, 20 other Putnam County torchbearers will take over the torch, riding a tractor, a historic fire truck, a horse and bicycles, as well as walking and running.

Malcolm Romine will have the final local leg, concluding at Baker’s Camp Covered Bridge east of Bainbridge.

Over the next seven editions, the Banner Graphic will be highlighting those 21 people chosen to carry the torch in Putnam County.

As you leaf through the pages that follow, look for the small feature labeled “Torchbearers” and learn more about Carr, Jane Best and Rebecka Howard, the first three people to carry the torch locally.

The feature will continue in the coming editions, with three people highlighted in each edition through Monday, Sept. 19, days before the torch comes to Putnam County.

Between now and then, the Banner Graphic will also highlight a number of the other events set to take place surrounding the torch relay on Sept. 22.

There is also a special Indiana Bicentennial section set to publish on Wednesday, Sept. 21, highlighting a number of aspects of the 200-year history of Indiana.

Keep an eye out for the rest of the torchbearers in upcoming editions.