Torch Relay to pass through Elkhart County

By: Emily Kinzer

Posted: Oct 4, 2016 7:51 AM EDT | Updated: Oct 4, 2016 7:56 AM EDT

Elkhart County residents will celebrate Indiana's bicentennial all day Tuesday when the Torch Relay travels throughout the county.

The relay first kicked off on September 9th and over the course of a five week period, it will travel to all 92 counties in the state.

The Elkhart County leg of the Torch Relay will start at MyBrook Dairy Farm in Middlebury on Tuesday. MyBrook is the only dairy farm involved in the statewide relay celebration.

The Torch Relay is a tribute to Indiana's 200th birthday. The dairy farm is included to also pay tribute to 200 years of dairy farming in the state. The farm is a 6th generation dairy farm that was founded in 1896.

Entertainment and festivities at MyBrook will start shortly after 7:45 a.m. when the gates open. At 8 a.m. there will be a kickoff celebration ahead of the torch lighting at 8:45. At 9 a.m. the relay will kick off.

Throughout the day the torch will travel 50 miles throughout Elkhart County and be carried by 40 torchbearers who represent the diversity of Elkhart County.

At 9:45 a.m. the torch is expected to arrive in the Elkhart city limits (Jackson and Marshall boulevards). From there it will go to Main and Marion streets in Elkhart to the Premier Arts Quilt Garden where there will be a ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

At 11:00 a.m., the Torch Relay is scheduled to be in downtown Elkhart on Main and Franklin Streets.

The torch is expected to be in Goshen on U.S. 33 and Ferndale Road at noon. From there it will go to Wakarusa on C.R. 7 and C.R. 40 at 1:15 p.m.

At 2 p.m. it should be in Nappanee on S.R. 19 and C.R. 50. Closing ceremony for the Elkhart County portion of the relay will be at Amish Acres in Nappanee at 3 p.m.

Each day the torch travels about 97 miles. On October 15, the relay will conclude at the state Capitol and will have traveled 3,200 miles.

If people want to follow along with where the torch will travel, they can download the Indiana Bicentennial Relay smart-phone app. It is available on the App Store and Google Play.