It’s finally coming to Kosciusko County.
The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay will pass through the area Thursday, starting at about 9:45 a.m. at the Warsaw Community High School football field, and ending at Lakeside Park in Syracuse.
There’s also going to be a host of other events in Warsaw over the next three days.
The Bicentennial Experience, a traveling museum for Indiana’s 200th anniversary that is visiting all of the state’s 92 counties, will be at Central Park from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday. It is free and open to the public. There also will be a celebration at Central Park when the torch arrives there.
At Lakeside Park in Syracuse, the radio station Willie 103.5 will offer free chilly dogs while supplies last to the public.
The free “Decades of Music” program at Grace College’s Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center, 610 Wooster Road, Winona Lake, starts at 7 p.m. Thursday and will feature area bands and choirs. The event is free, however, general admission tickets are required and seating will be limited. Tickets are available at county high schools, the Grace College Campus Store located in the Gordon Recreation Center, the Grace College Athletic Office located in the MOCC, and at Latte Lounge, 108 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw. More than 1,000 student and adult musicians are expected to perform in the concert.
On Friday, downtown Warsaw is hosting a block party with music and food vendors from 5 to 9 p.m. Featured on the two entertainment stages will be No Fun Intended, Indian folklorist Michael Jacobs, Hometown Heroes and the Syracuse improv group Main on Main.
Most events on Saturday are at the fairgrounds, starting with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. There is a $5 charge for the breakfast.
Registration for the family bicycle ride is at 7:30 a.m., with registration for the motorcycle ride at 8:30 a.m. There is no cost for the rides.
The quilt show opens at 9 a.m.
The parade line-up also is at 9 a.m. on West Center Street, Warsaw, with the parade beginning at 10 a.m.
Parade participants can fill out an entry form at the website at www.2016kosciuskocelebrates.com.
Food vendors open at 11 a.m. Saturday, the same time the Classic Car Cruise-In registration begins. The antique tractor show and displays and kids activities also begin at 11 a.m.
Bingo starts at 12:30 p.m., which has a minimum charge.
The Warsaw VFW corn hole tournament is from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds.
Teams will be determined by a blind draw. Entry fee is $5 per person, and it’s double elimination. Pay out is 60 percent first place and 40 percent second place. Refreshments will be available.
Live entertainment starts at 1 p.m. around the fairgrounds.
Beard contest judging starts at 1 p.m., with the egg toss at 1:30 p.m. The pie and ice cream, with a minimum charge, begins at 2 p.m. as does the vintage base ball game.
NASA’s program “The Journey to Mars Begins Here” starts at 4 p.m. in the Lakeview Middle School auditorium. Norman Tokarz, of Kennedy Space Center’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program in Florida, is the main speaker.
Jason Michael Carroll was scheduled to perform at the grandstand Saturday, but cancelled Tuesday because his father passed away.
The bicentennial committee is working to find an available artist for the scheduled performance Saturday at the fairgrounds, according to the committee’s Facebook page at WarsawKosciusko-Indiana-2016-Bi-Centennial-celebration.
“We would ask that you join us in keeping Jason and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Please watch our Facebook page and listen to Willie 103.5 for updates,” the page states.
The grandstand gates were to open at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for Janice Ann and Miss Kitty’s Revenge at 7:15 p.m.
For more information, email in200kos@gmail.com or visit the website at www.2016kosciuskocelebrates.com.
