The Torch passes through

The Indiana Bicentennial Torch had its 15 minutes of flame in Rensselaer today.  Before it arrived, people could tour the Bicentennial Experience, a semi-truck trailer that had video exhibits. They could also pose with Jasper, our bicentennial bison, and they might have noticed that the Beaver Law building was getting a new coat of paint. If white is the final color, it will look much different than it does now.

  The Bomber Brigade was there, and though they played a bit before the torch arrived, I do not think they did anything after it arrived. I may be wrong, because I left when the torch left, and they may have done something after that.

 I seemed every kid in music classes in the high school and middle school was on near what was once the main entrance to the Court House.

 There were many other school kids. I hope that they were not disappointed that this parade did not have candy.

 The torch arrived with an escort of motorcycles, police cars, and specially marked torch cars.

 I could not see what happened to the torch when it approached the Court House. The students sang "Back Home Again in Indiana", a song that James Hanley, who was born in Rensselaer, wrote or co-wrote. Then in one of the shorter legs of the torch relay, it was brought from the stage to the street by the director of the choir, Mrs Davisson.

 Visit Rensselaer then carried it for a block or so.

 Two or three people later it was leaving downtown Rensselaer.

 It arrived at SJC on a bicycle and the flame was transferred to another torch.

Mrs. Kanne carried it around the pond and if you look carefully, you might see her below the water tower. Despite free cake, the crowd at the pond was much smaller than what had been downtown.

 The SJC Chamber Singers sang a song or two.

 And then the torch was loaded up in the caravan of white vehicles, (Subaru provided the cars) and was off to Fair Oaks Farms and Newton County.