State Parks to Kick Off Centennial Celebration
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana State Parks will hold events at three different sites Wednesday as it kicks off its centennial celebration. The events are being called "Countdown to 100: Centennial Celebration Launch."
Indiana State Parks celebrates its 100th anniversary on December 16, 2016. The kickoff begins at 7:00 a.m. Indiana’s first state park, McCormick’s Creek State Park in Spencer, which will feature a traditional 1916-era breakfast. Becky Skillman, co-chair of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission, will be the feature speaker.
First Lady Karen Pence will continue the festivities at the Statehouse at noon. She will speak about how the State Parks centennial relates to the state’s bicentennial. There will also be hands-on demonstrations offered by interpretive naturalists.
Finally, representatives from Indiana State Parks and the Indiana Bicentennial Commission will gather at Turkey Run State Park in Marshall at 4:00 p.m. Bicentennial Commissioner and director of The Nature Conservancy in Indiana Mary McConnell will be speaking at the event and the event will end with a 1916-era dinner at Turkey Run Inn, starting at 5:30.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says Indiana’s state parks were established in 1916 as a gift to Indiana citizens to mark the first 100 years of statehood. To learn more about Wednesday’s activities, click here.