The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay spent less than three hours in Jackson County on Thursday, including about two minutes in downtown Seymour.

That didn’t stop the organizers of the visit to the city from holding a four-hour block party that included a chance to learn something about the state’s past, pick up free foam torches and listen to some music at the same time.

At about 11 a.m., Seymour resident Jill McIntosh King sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Shortly after that, Tonja Couch of Seymour delivered the nearly 2-foot-tall torch to a makeshift podium, where Mayor Craig Luedeman welcomed it to the city.

Couch, executive director of Jackson County United Way, carried the torch a few yards and handed it to former Seymour Mayor John Burkhart so its journey could continue in an antique automobile.

The torch relay commemorates the state’s bicentennial, which is being celebrated this year. This year also marks the bicentennials of Jackson County and Brownstown.

Read the full story in Friday’s Tribune and online at tribtown.com.