The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay made its way through Evansville Saturday with 24 torch bearers from Vanderburgh County, all with differing ages and backgrounds.

One of the torch bearers was the university president Linda Bennett. Another was Cody Morris, a university alum.

“It was such an honor to be nominated,” Morris said. “It felt surreal. I was among community leaders that I’ve looked up to for a while now.”

He was the third person to handle the torch in the relay.

“I even got to hand the torch off to Dr. Linda Bennett,” Morris said.

  “It was a remarkable moment (passing the torch to Bennett) in feeling that I was part of something big,” Morris said. “It was also very relieving given the fact that the torch itself was fairly heavy.”

The event was part of Indiana celebrating its 200th year of statehood. To help do that, the torch relay is going through all 92 counties in Indiana. The relay began in the state’s original capital, Corydon, and will  make its way to Indianapolis.

The torch ended its journey through Evansville at Old National Bank on Riverside Dr. with a  closing ceremony.

The ceremony included a performance from the Helfrich Park Stem Academy band and local singer Gina Moore who sang “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke ended the ceremony by proclaiming Sept. 10 as Indiana Bicentennial Day and extinguishing the flame from the torch.