INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Indiana is preparing to kick off a yearlong celebration leading up to the state's 200th birthday next December.

An event scheduled for Friday at the Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis will feature the unveiling of an Olympic-style torch that will visit all 92 of the state's counties as part of bicentennial events.

Former Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman co-chairs the Indiana Bicentennial Commission. She says the panel that's overseeing the state's bicentennial celebrations wants “all Hoosiers engaged” in those events.

Indiana is spending more than $50 million on bicentennial-related activities. Most of that funding is for several construction projects, including a new state archive building and a bicentennial plaza at the Statehouse.

Indiana became the nation's 19th state on Dec. 11, 1816.