Turkey Run and McCormick's Creek were Indiana's first two state parks, established in 1916 as a gift to Hoosiers on the 100th anniversary of Indiana statehood.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with Visit Indiana, is offering free admission to kick off Visit Indiana Week.

The House voted 58-38 Tuesday to require the state Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to issue the permits requested by the Department of Natural Resources.

Shari Wagner steps into the role of Poet Laureate for Indiana as the state celebrates its bicentennial and the centennial of its state parks.

McCormick's Creek in Spencer, about 55 miles southwest of Indianapolis, and Turkey Run in in Marshall about 60 miles west of Indianapolis, became Indiana's first two state parks on Dec. 16, 1916.

The Department of Natural Resources says the parks will close temporarily for the two-day hunts on Nov. 16 and 17, and Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.