HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Bicentennial Commission says activities will be spread over two years.

The commission says programs will begin in 2017, which is the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Alabama Territory. They will continue through Dec. 14, 2019, which is the bicentennial of Alabama becoming a state.

The commission’s chairman, state Sen. Arthur Orr of Decatur, says committees are already in place to plan programs that will impact education, tourism and economic development. He says there will be traveling exhibits, documentaries, festivals, historical marker dedications, and statewide commemoration efforts.

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