On 15 September 1821, the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua declared their independence from Spain. Initially, it was riders on horseback carrying the news of independence. More recently—dating back to 1964—these countries annually celebrate this monumental declaration of freedom during the month of September with ceremonies and often runners carrying flaming torches over the region’s primary and secondary roads.

This bicentennial year, the Torch of Independence left Nicaragua to be handed to Costa Rica’s Minister of Education, Guisell Cruz at Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica on 13 September. When the flame arrives in Alajuela the next day, Rotarian and Rotaract members in the Rotary Club of Alajuela continue running the torch forward. From Alajuela the torch travels to the country’s present capital, San José, and on to Costa Rica’s old colonial capital, Cartago, where President Carlos Alvarado Quesada hands the flaming torch to 2020 Olympian biker Kenneth Tenico to light a large cauldron.

Gerardo Lorenzen, Governor of Rotary District 4240, heartily endorses all the bicentennial independence celebrations in Central America this year. The usual crowds of cheering spectators viewing the torch processions in 2021 are smaller because COVID is hitting Costa Rica and Nicaragua hard this month. Realizing the virus can’t phase radio waves, twenty amateur radio operators—all members of the Radio Club of Costa Rica—are broadcasting independence joy on the shortwave bands throughout September using a special event call sign TI200I.

Here in the U.S., Dale Covington, K4GSX, makes two-way radio contact with TI200I on 19 September. Dale is presently an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Marietta, GA led by President Will Allen. In an address ca. September 15th, Governor Lorenzen concludes, “. . . felix 200 años de Independencia Centroamérica, Viva Rotary!”