Sunny Skies For 300,000 Spectators.

Sun smiles on this year's 500 parade
May 29, 2011

Written by William J. Booher



CNN's Anderson Cooper was grand marshal for Saturday's IPL 500 Festival Parade. / Matt Kryger / The Star

The weather for the 54th annual IPL 500 Festival Parade worked to perfection Saturday.

As the parade started at noon in Downtown Indianapolis, an overcast sky turned to a sunny one and remained bright throughout the 90-minute event -- to the delight of an estimated 300,000 spectators.

Mark Mann, 8, Indianapolis, seemed right on top of the changing weather.

"I hate the weather right now," he said as he sat with his family about 11:30 a.m., waiting for the start of his third parade experience. "I like the sun."

After the parade began and several units had passed by, Mark said he was enjoying the horses, floats and police vehicles, and the sun, at least partially.

"I'm really burning up," he said as he and his family sat in the direct sun. He took off his sweatshirt to combat the rising temperature -- which reached the mid-60s -- and the humidity.

Spectators found plenty to cheer about, giving especially boisterous applause to military personnel in uniform.

Also receiving special crowd affection were celebrities, particularly perennial festival favorite Jim Nabors and four-time Indianapolis 500-Mile Race winner A.J. Foyt, this year's pace car driver, along with the 33 drivers in today's 100th-anniversary running of the race.

This was the first parade for Austin Ransdell, 23, Zionsville, who said he particularly enjoyed the high school bands and race cars.

"I'm not an actual race fan, but I do like the cars," he said. He said his girlfriend and her mother are festival-parade regulars and persuaded him to come.

Kathy Berger, 71, Southport, is another parade regular. "I love the parade," she said as she sat with her granddaughter Katie, 4, in front-row seats on Pennsylvania Street, waiting for the start of the parade.

Berger said she has attended the past 15 parades and was at the first one.

The town of Speedway's float, depicting a classic race car, town scene and checkered flag, was designed to recapture the town's race heritage, and it also captured the Sweepstakes Trophy in judging as best overall float entry.

Boy Scouts from the multi-county Crossroads of America Council set up and took down spectator chairs along the parade route, which covered portions of Pennsylvania, Washington and Meridian streets. They also got to watch the parade.

Scout Jake Norwood, 12, Indianapolis, said he was impressed by the drum lines in each of the bands, while Scout Max Remley, 14, Indianapolis, was glad he got to see the race cars, their drivers and Indiana Pacers players Jeff Foster and Mike Dunleavy.

Boy Scouts also have a special interest in the race. Race car driver Alex Lloyd, with the Dale Coyne Racing team, is driving the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America-sponsored car in today's race, beginning on the inside of the 11th row.