GREENFIELD — Jessica Klein Knight had an exciting morning, she said, grinning as she made her way back down State Street.
She and her third-grade classmates at J.B. Stephens Elementary School had just participated in their first Children’s Parade of Flowers on Friday afternoon.
They and hundreds of other elementary school students from across the county trotted through the streets of downtown Greenfield, colorful bouquets in their hands, and delivered the tributes to the James Whitcomb Riley statue in front of the Hancock County Courthouse.
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The stomps of their footsteps echoed those of children who have for decades participated in the event.
The parade is a longstanding tradition in Hancock County and a cornerstone of the annual Riley Festival.
Parents and grandparents line the streets to watch, waving and calling out to get their student’s attention. All the while, music played by the Greenfield-Central High School marching band filled the air.
For years, only students from Greenfield-Central Schools participated in the parade; but in 2016 the festival’s committee invited all the county’s school districts to take part — a fitting change, flower parade chair Terry Beagle said, because students across the state, not just in Greenfield city limits, learn about the Hoosier poet in their classes.
This year, Greenfield-Central sent its second- and third-grade students to participate in the flower parade. Southern Hancock Schools sent its fourth-graders.
Elementary-schoolers who study Indiana history learn about James Whitcomb Riley, his poetry and his other contributions to the state, said Andrea Cannon, a fourth-grade teacher from Sugar Creek Elementary School.
Riley’s picture is included in the texts her students study, she said, right alongside other famous faces from Indiana, like Michael Jackson and Jane Pauley. But kids get an extra kick out of knowing that Riley is from their hometown, that he is the namesake of important places locally, like Riley Hospital for Children and Greenfield’s Riley Park.
So, being part of this communitywide event honoring a local hero is really special for the students, Cannon said.
Jessica said she and her classmates have been learning a lot about Riley in the days leading up to the flower parade. They also learned about the history behind the event and how it became a tradition of the festival, she said.
Knowing how important Riley is to the community made her even more eager to participate, she said.
As they do every year, a brigade of volunteers consisting of police officers, veterans and festival-committee members, lined the streets in an effort to keep kids safe. Beagle admitted they hurried kids up the street with a little more vigor this year, trying to beat a rainstorm they knew was headed their way. As a result, the parade lasted about 15 minutes from start to finish, she said.
At the foot of Riley’s statue, a crowd of community leaders, including the mayor, the police and fire chiefs and the teenage Riley Festival queens took the bouquets the children handed them and fixed them into place at the statue’s base.
Gracie Johnson, this year’s Riley Festival Queen said, it was fun to see all the smiling young faces and give out hugs and high-fives.
She and court members Cassondra Jones, Delanie Melton and Lydia McIntire attended Eastern Hancock High School and never had the chance to participate in the Parade of Flowers as students, they said. Court member Sarah Raven said she took in the parade when she was a student at Eden Elementary.
Melton said she’s looking forward to seeing some of the students again as the festival continues throughout the weekend, and perhaps get to visit with them a little longer than the afternoon’s hurried parade allowed for.
“It was really rewarding,” she remarked, “feeling like they looked up to you.”
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Riley Festival celebrations continue today. Here’s a look at what’s going on:
Today
12-1 p.m.: Kevin Long, kid friendly Magician on the Kid’s Stage in the Riley Festival Fun Zone
12-5 p.m.: Antique Tractor Show at the Riley Park
1-2 p.m.: Nicole Bridgens, vocal performance including Disney song on the Kid’s Stage in the Riley Festival Fun Zone
1-2 p.m.: Bobby Wiggins in the Gazebo
1-2:30 p.m.: Indy Contra in the GBC Entertainment Tent
2-3 p.m.: Kevin Long, kid friendly Magician on the Kid’s Stage in the Riley Festival Fun Zone
2-2:30 p.m.: Alyssa Dickey in the Gazebo
2:45-4:45 p.m.: Jeff Kinder & Sherrie Davis in the Gazebo
3-4:30 p.m.: Dance East in the GBC Entertainment Tent
3-4 p.m.: Nicole Bridgens, vocal performance including Disney song on the Kid’s Stage in the Riley Festival Fun Zone
3-4:30 pm — Pauls Court on the Rock Stage in the Living Alley
5- 6 p.m.: Ricochet Cloggers in the GBC Entertainment Tent
5-6:30 p.m.: Haley Jonay in the Gazebo
5-7 p.m.: Poets Open Mic at Hancock Co. Arts & Council, 20 A North State St.
5-7:30 p.m.: Boggy Branch on the Rock Stage in the Living Alley
6-9 p.m.: Hearts Ablaze in the GBC Entertainment Tent
6-10 p.m.: Poetry Slam at Griggsby’s Station
6-7 p.m.: Kevin Long, kid friendly Magician on the Kid’s Stage in the Riley Festival Fun Zone
7-8 p.m.: Nicole Bridgens, vocal performance including Disney song on the Kid’s Stage in the Riley Festival Fun Zone
7-9 p.m.: TBA in the Gazebo
8-10 p.m.: Mr. Speed on the Rock Stage in the Living Alley
Sunday
1-2 p.m.: 4 The Light — in the GBC Entertainment Tent
1-2 p.m.: Echo of Grace in the Gazebo
1-2 p.m.: Poets at the Podium at Hancock Co. Arts & Council, 20 A North State St.; Registration begins 1 hour before.
2-3 p.m.: Blessed Truth in the GBC Entertainment Tent
2:45-3:34 p.m.: Nicole Bridge, variety soloist, in the Gazebo
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