GREENFIELD — The Riley Festival Parade of Flowers could be considered the heart of the four-day event. Each year, the tradition of covering the James Whitcomb Riley statue in downtown Greenfield in flowers celebrates the poet’s legacy and the festival’s roots.
The parade begins at 12:30 p.m. Friday, when a throng of children will gather to pass bouquets. Three school corporations are participating this year: fourth-graders from Southern Hancock and Mt. Vernon; and second- and third-graders from Greenfield-Central.
During the parade, children will hand flowers to Riley Festival Pageant Queen Avery Spencer and her court. The parade route concludes at the Hancock County Courthouse, where the court and local dignitaries will shower the century-old Riley statue with flowers.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Spencer said she is looking forward to her leading role in the flower parade after participating as a child.
“It’s one of my favorite parts of fall, how our whole community comes together,” Spencer said.
The procession will be led by Greenfield-Central High School’s marching band.
Parade chair Terry Beagle said she anticipates about 900 students will attend, a number on par with the previous several years.
Beagle said arranging the logistics of an event involving so many young children can be daunting. She works closely with both the schools involved and the Greenfield Police Department to ensure that the parade will be safe.
Greenfield Police Department traffic officer Lt. C.W. Murnan coordinates police protection at the flower parade and said it can be a challenge to ensure the safety of so many young children. Murnan said teachers are generally the largest factor in ensuring students’ safety.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking when you have that many kids out in one place,” Murnan said.
Murnan said the police and fire departments plan routes into and out of the festival area in the event of an emergency. The police department also makes sure all children participating arrive and leave in school buses, and local veterans help protect the parade route.
The flower parade dates its origins as a tradition to Riley’s lifetime. The first statewide celebration of the poet’s birthday, in 1911, saw Riley being driven through downtown Greenfield as local children covered his car with flowers.
The modern tradition was started in large part thanks to Dale Beagle, Terry Beagle’s father-in-law. He was the owner of Beagle Furniture and a participant in the informal Sidewalk Days or Riley Days events.
Beagle said he was “civic-minded” and wanted to involve local children in the annual celebration of Riley’s birthday.
Dale Beagle organized the parade for many years, and the responsibility was eventually taken over by Terry Beagle and her husband, Tom.
“Hopefully it’ll pass on to our daughter and we’ll keep it in the family,” Beagle said.
Beagle, a former teacher who still reads Riley’s poetry to children in local schools, said they continue to appreciate his writing.
“I think it’s important because he was known as the children’s poet,” Beagle said. “If you look at the writing on the statue, which has just had its hundredth birthday last November, it says that the statue was donated by the children. It’s important that we keep the children involved, that we know of Riley, and this is their way of celebrating our favorite son and his poetry.”
Wes Anderson, director of school and community relations for Southern Hancock schools, said the parade is a valuable way for children to be involved in celebrating Riley’s legacy.
“It’s a great community event,” Anderson said. “We’re always excited to participate in something that’s important to the history of Hancock County.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Parade of Flowers, a celebration of James Whitcomb Riley by schoolchildren
When: 12:30 Friday
Where: Hancock County Courthouse, at the Riley statue on the Main Street side
[sc:pullout-text-end]