Robert Aspy got to taste milk in Victory Circle as winner of the New Pal 500, an event at Woodland Terrace last month.
Submitted photo
NEW PALESTINE – A toy car race for senior citizens has become one of Woodland Terrace’s most anticipated activities of the year and a tribute to the Indianapolis 500.
The tradition, called the New Pal 500, began in 2019 by Bryan Friedrich, the culinary services director at Woodland Terrace and an Indy 500 enthusiast.
On May 26, 33 residents raced the wooden cars that they had painted and decorated around a racetrack in the dining room. With balloons, tires, boxes, small flags, old-fashioned toy cars and trophies, staff at Woodland Terrace created a miniature version of the Indianapolis racetrack – only 50 feet long by two feet wide and outlined with brightly-colored duct tape.
In 2020 and 2021 the event was entirely virtual for residents to watch through Facebook and YouTube from their apartments due to the pandemic. This year, the event was in person just like it was the first time in 2019.
Residents “drove” their cars by rolling dice. Designated team members moved residents’ cars the number of inches based on the dice roll. The 90-minute event ended with a trophy, wreath, glass of milk and bragging rights to resident Robert Aspy.
Friedrich said in a company publication that overseeing the New Pal 500 is a true honor because it brings joy to the residents and team members. It also allows him to carry on his passion for the sport that he got from his dad; he’s attended the race almost every year since he was a child.
“I went to my first race with my dad in 1987,” he said. “I’m this way because of my dad. He was obsessed with the race for as long as I can remember. He’d even pick me up from school sometimes to go to the track and watch practice. I loved seeing the color of the cars, the vibrancy, the energy there. It gives me chills just thinking about it.”
Cole Stites, executive director of Woodland Terrace in New Palestine, said the excitement of the Indianapolis 500 tradition is clear with the checkered flags in New Palestine and the hallways at Woodland Terrace.
“The New Pal 500 gives us an opportunity to celebrate the Indy 500 in our own unique way and bring back the memories and traditions residents have shared,” he said.
