Indy 500 Traditions

May 27, 2021

Indy 500 Traditions

The Indianapolis 500 is all about tradition. Tradition imbues just about every aspect of the event itself and also extends to what each individual or group that attends each year practice on their own. The city has its own traditions surrounding the race, some of which were canceled this year due to Covid 19 pandemic concerns such as the 500 Festival Parade through downtown, but others resumed again this year after taking the year off last year when the race was moved to August.

Since there was no parade, the speedway did something different, offering a short parade of the drivers that wound through the town of speedway before each driver was whisked off to visit a specific Indy 500 decorated home that had entered a contest, so 33 Indianapolis area residents had drivers come visit them in their homes which is a pretty cool alternative to the parade.

For my part, I happened to be in Speedway when the parade of drivers was driven down Main Street in a much smaller and condensed version of a parade that was nonetheless thrilling for the residents of Speedway and other fans who lined the street to see the drivers. I was there to visit the various shops and galleries that line Main Street and had Indy 500 displays and merchandise as well as original artwork related to the race.

This happened on the Saturday prior to the race itself and of course myself and my friends have our own traditions that we honor each year, beginning with the annual Calcutta auction of drivers gambling event that we have held for many years at various locations. Since its recent home at Brugge Brasserie sadly was no more as my favorite Indy restaurant was closed so the property could be converted to condos or some other such horror, my friends rented out another bar in Broad Ripple to host the event.

There was a huge crowd on hand as it was dedicated to our late friend Danny Weed, who had passed away recently and was a constant presence at both the Calcutta and the race and is dearly missed by all who knew him. He would have loved that the Calcutta was in his honor. The money was big and a new record take was had to make the pot huge. I was priced out of getting my own driver, but went in with some friends to get the entire ninth row of Marco Andretti, Simon Pagenaud and Sebastian Bourdais.

I was pretty pleased with that draw and felt like at least one of them could place in the money. Held immediately following the Calcutta, my friends Rick and Becky host a huge Crawfish Boil/ Street Party in front of their home on North Broadway where tons of my good friends can always be found.

This year there were a couple of hundred pounds of imported New Orleans Crawfish, a plethora of other food and beer provided by my friend and brewer Kevin from his restaurant/bar Twenty Tap. It was as crowded as I have seen it on a beautiful sunny Indiana afternoon and as always it is a ton of fun. This year there was even live music as a band was on hand to play and provide additional entertainment.

This is one of my most favorite traditions and I have literally watched my friends’ kids grow up over the fifteen or so years that I have attended and it is always good to catch up with so many people and to meet many new people who attend each year. It is also one of the events that Kathy enjoys the most because she loves the crawfish and can eat huge piles of them so I am certain she was sad to not be on hand.

Indianapolis

May 27, 2021

Indianapolis

I love Indianapolis, of course I have the natural hometown pride for the city that I was born and raised in, but there was a time some thirty years ago when the city seemed so confining and mostly boring with a few exceptions like the month of May each year and the Indy 500. It seemed pedestrian and dull, not much going on and not much prospect for much change going forward. 

Key West had an exotic allure and a world unlike anything I had really experienced. Island living was exciting and new and the ocean was beautiful and opportunity seemed possible. It turns out that I was mostly right as far as the excitement and possibility of Key West, it has proven to be an amazing life and full of wonderful experiences. But I can’t help to believe that my former opinion of my hometown was flawed.

I have returned at least once a year every year since departing Indianapolis and each time I return it just seems to get better and better. I often wonder if the Indianapolis of today existed thirty years ago if I ever would have left. The arts, music, food and entertainment scene have gotten better and better and each year there is seemingly a plethora of new and interesting places to go and things to do, I have come to love and appreciate the city more in my absence than I ever did while I actually lived there and now, I can’t wait to get back every year.

As the city has grown and matured, the pains associated with many big cities have grown accordingly and now the crime rate is really high and the murder rate is through the roof. Gang life and drugs have their grip on large sections of the city and issues that plague urban areas are still prevalent but there is still a whole lot to love about the city and I try to take advantage of those things every time I visit.

The largest city and capital of the state of Indiana, Indianapolis is the 17^th most populous state in the US and features a wonderful mix of cultural and entertaining things to do. One of the things that I like to do when I am in town is to visit the Indianapolis Zoo at Whiteriver Park.  The beautiful AZA accredited zoo features 3,800 animals from 320 species. It features a large aquarium and a botanical garden as well.

When I was a child ,the zoo was a much smaller affair located on East Washington Street in George Washington Park but by 1987 the zoo had outgrown its old and dated site and a new location at the White River State Park was constructed that opened in 1988.  The current zoo is much larger has better and more modern facilities for the animals and has switched its focus to conservation in a big way.

I know in my heart that I should not support zoos and aquariums, but I just love going to see the animals and it was the exposure through the zoo that gave me the love of animals that makes me support so many non-profits working to protect them in the wild.

I also visited the beautiful natural setting at the Fort Harrison State Park on the eastside of Indianapolis. Located next to and encompassing part of the training facility at what was once a huge army base, Ft. Harrison State Park provides a beautiful natural setting that is easily accessible for the city dwellers who call Indianapolis home. I like it because it features a verdant deciduous forest that at its best during May and June. Green and thriving, it is a perfect place for a respite from the city and I absolutely love going there.

https://www.indianapoliszoo.com/

https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/fort-harrison-state-park/