At 6 a.m. today, downtown Indy was quiet except for a handful of volunteers -- myself among them -- preparing the route for the 500 Festival Parade. All that carpet and the banners on both sides of the TV zone...yep, I helped put it up...and take it down when the parade was over. We also moved hundreds of barricades to block streets and zipped more zip ties than any one person should ever have to handle in a lifetime. This was my third year volunteering with the logistics crew, and while it's a lot of work, we get the best seat in the house for the parade. A quarter-million folks lined the parade route; it was a sell out again this year. And it took 7,000 volunteers to help make it happen.
Some of the day's highlights: Jim Nabors is back this year and he got a huge ovation
from those along the parade route. There's something missing on race day when Back Home Again in Indiana isn't sung by Nabors. Dancing With the Stars favorites Julianne Hough and Helio Castronevez were on hand; Helio starts on the inside of row 2, while Hough will sing the National Anthem on race day. She performed at the beginning of the parade this afternoon with the Indianapolis Children's Choir. Governor Daniels rode his Harley in the parade and there were more celebrities on hand than you could shake a stick at.
In about six hours, Mark and I will ice down the coolers and head for the track. The forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 81. We successfully moved our seats after two years of being completed exposed to the elements: Last year was rain, the year before that 90-degree plus heat. For tomorrow's 92nd Indy 500 we'll be under cover just down from the start/finish line with a good view of turns 1 and 4 and the pits. After we get home tomorrow evening we can watch the race all over again; it's blacked out in the Indianapolis market so if you're not at the track, you have to watch it in the evening. Enjoy your Memorial Day!
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