 |  | |||||||
|
 All news should be considered an unconfirmed report unless verified, and all information published at KISS Asylum is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves. All information is confirmed where possible, and all publication is governed by common sense.
From: Indy Star Sure, there were costumed characters, marching bands, floats and giant helium balloons. But the 49th annual IPL 500 Festival Parade also featured Canadian cowgirls, Southern belles and a briefcase drill team. Spectators applauded Gov. Mitch Daniels, who led the Patriot Guard Riders on his Harley-Davidson, and cheered and whistled even louder for Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who is this year's Indianapolis 500 pace car driver. Danica Patrick needed no announcer and drew some of the loudest screams. Another crowd-pleaser: the Fred Hill Briefcase Drill Team, 17 "businessmen" wearing three-piece suits and carrying briefcases as they marched in a routine similar to the military march made famous by actor Bill Murray in the movie "Stripes." Atop the shoulders of her father, Charles Jones, on Meridian Street, 4-year-old Sidney Jones waved back to the festival princesses and to the Southern belles in pastel dresses. When her mother, Diana Jones, pointed out the Oscar the Grouch balloon overhead, she responded with a blank stare. Apparently, horses and motorcycles are more her thing. Back on Pennsylvania Street, as the procession neared its end, Jennifer Banks jumped up and down and yelled to get the attention of one celebrity. "GENE SIMMONS," she said after the KISS band member -- sans trademark makeup -- smiled for her camera. "His most attractive feature is his eyes." After the parade had passed, the Near- Eastside resident's 7-year-old daughter, Alexis, found a new mission: "Where can we meet Danica?" Balloons line up Two hours before the parade's start, Curious George and Elmo floated above the American Legion Mall, the staging ground for at least nine huge character balloons. Kermit the Frog was still on his back, mouth agape and looking asleep, as workers filled him with helium. A dozen or more volunteer handlers guided each balloon down the parade route. Bob the Builder, a children's show character and one of the largest balloons, required nearly 30 handlers, all decked out in Bob's coveralls and yellow hard hats. "We have to keep it in the right position in the middle of the road," said Don Smith, 60, one of two Bob the Builder team captains and a six-year balloon veteran. The Avon resident held a taut rope that helped Bob's left hand wave to the crowd. View from the procession It's one thing to watch a parade from the curb, as up to 300,000 people did Saturday. But you get a totally different experience if you're in the thing. The parade started right on time, at noon, with Rupert Boneham, the ever-present "Survivor" winner. Following shortly behind, a reporter caught a ride on a float topped with replicas of Indianapolis landmarks. Spectators, lined six deep in some spots, got something new every few minutes, but those aboard floats and especially those at the end of the parade line played a bit of a waiting game as those ahead started and stopped along the two-mile route. At every block, the celebrities, floats and marching bands surrounding the IPL float drew a new round of cheers. And every few minutes, a new announcer proclaimed the arrival of the grand marshal in the same way: "The superstar chef everybody loves, Rachael Ray!" As confetti rained around the float, the booming beat and lyrics that looped over and over and over asked the spectators, "Y'all ready for this?" They were, as every new section of onlookers began clapping in rhythm. Eyes in the sky About 20 minutes after the start of the parade, a giant balloon depicting a race car driver scraped the trees while rounding Monument Circle. From the street below, it could have looked like a minor issue. But from above, on the 20th floor of the Chase Tower, it was cause for major concern. "Attention, parade marshals on the ground. You need to know that the wind is blowing from east and you need to tell the handlers to pull the balloon toward the other side of the street," barked Dave Brechbuhl, one of three parade marshals stationed above the city to watch the city's biggest parade of the year. The offices of accounting firm Deloitte and Touche were mostly empty, providing the parade marshals unfettered views from four corner offices. From their vantage points, they could see as far north as Broad Ripple, but their eyes were trained on Pennsylvania and Meridian streets as the parade unfolded below. Their job: to make sure the parade moved smoothly, with help from nearly 70 street-level marshals and a pace car driver who took orders from above. "I had to pause Dan (Wheeler, who drove the lead car) because we had a horse take a (pit stop) on the Circle," Jim Schenck said. "But they already got it cleaned up. Those equestrian guys are good." Sure was a hot one Temperatures in the 80s meant parade-goers had to fan themselves to stay cool. But as warm as it was on the sunny side of the parade, it was even hotter for those marching. On several occasions, parade marshals were asked to find water for marching band members and people carrying large flags -- most of them feeling the heat by the time they were halfway through the route. "It's brutal out there," Schenck said. Spectators also complained about the lack of water and said they couldn't even find water for sale. Lots of people brought coolers, like 20-year parade veteran Scott Stone: "A chair, cooler and Cheetos," he said proudly. "It's pretty humid out here today, but we're having fun," said 16-year-old Frank Ventura, a Boy Scout who helped set up hundreds of chairs along Pennsylvania Street. Skip the corn, Rachael Used to be, when someone mentioned Indiana to Food Network celebrity Rachael Ray, her thoughts drifted to our fields. "I thought corn, corn, all things corn," said Ray, the parade grand marshal. "I certainly did not expect fresh seafood. But that's what we got, and it was awesome." Ray, who said she'd like to return to Indy to film an episode of her new show "Tasty Travels," dined Friday night at the Oceanaire Restaurant in Downtown and then enjoyed drinks and a cigar (well, her husband had the cigar) at Nicky Blaine's. Ray said she liked what she saw. "I don't know if you just spruce things up because of this weekend, but I am so impressed," she said. "This is the cleanest city I've ever been in. I didn't even see a piece of gum on the ground." |
     | ||||||
|
 KISS Museum
News Archive
Features
Tour Dates
Photos
KISS ASYLUM © 1995-2008, all rights reserved. KISS ASYLUM is an unofficial, fan run KISS web site. KISS ASYLUM is optimized for 800x600 screen resolution or higher using Internet Explorer 6.0 and it is recommended that you have the Flash, Real Player, and Quicktime plug-ins to experience the rich audio and video media. Have KISS News to report? Email us at news@kissasylum.com | | ||||||
| | | ||||||
