HANCOCK COUNTY — Wall-to-wall people lined up along U.S. 40 through the heart of Greenfield to watch Saturday’s Riley Festival Parade. It was the same type of enthusiasm felt throughout the four-day Riley Festival this past weekend, patrons, vendors and organizers said.
“It was amazing and awesome,” Red Post Homemade Noodles owner Angie Faris said Sunday a few hours before things wrapped up. “We brought 400 pounds of noodles and we ran out Saturday night around 7:30 p.m. and let me tell you, that’s a whole lot of noodles.”
She and her husband Bill Faris drove all the way from Jamestown, Ohio to take part in Indiana’s largest four-day festival, something they’ve done for the past 15 years. Angie Faris said, thanks to no rain and crisp fall-like weather, it was an ideal four-day setting.
“I would say it’s probably close to a record crowd from what I can recall,” Angie Faris said.
The Riley Festival begins every year on the first Thursday of October with many events following years of traditions in celebrating the birth date of famed “Hoosier Poet” James Whitcomb Riley.
Each year, one of Mr. Riley’s poems is selected as the theme for that year’s festival. The 2022 theme was “Little Orphant Annie.”
From the Flower Parade on Friday to the traditional Mayor Breakfast early Saturday morning and the annual parade later that day, it looked like a great time was had by all. It was nearly perfect weather for the festival, event organizers said and the crowds agreed.
“If there is any such thing as a perfect festival, we probably had it this weekend,” Riley Festival president Nancy Alldredge said.
Everything went smoothly, she said, from set up Thursday morning to break down Sunday evening.
“Everything went fine and the radios were quiet, and when the radios are quiet that means it’s going smooth,” Alldredge said. “I know some vendors said they didn’t do as well as they did last year, but that’s partly due to people not spending as much due to inflation and the economy we’re in, but most were still pleased.”
Some vendors even prepaid for next year, meaning they will be back. For the most part, other than a few patrons looking for a specific item, everyone seemed to have a good time.
“We’re trying to find the fine arts section,” Laura Chandler of Greenfield said.
She and a friend were walking through the festival trying to find some local flair Sunday around lunch time. The two ladies noted they like the feeling of attending a local festival for the hometown feel and preferred more of the homemade crafts and seeing handmade projects as opposed to some of the booths that had manufactured products.
“I’ve lived here almost all my life so this, I’ve been here a lot,” Chandler said. “Sometimes we get more of the manufactured products, but it looks like the homemade products are coming back.”
One of the over 400 exhibitors set up on the streets around the 100 year old courthouse was the owner of Miss Piggy’s Pork Shop, Steven Gresham, who said it was a great festival.
“The crowds have been really good to us and our sales have been wonderful,” Gresham said. “It’s been very successful this year.”
That was the same message from The Cakehole, Cupcake Shop owner in New Palestine, Jovanna Hinkle, who has been attending the festival since 2014. She noted that first year they made 10 to 15 dozen treats, but this year she was projecting to sell 143 dozen of their specially made cupcakes and goodies.
“This is honestly looking like it’s going to be our most successful year,” Hinkle said. “I may not sell out of everything, but I’ve sold out so far every night and we’ve never been this busy.”
Hinkle credited the great weather.
“People don’t mind the cold,” she said.
For Morgan York, McCordsville, who was with family and friends, attending the Riley Festival and others like it in the state is a tradition for lots of reasons, including the main reason.
“I’m here for the food,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve made my rounds and I’ve decided, I’m here for the rib-eye sandwich.”
Lora James, McCordsville, who was with York, noted there’s nothing like being out on a beautiful Fall day with family and friends.
“I just like the whole feel of this. It’s a community thing on a Sunday in the Fall,” James said.
The youngest member of their group, Addie Spears, Greenfield, was dressed in cat ears and said she came back for the second day in a row for something special.
“The bounce house. I wanna go to the bounce house again,” she said.
