Every first full weekend in October, Greenfield Indiana celebrates the birthday of “The Hoosier Poet,” James Whitcomb Riley. This year, the celebration is scheduled to be held October 3 – 6, 2024. This is the largest four-day craft festival in the state of Indiana, And it features over 450 booths, food trucks, live entertainment, two parades, and a variety of competitions.
This year’s theme is “A Barefoot Boy.” The poem celebrates the look of a young boy who has been at play…with dusty trousers and grimy feet from walking barefoot outside. This theme will be featured in a variety of ways throughout the festival, including the theme for parade floats, and various categories in competitions.
And speaking of competitions…the Riley Festival is looking for folks who might be interested in entering one of their many contest: Photography; Fine Art, Pumpkin Decorating; Baker’s Best; Home Arts and Quilts; Queen Pageant; Little Miss and Mr. Pageant; and Poetry. Entry forms and guidelines can be found here: Riley Festival Forms and Applications.
However, the Riley Festival isn’t just about the contests, the craft booths and the food. There is a variety of live entertainment to be enjoyed at the festival. This year the featured acts are; The Woomblies Rock Orchestra; The Roundups; No Fences (Garth Brooks Tribute); and Crush (Bon Jovi Experience). There will also be a variety of other local entertainment. Be sure to check out the event schedule on the Riley Festival website.
The Riley Festival also features two parades. Saturday’s parade is the longest and has the most entries. There will be themed floats, bands, tractors and commercial entries. However, Friday’s parade is the most unique. This is a 60+ year tradition for the “Parade of Flowers.”
Actually, the current tradition commemorates a much older event, which took place on Riley’s birthday in 1912. The people of Greenfield decided to honor Riley by giving him a silver loving cup in recognition of his great work in poetry. Riley had suffered a stroke a few years before, and had lost the use of his right arm, and was unstable in walking. So it was decided that he would sit in the back seat of his convertible, and he would be driven through Greenfield’s downtown. A presentation of a silver loving cup was to be done in front of the Hancock County Courthouse (site of the original Riley Statue today).
All the County’s school children, and those from neighboring counties were brought to Greenfield and lined the streets. As Riley’s car slowly passed by…the children threw flowers into his car so he was literally covered with flowers. The presentation of the silver loving cup was done, and speeches by dignitaries and friends were heard. Riley ended the day with a birthday dinner at the Columbia Hotel on Main Street in Greenfield.
A similar flower celebration would take place for Riley the next year in Anderson, where he got his start in the newspaper business…many years before. By 1914, Indianapolis, Riley’s current homeplace, decided to host a birthday party for him as well. This involved the presentation of flower bouquets by children and a grand dinner with several influential guests. By 1915, Riley’s birthday was declared a National holiday, and his poetry was required reading for all school children across the US who celebrated “Riley Day” on the poet’s birthday of October 7th.
By the time of the Greenfield event in 1912, Riley was an international sensation. He had published over 1,000 poems and over 90 editions. He was the most famous poet alive in the US at the time, and the wealthiest. The fact that many of his most well- loved and oft requested poems were about his boyhood in Greenfield was not lost on his hometown folks. His characters such as “Little Orphant Annie;” “The Raggedy Man;” and ““Out to Old Aunt Mary’s,” were based on real people…many from Greenfield. Places that are mentioned in Riley’s poems…such as “The Old Swimmin’ Hole” and “The Little Red Apple Tree,” and “When the Frost is on the Punkin”,” are all about real places in and around Greenfield. In fact, the “Barefoot Boy” is really Riley talking about himself and his friends…who were the original Barefoot Boys.
Greenfield was the first to host a flower parade, which would eventually morph into what we know today…the school children of Hancock County bringing bouquets of flowers to the Riley statue to celebrate Riley’s birthday and his poetic accomplishments.
As a child who grew up in Greenfield and who loved history and my hometown, it was always an honor to remember Riley on his birthday. He literally shared Greenfield with the world, and immortalized it forever in his rhymes and verse. I brought my first bouquet to the Riley Statue in the 1973 Flower Parade, when I was a first grader at Weston Elementary. Later when I was older…4th, 5th and 6th grade, my friends and I were dressed in all our pioneer-era glory. My Mom made my long dress, hat, and apron and my friends had similar outfits. We proudly walked behind the latchhook rug that was made by our principal, Lloyd Penrod. It was in navy blue and gold…Greenfield’s colors with the name “Weston” on the front. That rug still leads the Weston entourage to the Riley Statue to this day in the annual Flower Parade.
So if you are interested in visiting Greenfield during the Riley Festival, you have 4 days to choose for your visit. The festival itself is FREE and so are the live entertainment venues. However, there will be a wide selection of delectable foods to eat, and many wonderful things to buy from baked goods to crafts to clothing and art pieces.
Please remember that both US 40 (Main St) and State Road 9 (State St) will be closed for the duration of the festival. This allows folks to walk freely throughout the festival without traffic concerns. While you are at the Riley Festival, be sure to check out our local restaurants and shops. They will be open extended hours to accommodate the festival goers.
Parking can be found on a variety of side streets downtown. Or, you can park at the Hancock County Fairgrounds and take the Tourism sponsored shuttle bus to and from the festival area. This provides the largest parking area for festival attendees.
All of the info…applications for contests and the event schedule can be found on the Riley Festival website at RileyFestival.com You can also find additional info at the Riley Festival Facebook page. Hope to see you there!
Brigette Cook Jones
Executive Director
Hancock County Tourism
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Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center is the official destination marketing organization for Hancock County, Indiana. Our mission is to bring regional, national, and international business and leisure visitors to Hancock County for the economic benefit of the county and our tourism partners. Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center strives to be a leader in destination marketing and tourism development.
- To encourage visitors to discover the historic, cultural, and recreational opportunities as well as hotels, restaurants, and retail options throughout Hancock County via marketing promotion and partner support.
- To encourage groups, businesses, and organizations to hold meetings, conventions, events, and festivals in Hancock County by collaborating with both in county and out-of-county groups, businesses, and organizations.
- To assist groups with development of new tourism opportunities through support, resources, and professional assistance.
The Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center does not primarily organize meetings, conventions, sporting, and special events, but guides planners, and visitors to resources, attractions and services that result in a positive experience.
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