At 9 a.m. on a Saturday in mid-September, Edgewood High School’s front parking lot was packed. Rows upon rows of neatly organized vehicles formed a line that snaked down Edgewood Drive.
In lieu of student and faculty cars, the lot was filled with parade groups: youth sports teams, Domino’s Pizza, the Monroe County Fair queen and princess, county commissioner floats and a group of motorcyclists whose vests read “Property of Jesus Christ.”
In a town only physically 4.8% of Monroe County’s total area, this kind of event is a big deal.
Since the event’s revival in 1987, the town of Ellettsville has almost consistently held the yearly Monroe County Fall Festival, a three-day event with live music, craft booths, food vendors, a flea market, inflatable games, contests and a parade. The event, which took place Sept. 10, 11 and 12, draws more than 20,000 participants a year — almost three times the town’s estimated population.
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Because of the festival’s regular high turnout, both Monroe County locals and visitors use it as an opportunity to raise awareness about their organizations, whether they be philanthropic, community-based or personal businesses.
Monroe County History Center volunteer Nancy Kryway said she was surprised about the parade's size considering Ellettsville’s population.
“This is good: 90 entries this year. That’s amazing,” Kryway said.
By 9:55 a.m., truck engines began to purr. The parade, the first event of the festival’s last day, was about to start.
Among the participants was Hiram’s Hotrods, a parading unit of the Lawrence, Orange and Martin counties Shrine Club, who made their way down Temperance Street performing wheelies, burnouts and other tricks in their miniature cars.
Shriners, Freemasons involved in the fraternal organization of Shriners International, have a mission of ensuring specialty pediatric care for children lacking adequate resources.
With about 200 members and 70 go-karts, the club has been together since 1949. While the club considers the festival to be a local event, it is based out of the Murat temple in Indianapolis. Parading is one of their main events — the group participates in 25 to 30 parades a year.
“We have a good time, we like to intermingle with the kids along the route and stuff, high five them,” former club president Larry Leonard said. “And by the time you get through, your hands are sticky. High-fiving as you go by, they about stick to you, you about drag them along with you.”
Leonard’s group transports kids back and forth from Shriners Hospitals for Children, taking local children to Lexington, Kentucky, Dayton, Ohio and Chicago. Right now, the group helps transport about a dozen kids consistently.
The center’s visit to Ellettsville, though, isn’t really temporary. After 45 years in Bloomington, the center’s garage sale is moving to McNeely Street in Ellettsville.
Nancy Kryway, who stepped up to help with this change, said the center’s three floats were used as an advertisement to let people know where to find them next June. The garage sale — which usually takes place bi-annually in November and June — will skip its winter sale this year as items are being moved out of the old building.
“It filled, all donations,” Kryway said. “And it was filled every year. So this is a little bit smaller, but we’ll still get good donations.”
Lovedwell had a booth at the festival and is a nonprofit based in Bloomington that supports those in grief. It was created in honor of Abigail Guthrie, 20, who suddenly died in her sleep in 2019.
To help others dealing with grief, Lovedwell supports those grieving financially, funds a scholarship for students from Edgewood High School and directs individuals and families dealing with grief to training and services.
The nonprofit’s website says their mission is to love others well, just like Abigail did.
The organization is raising funds for an elderly woman who lost her husband a year and a half ago. While he was ill, she spent lots of her money taking care of him. Now she can’t afford a new roof for her house, former Lovedwell board member Rob Ratliff said.
At the festival, Lovedwell’s goal was to raise awareness about the organization and sell merchandise to raise money for fellow community members. Like the other volunteer-based organizations there, interacting with their community is how they grow their outreach and impact as many lives as possible.
“It’s a big honor for her, you know,” Ratliff said. “It’s really cool. It impacts the community in a big way.”
Ava Campbell is a student reporter with the Indiana Newsroom, a learning lab designed to give IU students practical experience in community journalism and provide news coverage to areas where reliable local news is limited or nonexistent. It is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington & Monroe County and is housed at The Media School.
This story first appeared in the IDS.