Indianapolis, IN
Indy Pride Parade, festival takes over downtown Indianapolis
The attached video aired before the Indy Pride Parade kicked off at 10 a.m.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Thousands of people flooded Indianapolis’ downtown streets on Saturday for the annual Indy Pride Parade.
Indy Pride Leaders said about 30,000 people were expected to drop in the parade and the following festival at Military Park. They say it could be one of the largest parades they’ve ever had.
Dan Scott, of Indianapolis, says seeing the support grow from the beginning to now is amazing. According to Indy Pride, the history of Pride in the city can be dated back to the 1980s.
“It’s really special because when I grew up, we didn’t have anything like this,” Scott said. “I started when it was (at Hilton on the Circle) with a few hundred people. Now we have thousands. It’s really touching to see all these people, it brings tears to my eyes, just to see all of this support.”
Saturday’s route stretched from the intersection of St. Clair Street and College Avenue, all the way to Military Park. Joy painted the faces of those watching the parade.
For Bedford, Indiana, native Teague Jones, he says Saturday’s parade is a special day. “I just love the equality and be able to be myself, see everybody smiling and having a good time,” Jones said.
Couple Jeff Fisher and Chris Finn-Fisher say the Pride Parade allows them to feel welcomed for who they truly are.
“It actually feels like I belong,” Jeff said. “I mean, for years we always felt like outcasts, to be a part of this from my first Pride ever, I was in tears, sometimes, just knowing the love and support that I never knew is actually out there.”
His husband, Chris, agreed – Saturday was filled with emotions.
“It’s very welcoming, (but) it can be overwhelming. But it’s wonderful, it’s a great environment and it’s great to be with so many people who are of the same community,” he said.
Both Chris and Jeff say it’s something that they look forward to every single year. “I love the spectacle of it and all the energy. It’s just great to be around this much community. I look forward to it every year,” Chris added.
IndyPride festivities continue with a festival at Military Park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Indy Pride Parade, festival takes over downtown Indianapolis
1 / 33
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man and a woman died Sunday night when their motorcycle collided with a small SUV, police say.
The names and ages of the two who died were not immediately available, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Don Weilhammer said from the crash scene.
IMPD was called to the collision just after 9:20 p.m. Sunday in the 7500 block of North Keystone Avenue. That’s just south of the White River bridge.
Investigators think the SUV was southbound and had a green light as it turned east toward 75th Street. That’s when the northbound motorcycle hit the SUV near its rear passenger door.
A witness at a nearby Walmart told IMPD that the motorcycle had passed the shopping area, which is south of the intersection, at a high rate of speed.
The driver and passenger of the motorcycle died at the crash scene.
A man and a woman were in the SUV. The man in the SUV received minor injuries, and the woman was unhurt. They remained at the scene. The IMPD captain said no one in the SUV was intoxicated. Their names were not immediately shared publicly.
No one witnessed the crash, the captain said. IMPD’s Kevin Winks was seeking anyone with information or video footage to contact the officer at 317-327-6549.
INDIANAPOLIS — The man helping lead one of Indianapolis’ biggest race weekend traditions still had to pay 10 bucks to park.
As downtown filled Saturday morning for the 70th annual Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Pascal Siakam pulled up to a parking lot expecting a little Grand Marshal treatment.
Instead, the four-time NBA All-Star found himself in a friendly standoff with a vendor charging $10 for parking.
In a video posted to his social media accounts, the Pacers forward laughed as he rolled into the lot.
“I ain’t trying to pay for real,” Siakam joked from the car. “I ain’t even got 10 bucks.”
When Siakam rolled down his window to face the vendor he asked half-jokingly, “The Grand Marshal don’t get to park for free?”
The woman wasn’t buying it.
“You’re not the Grand Marshal,” she told him. “Caitlin Clark is.”
Siakam, alongside teammate Andrew Nembhard, served as co-Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Clark, of course, was named Grand Marshal for Sunday’s race festivities — not the parade itself.
Even after Siakam explained the mix-up, the vendor still wasn’t convinced. The video shows her eventually looking it up herself before realizing the 6-foot-8 Pacers star was telling the truth the entire time.
Still, no special treatment
After all the back-and-forth, Siakam paid the $10 anyway.
The exchange quickly became a humorously relatable race weekend moment — even basketball royalty isn’t safe from negotiating for parking in downtown Indianapolis.
Saturday’s parade wound through downtown as one of the city’s signature traditions leading into race day, featuring marching bands, floats, giant balloons, celebrities and all 33 IndyCar drivers competing in Sunday’s Indy 500.
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
Indianapolis, IN
Ahead of the Indianapolis 500, DCR Restyles Romain Grosjean’s No. 18 to Honor the Late Kyle Busch
While there will be no No. 8 or No. 18 run at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Memorial Day weekend, over in Indianapolis, Kyle Busch’s most iconic No. 18 will have the chance to run the Indianapolis 500 that he never got following his unexpected passing on Thursday at the age of 41 from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, per a statement shared from the family to The Athletic.
Joe Gibbs Racing has not used the No. 18 since Busch left the organization after the completion of the 2022 season, and as announced yesterday, Richard Childress Racing will halt the use of the No. 8 in honor of Busch until his son Brexton is ready to go “NASCAR racing.”
Plans came together the day before the running of the 110th Indianapolis 500 for Romain Grosjean to run Busch’s stylized No. 18 after a suggestion from Fox Sports broadcaster Townsend Bell, per Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal. Fox Sports and JGR worked together to get the tribute approved and on the car.
Busch ran the No. 18 for 15 years, including both successful Championship campaigns in 2015 and 2019.
Right in between these two championships, Kyle Busch had the chance to race The Double in 2017, securing approval from Chevrolet, Toyota, and his main sponsor of the era, Mars Inc., with his iconic M&Ms scheme. Ultimately, Joe Gibbs shot it down. Earlier this year, on an episode of his former teammate Denny Hamlin’s podcast Actions Detrimental, he shared that if a deal were to come together again, he would take the opportunity with the assumed support of Richard Childress.
Victoria Beaver is a nomadic sports writer who spends her time hopping between race tracks and hippie farms. She’s covered every corner of motorsports that will let her in from 410 Sprints to NASCAR to Supercross. Her daily driver is a 2010 Subaru that she refused to do the smallest amount of preventative maintenance on. Instead, she spends her free time and money building a 42-foot Skoolie to one day travel the country full time.
-
Kentucky6 minutes agoKentucky Horse Park honors Sgt. Reckless, the mare who served in the Korean War
-
Louisiana12 minutes agoA Louisiana state senator helped secure Meta’s largest datacenter. Then he sold the land beside it
-
Maine18 minutes ago9 Maine Small Towns With Unmatched Friendliness
-
Maryland24 minutes agoMore wet weather for Memorial Day in Maryland
-
Michigan30 minutes agoAddiction counselor shortage hits Michigan hard: ‘We’re all struggling’ – Bridge Michigan
-
Massachusetts36 minutes agoCelebrate National Wine Day: Top wineries in western Massachusetts
-
Minnesota42 minutes agoPerspectives: ‘Nuremberg’ movie has Minnesota legal links
-
Missouri54 minutes ago6 storylines to watch in Missouri boys volleyball state tournament
