Light Up Muncie has taken place in downtown Muncie, Indiana, for multiple years, but this is the first year that the festivities have included a lighted parade! Knowing that AMA clubs and members across the country have participated in parades for many years, the AMA Foundation team thought it would be fun to give it a try. We saw the parade as a great way to introduce the public to AMA and model aviation. Having a presence at community events also reminds local leaders that we care about and are invested in Muncie and Delaware County residents.
Planning for the parade began roughly one month before it was set to take place. The AMA Model Aviation Experience Sponsored by Wing does not travel much in the winter, so we knew it would be available to use as a makeshift float. Additionally, AMA has a trailer on the property that we use in the summer to transport competitors to and from the RC Pylon Racing flightline, and we chose to utilize this as a second parade float! A group of staff formed a committee of sorts to plan how, when, and where to decorate the two trailers. The trailers were measured, the lights were ordered, and before we knew it, the parade was only days away!
On the morning of December 3, which happed to be a bitter cold day, AMA Foundation and AMA staff attempted to complete the work behind the AMA Headquarters building. Due to the cold, we moved to the maintenance barns, which proved to be slightly warmer. Staff from almost every department came together to make the trailers light up, add their own personal touches with decorations, and spread some holiday cheer. Some employees lent their personal decorations and lights, while others donated candy, balsa gliders, and cup koozies to be handed out at the parade.
On December 4, the day of the parade, the AMA Foundation was one of the first parade entries to arrive at the Muncie City Hall building to line up. Slowly, many other floats and people joined us. It was amazing to see other community members dressed as nutcrackers, characters from holiday movies, and even a couple of mice who have their own theme parks! The creativity used for the other floats blew us away. We were jumping in anticipation as we waited for the parade to start.
As soon as we left the parking lot, we were off to the races. Typically, the word "parade" doesn't bring to mind sprinting down a street, but that is exactly what we all did. Two people rode on the flatbed trailer, two people drove the trucks pulling the trailers, and the rest of us ran up and down the street on either side of our floats. Kids and adults were so surprised and excited when we handed them candy and gliders! By the way they reacted, this may have been the first time some of the kids saw a model airplane in person. What an experience for them!
Before we knew it, the parade was over and we were walking back to the beginning of the parade route to remove items that could blow off of the floats, reflect on our time in the 2025 Light Up Muncie Parade, and head home to warm up.
