Members of the Medora High School Class of 2024, dressed as the cast of “A Christmas Story,” rode this float Saturday afternoon in the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Jim Smith of Medora served as grand marshal for the 51st annual Medora Christmas Parade on Saturday. Smith, a member of the Medora High School boys basketball team that won the 1949 Seymour Sectional, was accompanied by his wife of 66 years, Ruth.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Members of TAPP’D Seymour perform on Saturday afternoon during the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson, left, and Gale Baird drove miniature race cars with the Bartholomew County Shrine Club on Saturday afternoon during the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Buddy Antle with the Bartholomew County Shrine Club drives a miniature van Saturday afternoon in the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
The Surprise Community Church float was one of more than 50 units participating in the 51st Medora Christmas Parade on Saturday afternoon.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
The congregation of Medora Christian Church put together this float carrying the message “Christ Born to Die for All” for the 51st Medora Christmas Parade on Saturday afternoon.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer leads the 51st Medora Christmas Parade on Saturday afternoon.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Landon Lee, 10, of Seymour sings the National Anthem on Saturday afternoon before the start of the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Clarence Brown of Medora gave the invocation Saturday afternoon before the start of the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Russell and Esta Cross of Medora decorated their vehicle, which carried members of the Medora Christmas Festival prince and princess court in the parade, with the Grinch and Santa Claus.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Ed Mills, left, and Rudi Ault bread fish sandwiches for the Carr Township Conservation Club on Saturday morning during the 51st Medora Christmas Festival.
Aubrey Woods | The Tribune
Illa White, 4, and Kade Grove, 5, both of Medora, were named Medora Christmas Parade and Festival princess and prince on Saturday.
MEDORA — Medora High School has been a member of the Indiana High School Athletic Association since 1919.
In 1949, the Hornets boys basketball team won the school’s only sectional by defeating Freetown 49-38 in the Seymour Sectional final.
James “Jim” Smith, the only surviving member of that squad, scored 16 points in that game, second only to Bill Eastin’s 20.
On Saturday, the 91-year-old was honored by serving as grand marshal of the 51st Medora Christmas Parade.
“I am really happy that they asked me to do this,” Smith said shortly before the parade started.
Smith said he and his wife of 66 years, Ruth, generally have attended the Christmas celebration in their hometown.
“I missed a few years when I was in the Army and things like that,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of parades.”
The parade has survived more than a half-century through the willingness of many who live in the Medora area to help out.
Esta and Russell Cross, who drove the members of the prince and princess court in the parade this year, are just two of those volunteers.
“We’ve been doing this since 2009,” Esta said of driving the court in the parade.
Russell said it’s just a blessing to be able to help out.
Landon Lee, 10, of Seymour also helped out by singing the National Anthem to start the parade.
He said singing solo in front of a crowd was no big deal.
“I’ve done it before,” he said shortly before stepping up to the microphone on Perry Street and belting out a great rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The Carr Township Conservation Club has been serving fish sandwiches every year at the festival since the first one, said Dick Clampitt. He organizes the effort each year with the help of Rudi Ault and their wives, Betty Clampitt and Mary Ann Ault.
“It’s one of our bigger fundraisers,” Dick said. “It has been good to us.”
Although it was a little chilly Saturday, overall, the weather was better than it has been some years for the event.
“We’ve been out here in the snow,” Dick said. “Whatever it takes. That’s what you have to do.”
While membership in the club has been declining, the club never has trouble finding volunteers to come and help out for the parade and festival, Clampitt said.
Back to that sectional championship in 1949, festival committee member Doug Davidson said Smith was a good choice for the parade grand marshal.
Smith said Medora just had a really great team in 1949.
“I thought they were going to burn the town down,” he said, referring to the sectional victory celebration. “We had five players that had been playing together for a couple of years. That year was a tough year. There were a lot of good teams. We took Brownstown out in sudden death double overtime.”
The Hornets first had to beat Crothersville in the sectional before meeting Brownstown. They then beat Vallonia by four points to earn a berth in the sectional final at Seymour.
Smith, who was a junior that year, said Freetown fouled him a lot, and he made all 10 his free throws.
“I shot that underhand old granny style,” he said. “As long as they went through, that was all I cared about. I tried the overhand and could only hit about 40% of them, so I thought there was no future in that.”
The Hornets fell to Paoli in the regional and finished the season 15-8.