Muncie area well-represented in Indy 500's Victory Lane

MUNCIE – Two of the most storied Indianapolis 500 traditions will this year be presented by individuals from the Muncie area.

For decades, the winner of the race has been handed a glass bottle of ice-cold milk and draped with a wreath. This year, that bottle will be handed to the driver by Alan Wright, a local dairy farmer, and the wreath designed by Yorktown florist Julie Harman-Vance.

Down on the farm

Wright operates All Wright Farms with the help of his family and he was in Victory Lane last year as well, albeit with a bit less pressure on his shoulders.

"Last year I was what they call a 'rookie' milkman, meaning I was in charge of handing the car owner and the crew chief their bottle of milk," Wright told the Star Press. "Now I'll be the one handing the winning driver the glass of milk."

Wright's duties for the 99th running of the race began Saturday, when representatives dropped off a cooler containing three glass bottles at his downtown Indianapolis hotel room. From then until the time the race begins, it is the duty of the milkman and rookie milkman to keep watch of the cooler.

"I'll be guarding it all night, probably sleep on the floor with it, too," Wright said last week. "It's a big deal, not just for the race and its traditions, but for me as a dairy farmer. I take it very seriously."

One of the bottles in Wright's cooler will go to the winning driver — each driver provides his or her preference between whole, 2 percent and skim milk prior to the race. The bottles are kept on icewater in the day leading up to the race; by the time it hits the driver's lips, the milk has reached south of 35 degrees.

"People don't realize just how cold that is," Wright said. "Fans don't think such a drink would be refreshing down on that hot track, but it really does quench a driver's thirst."

Last year was the first time Wright ever got to see the Indy 500, since the broadcast is blocked out in the Cowan area.

"We usually listen to it on the radio as a family, then when it's over we know it's time to milk the cows," he said. "It's really a fun day, actually."

Wright, a fourth-generation dairy farmer whose family owns more than 200 cows, said the farm has been milking for more than 30,000 consecutive days. And "yes, that does include weekends," he noted.

Wright was chosen to be a milkman in Victory Lane because of his work on his co-op board and with the Indiana Dairy Farmers Association, which works with the IndyCar series to promote milk, he said.

"The saying is 'Winners drink milk,' and I sure do feel like a winner," Wright said. "I don't want it to end yet, because this has been a great experience for me. But I'm looking forward to being able to hand that bottle to whoever the winner might be."

A wreath in spring

Yorktown-based florist Julie Harman-Vance is looking forward to the race too; one tradition in particular — the wreath presentation — is something she's had a major role in putting together since the early 1990s.

(Editor's note: The original version of this article misspelled Julie Harman-Vance's name. We regret the error.)

According to Harman-Vance, who owns Buck Creek in Bloom, there's much more to creating the wreath than people realize, but even at seven hours apiece, it's still something she loves putting together.

"It takes a long time just to make one of these wreaths," she said. "On Thursday, I made wreaths (the entire) day; I could put together floral arrangements for an entire wedding in less time.

"I've done it since 1992, and it's incredibly (humbling) to see something I created presented on such a large stage," she said. "I use all fresh flowers for the official wreath; it's 33 orchids and 33 checkered flags on a bed of green."

Harman-Vance said she planned to drive up to Indianapolis Motor Speedway sometime Saturday morning, and she'd be in the stands this year for the race.

"I don't know much about racing, but I'm learning. I can name a handful of drivers," she said, laughingly rattling off a short list of names. "It's definitely helped boost my business presence here."

She and Wright each said having the international exposure presented by the race is a great opportunity for their products.

"Everybody sees the milkman," said Wright.

"And everybody sees the wreath," noted Harman-Vance. "(They're a couple of) the most iconic traditions in all of sports; it's cool that people from this area are able to be part of that storied tradition."

Contact food and business development reporter Mickey Shuey by phone, at 765-213-5847 and follow him on Twitter (@MickeyShueyTSP).