Team members from Milan’s 1954 high school basketball team will be gathering in Milan Saturday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the year they won the Indiana State Basketball Championship against Muncie Central High School.
A parade, autograph signing, street dance, and special dinner are all part of the celebration, and everyone is welcome to join in the party, which will be focused around the Milan ’54 Hoosiers Museum, 201 W. Carr Street, Milan, Indiana.
Members from the 1954 team expected at the event include: Glen Butte, Ray Craft, Jinky Craft, Rollin Cutter, Barter Dobson, Clarence Kelly, Pat Marshall, Bobby Plump, Roger Schroder, Ken Wendelman, Gene White, Bob Wichmann, and Mary Lou Wood (Coach Marvin Wood’s widow).
The parade is scheduled to begin at 1pm, and antique cars and community groups are welcome to join in (please, no politics). Free Masons from Coach Marvin Wood’s hometown of Morristown will be honoring his memory with the Murat Shrine Veteran Car Club, and possibly some other Shriners groups. The planned route is from the Milan High School parking lot, across S.R. 101, and down Main Street, then on to Carr Street, and around the block, behind the Milan ’54 Hoosiers Museum. Those wanting to be in the parade should call the Ripley County Tourism Bureau at 812-689-7431.
An Autograph Session will begin as soon as the parade is over, in the Milan Town Hall on Carr Street. It will be $15/admission to get all the autographs of the 1954 Team present, on up to three items.
Games will be held on Carr Street, in front of the museum, and will include a Hoola Hoop Contest, basketball games, and other games. Lydia Woodward will be giving 1950s dance lessons in front of the band tent from 2-2:30, for anyone who wants to learn some new “old” moves.
The Ripley County Tourism Bureau is sponsoring a live band, The American Kings, to play 50s and 60s music for a free street dance on Carr Street. They are scheduled to play from 2:30-4:30. Everyone is encouraged to bring their dancing shoes and show their moves.
A special Anniversary Dinner is scheduled from 5-7pm at the Reservation Restaurant in Milan. It will be a special time where the public may meet and dine with members of the 1954 team. Reservations are required, $54 person, call Katherine at 812-689-7431.
The Milan ’54 Hoosiers Museum will be open Saturday, June 21, from 9:30am until 4:30pm. The museum is full of treasures from the 1954 Indiana State Basketball Champion game, items from each of the players, and things from the 1950s era. It is also home to the “Hoosiers” Collection, the largest collection of items from the movie “Hoosiers”, which includes team uniforms, the hospital set, and other memorabilia. A special, limited edition, plaque commemorating the 60th Anniversary will be available for sale that day.
More information about the museum is available at www.milan54.org, or by calling 812-654-2772. The Milan ’54 Hoosiers Museum is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm, or by appointment. Information about places to stay, or other things to do while in Ripley County, visit www.ripleycountytourism.com or call 888-747-5394.
