07/29/2026
🤗🎉📚✏️✂️❤️
We keep adding to our Back to School Bash to make it bigger and better!
We're excited to announce that the Marion Police Department and Marion Indiana Fire Department will be joining us for a Meet a Hero experience! Kids will have the chance to meet our local first responders, check out their emergency vehicles, ask questions, and say hello to the men and women who help keep our community safe.
🎨 We are also thrilled to announce that local artist Tashema Davis will be serving as the official judge for our Live Chalk Art Contest! Bring your own chalk, pay the $10 entry fee, and create your masterpiece right in the middle of the event. The winner will take home HALF THE POT!
Now... let's kick off the school year together! ❤️
Join us Saturday, August 1 from 4:00–8:00 PM at Boston Hill Center (428 S. Washington St., Marion, IN) for an evening full of community, fun, and memories before school returns.
We'll be closing down the road and parking lot, so a lot will be happening outside AND inside Boston Hill Center.. but don't worry, there will be plenty of parking spaces available for everyone!
🎒 4:00 PM – Start the evening!
Pick up one of 100 FREE backpacks filled with school supplies, courtesy of Boston Hill Center and generously stocked by Bookworm Orchard.
Before the parade, let the kids get a FREE haircut from The Shop Marion District, strike a pose for a FREE back-to-school picture with Magnolia Ruth & Co, and treat them to a $5 gel manicure from The Nail Hub while they get ready for the new school year.
🚶 5:00 PM – K–8 Grade Parade
Have your student line up with their classmates by grade and celebrate the start of another school year! Families are encouraged to line the sidewalks, cheer them on, and take lots of pictures.
🥪 5:15 PM
After the parade, every child is invited to enjoy a FREE peanut butter & jelly sandwich and drink, generously provided by Los Amores Restaurant, then relax during a live author story time, sponsored by Bookworm Orchard.
🛹 6:00 PM and beyond...
The fun keeps going!
Sloopy’s Skate Shop is bringing their skate park and skate team for a live skate show and will be giving away FREE kids t-shirts while supplies last. Bring your skateboard and come skate with us!
Our Live Chalk Art Contest also begins at 6:00 PM, so bring your own chalk and show everyone what you've got!
Throughout the evening you'll also find:
🎨 FREE face painting by Grammy Belle’s Creations
👕 FREE kids t-shirts from Unstoppable Clothing
🧲 Make & Take Magnets with Art Alive with Art Alive with Alecia (2 for $5)
✨ Permanent jewelry by Jay-Lou's by the Creek
💉 Parents can stop by 512 Aesthetics & Wellness for a back-to-school Botox refresher during the festivities.
🛍️ Shop local makers set up outside, challenge your friends to a game of co****le, or head downstairs to Los Amores Restaurant & Cantina for dinner and adult beverages.
🪓 Looking for even more fun? Five Points Axe Throwing will be running event specials on axe throwing, arcade games, and the golf simulator throughout the evening.
This event wouldn't be possible without so many incredible businesses, organizations, and volunteers coming together to invest in our kids and our community.
If your business, organization, or nonprofit would like to join us with a pop-up booth, we'd love to have you! Registration is open now at www.hive-mind-market.com.
We're incredibly thankful for every business, organization, and community partner that stepped up to make this event possible. Thank you for your continued support, you're really making the difference!
We hope you'll grab the family, invite a friend, and come help us send our students back to school in the best way possible. ❤️
We'll see you on August 1! 🎒💛
