One more float down West Franklin Street

For more than a century, October means one thing in Evansville, Indiana—the Westside Nut Club Fall Festival. Blocks of Franklin Street on the city’s west side are closed to accommodate over 150 food booths slinging deep-fried treats and hundreds of food options.  

But food isn’t the only tradition residents flock to Franklin Street to see—the annual closing parade, held on the final day of the festival, draws in a huge crowd each year as well. Organizations from all over the Evansville region enter the parade. And for the last 34 years, it’s been a tradition to see a USI float built by Jerry Bulger, retired Maintenance Supervisor, along the parade route.  

This year’s parade will mark Jerry’s last as the creator of the USI float. The theme will be a mash-up of the last almost three and a half decades of his USI parade floats, and Jerry himself will drive the truck pulling the float down Franklin Street for the final time.  

Jerry had only been at USI for two years when he took on his first float project for the Fall Fest. It was 1988, and an old school bus arrived at the University—it had already been serving as a parade float but wasn’t in the best shape.  

“It needed a lot of work,” Jerry recalls. “I was asked by Leon Rexing, the Maintenance Supervisor at the time, to see what I could do with it.”  

So, he got to work. He stripped everything he could from the old bus, then proceeded to cover everything with carpet. This allowed whoever designed the float the next year to change the theme and decorations without changing the basic structure of the bus again. That first year, Jerry remembers the USI Pep Band riding the bus.  

Miles Mann, Associate Director of Facility Operations and Planning and who has worked with Jerry at USI since August 1988, was a part of his first float project with the old bus. His boss at the time, Steve Helfrich, former Director of Facility Operations and Planning, asked Miles to work on converting that bus as well. “For the next six weeks, Jerry and I—well, let me be honest, it was Jerry—worked on that old school bus, and it was soon ready for the Fall Festival.”  

“That first float from 1988 is my favorite,” Miles adds. “The float had a large flat deck, and it could facilitate almost any theme we would have to match. The members of the USI Pep Band played ‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy Osbourne all the way down Franklin Street. Jerry drove the float and it was my job to keep the generator going. It was a really good day.”  

From that year on, Jerry kept up his work on the floats for the parade. “It was a challenge,” he says about continuing each year. “And I enjoy a challenge.”  

CJ Reign, former Director of Special Events and Scheduling Services, first met Jerry after arriving on campus in March 2002. She soon came to realize how valuable he was to USI, not just for his talent of crafting West Side Nut Club Fall Fest floats. “His contribution to facilitating large events became especially beneficial to our department,” she says. “He was always there to assist, troubleshoot and support us as needed.”  

When it comes to the themes and designs for the USI Fall Fest float year after year, the longtime USI Renaissance man brings out a creative side to execute designs to match themes that sometimes come from the West Side Nut Club. “Other times, I try to come up with something different to showcase the University,” he adds. “We have had the USI Baseball and Softball teams on it, the USI Men’s Basketball team on it–all national champs—as well as different student groups.” 

“I try to do something different each year,” Jerry says. “Some years, there are minor changes, and some years there are major changes. The amount of time it takes me to work on the float just depends on the amount of changes that need to be made.”  

“He has displayed his creative spirit in customizing the design each year for the float,” CJ says. “All his floats, built solely by him, carry special representation of USI. Some of my favorites have featured Archie, a huge team-autographed baseball with the USI Baseball National Championship student-athletes on board, a replica of the water fountain feature at the University’s roundabout (which included actual water for authenticity) and, on a more recent float entry, a replica of the white gazebo that overlooks Reflection Lake.” 

All this work over the years has not only earned Jerry recognition and thanks from the University, but many Fall Fest parade honors. “I take pride in doing what I can do to showcase USI,” he says of the awards.  

“Jerry Bulger, along with Steve Helfrich, both taught me that no matter what else I do, find a way to make it work. That was a great life lesson for me to refer to as I grew into my position running the facilities at USI,” says Miles. “There have been lots of people like Jerry on this campus with his can-do attitude who have made campus what it is today. Dr. Rochon was absolutely right when he compared Jerry to MacGyver–Jerry has the imagination and skills to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” 

“It’s always been a joy to see Jerry accept many of the coveted Nut Club awards for his most creative floats,” adds CJ. “Jerry is a quiet, unassuming gentleman, who selflessly works his can-do magic on any project he undertakes. His loyalty to USI and strong desire to keep campus buildings, mechanical operations and outdoor trails in meticulous condition is admirable.”  

Jerry says he has plans to continue work, just on projects of his own. “I have many irons in the fire, but the float building will be missed.” 

Thank you, Jerry, for all you’ve done for USI, your many years of service to campus and your memorable parade floats. USI can’t wait to see what you do next! 

The annual West Side Nut Club Fall Festival parade will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, October 7 along West Franklin Street. Come out to see Jerry’s last masterpiece.