"Hoosiers" came out in November 1986. The events marking that month in 2026 are in South Bend, Milan and Carmel. Knightstown, home of the court where the Hickory Huskers played their biggest games, had its big night back in September. The 1939 team bus from the film is headed to Carmel for the November screening.
Knightstown isn't being skipped. This year has two anniversaries in it. The film turns 40, and so does the Hoosier Gym as a preserved destination and community organization. The film's birthday moves around the state. The gym's birthday is the building itself at 355 N. Washington St., a few blocks north of the Town Square.
Knightstown Celebrated in September
The gym's anniversary banquet was planned for late September, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets were $75 a person or $400 for a table of six. They came with a limited-edition shirt and an autograph session with screenwriter Angelo Pizzo, director David Anspaugh, and players from both the fictional Hickory team and the real Milan team. IndyStar reported the banquet sold out. The gym's homepage still has a photo from the celebration showing Steve Hollar, who played Rade, Maris Valainis, who played Jimmy, Pizzo, and Brad Long, who played Buddy.
The same week, the gym held a free movie night on Sept. 25 and showed the film on a big screen inside the gym. Organizers asked guests to bring canned food for the local food pantry. That makes two anniversary events at the gym. One was a sold-out dinner with the people who made the film. The other was free and collected donations for a pantry.
The November Calendar Belongs to Other Towns
After September, every anniversary event we found takes place somewhere other than the gym:
- Oct. 22 to 26, South Bend: The Dynasty Sports Film Festival includes "Hoosiers" in its run. The Hoosiers Archive lists a Q&A with Anspaugh and Pizzo after the screening. The festival's own program shows conflicting dates for the screening and the Q&A, so check the program before you drive up.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, Milan: Milan Junior-Senior High School at 609 North Warpath Drive hosts a 40th anniversary celebration from noon to 5 p.m. Doors open at noon, the program starts at 1, and the movie starts at 2. This is the town whose 1954 state title loosely inspired the film.
- Sunday, Nov. 15, Carmel: The Payne and Mencias Palladium shows the film at 3 p.m., followed by a Q&A with Valainis, Long, Anspaugh and Pizzo. IndyStar reports tickets start at $25, or $15 for students. According to the Archive, parking is free and the Huskers' bus will be parked outside.
We found no winter 2026 anniversary event scheduled at the Hoosier Gym.
The Bus Is Going on a Road Trip
The red bus belongs to Darryll and Cathy Baker of Greenfield. The bus website says it came back to Knightstown after years of appearing at events from Indy 500 parades to Pacers games. Darryll Baker says on the same site that he and his family restored it from 1996 to 2000. He also says he plans to partner with the gym on charity events and festivals around the state, so the bus regularly travels.
The 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe that Gene Hackman drove in the opening credits works the same way. It belongs to Bob and Jan Brown, who split their time between Seal Beach, California, and Greenfield. The site says the car is often parked at the gym on special event days or "may randomly show up on a sunny Indiana day." Neither vehicle has a set schedule at the gym. The bus site says to check the gym's Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to find out whether they'll be there on a given day. If you're bringing guests in November and want the bus in their photos, Nov. 15 is a day it's expected in Carmel.
The Other 40th Is About a Building That Almost Came Down
The gym's own anniversary isn't really about the film. Knightstown residents paid to build the gym in 1921. Before that, the high school team played wherever it could, including a church basement and the attic of a local drugstore. The Sulphur Springs Blue Birds and Knightstown Falcons played the first game there in the 1921–22 season. The hardwood floor was laid in 1932.
Knightstown High School moved to a new building in 1966, and the old gym sat mostly empty for years. Then the film crew came, and local residents sat in the stands as extras. In the late 1980s, the former school property around the gym was cleared, and the gym was set to be demolished too. Local preservation efforts saved it and turned it into a nonprofit-run community center and museum.
That rescue is why there's a second 40th this year. It also explains how the gym runs today, and the house rules show it. Here is one item from the gym's rental policy:
"High School Games are a priority of the gym."
Basketball rentals cost $100 an hour and need at least 10 people. Other uses of the gym have to be arranged by email with the gym's events coordinator. If a high school wants to schedule a game that conflicts with a rental that isn't a game, the gym can cancel the rental with a week's notice and refund it. During a non-team rental, a visitor from out of state can still take the tour, and the gym will ask the group to let that visitor take a shot. The gym doesn't host birthday parties. Meeting room rentals hold up to 60 people. Under these rules, high school games come first, visitors still get time on the court, and rentals fit around both.
What an October at the Gym Actually Looks Like
The gym's normal hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It's closed Sunday. Admission is free, with donations welcome. The posted calendar for the rest of the month is low-key, and it's mostly basketball:
- Friday, Oct. 16, noon to 1 p.m.: A "Guys for Bball" session.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 to 11 a.m.: A team practice.
- Friday, Oct. 23, noon to 2 p.m.: Another team practice.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 2 to 5 p.m.: Seventh- and eighth-grade games for Creve Coeur School District #76, which made the trip from Illinois.
The calendar is still labeled for the 2025/26 season, and bookings can change. Treat these dates as tentative and check with the gym before planning around one.
Two blocks south, the Square has a busy October too. The Knightstown Farmers & Artisans Market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon through October. On Saturday, Oct. 10, the 17th Annual Justin Steinwachs Memorial Car Show fills the Public Square at 1 Washington Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is $15, and there will be a DJ, door prizes and silent auctions. The gym opens at 9 on Saturdays, so on Oct. 10 you can catch the market, the car show and the gym in one morning on foot.
The gym's own tradition comes back in the spring. On April 25 this year, it hosted the 21st annual All-Star Classic, with girls' and boys' games that matched the Hickory Huskers against the Terhune Tigers, the two teams from the film. One $25 ticket got you into both games.
Lunch Within a Few Blocks of the Gym
The gym keeps a list of nearby places to eat for visiting teams and notes that some of them may deliver to the gym. Here's the list, from the gym's page:
- Redbone's Pizza and Chicken Co., 16 E Main St., pizza and broasted chicken
- Jeff's Pizza, 400 E Main St., pizza, salad bar, sandwiches, pasta and wings
- Los Charros Mexican Grill & Bar, 15 N Washington St.
- Frosty Boy, 139 E Main St., soft-serve, sandwiches and a Pizza King menu
- Itty Bitty Bakery, 133 E Main St., inside Timeless Furnishings
- American Legion, 224 E Main St.
- Block and Brew, 9204 S Mill Road, described as a family-friendly brewpub
- Subway, 4 N Franklin St.
- Zippers Bar and Grill, 18 S Washington St., 21 and over and not for team rentals
The page isn't dated, and the gym's homepage suggests calling ahead before you order. The homepage also points visitors to the town's antique and variety shops and its winery.
If you're taking family to Milan or Carmel next month, here's another option. The court in the film is three blocks north of U.S. 40 and free to visit, with a 1932 floor anyone can shoot on. It's normally open six days a week.
The McKown Team works in Henry County, and Knightstown streets a few blocks from the gym are part of that. If you or a family member has questions about a home near the Square or on Washington Street, whether it's an older house, a family property, or a place you're thinking of keeping, contact us. We'll give you a straight answer.
