NEW CARLISLE, Ind. -- New Carlisle's annual Hometown Days celebration returned this weekend with a mix of small-town traditions and a reminder of the community's changing economic landscape.
This year's festival is sponsored by Amazon, whose nearby data center has become one of the town's most visible developments in recent years.
Throughout downtown New Carlisle, longtime residents gathered to celebrate the community while local organizations and businesses connected with visitors.
At one booth, New Prairie cheerleaders raised money for the New Carlisle Food Pantry while greeting festivalgoers.
"I feel like the community here is just really nice and very friendly to each other," said Deliah Luther. "It's a small town, so you might know everyone you see."
Across the park, Amazon hosted a booth featuring free popsicles, succulent plants and hands-on coding activities for visitors.
"It's really cool," said Ruby Kabelis. "There was a presentation of a cool little coding thing, and I really enjoyed that."
Despite the town's recent growth and industrial development, residents said they believe New Carlisle has maintained its identity.
"I think change is good sometimes," Kabelis said. "It's just good to have things that are original."
Luther agreed, saying the community still feels like home despite recent changes.
"It's still New Carlisle," she said. "You can tell what it is. It still has that name to it."
New Carlisle Hometown Days continues through the weekend, with the festival's annual parade scheduled to begin at noon Saturday.