Newburgh's Schoenbaechler family pulls off bigger-than-life celebration

Michael Doyle
Evansville

NEWBURGH, Ind. — Sarah Schoenbaechler loves flamingos, tacos, Christmas, her birthday, classical music, bubbles and cruising the neighborhood in her pink, flamingo-adorned golf cart.

Sarah turned sixteen-and-a-half years old this week and is experiencing the advanced stages of autonomic dysfunction disorder and cerebral palsy. 

Her family knows it's unlikely she'll see another Christmas or her next birthday. So her family decided to make the most of the time they had left together. 

They organized a parade — a real parade, with four fire trucks, police on horseback, clowns with balloon animals and Hadi Shriners driving those little cars. They made Sarah the guest of honor and drove through the neighborhood Saturday evening with the entire entourage.

"Sarah has a beautiful spirit," mother Dana Schoenbaechler said. "She always has a smile, no matter what ... she's a fighter.

"So when we got her prognosis, we decided our goal would be to give her the most joy and comfort we could. I think we've done that."

With her father Glenn Schoenbaecler behind the wheel, Sarah Schoenbaecler, riding in a flamingo adorned golf cart, begins a “Half Birthday/Christmas in July Parade” through the Green Springs Subdivision decorated for Christmas in Newburgh Saturday. In addition to her flamingo adorned golf cart the parade featured firetrucks, units from the Hadi Shriners and mounted police, July 20, 2019.

A simple idea after a golf cart ride around the neighborhood two weeks ago turned into a full-fledged event. The town of Newburgh even passed an official proclamation, making July 20 Sarah Schoenbaechler Day.

"We never expected it to be this much," Glenn Schoenbaechler, Sarah's father said. "... I have no words. I'm overwhelmed."

The entire neighborhood adorned their front yards with Christmas decorations, Happy Birthday signs and flamingos. They stood in front of their homes, waving as Sarah's golf cart passed by. They ran up to give her presents. 

They even sang Christmas carols, courtesy of a youth group from nearby Crossroads Christian Church - girls about the same age as Sarah.

"What can I say? There's never a bad time for Christmas music," caroler Whitney Richardson said. "It feels great that we were able to come out and do this for her." 

"I am totally overwhelmed," said Sarah's sister Katelin Schoenbaechler Bradley, who teamed up with uncle, Ken Bingemer, and Sarah's pharmacist, Kelly Paul, to put together the parade. "Sarah just smiled the whole time. There wasn't a dry eye among us. I'm so touched to see how our neighborhood came together for this."

Emotions ran high and in all directions.

"I'm thankful and grateful and at the same time, my heart is breaking," Dana Schoenbaechler said just before the parade began. 

Yet, on a sweltering July evening, grief was put aside for a little while. It was a time to celebrate a girl with a personality as colorful as a whole flock of flamingos and a heart as big as a fire truck. 

And just as Sarah's golf cart pulled out of her parents' driveway to start the parade, the carolers' words rang out across the neighborhood in a fitting crescendo.

"Repeat the sounding joy! Repeat the sounding joy! Re-peeat! Re-peeat! The sounding joy!"