Video: Josh Kaufman Swarmed by Fans at Indy Airport

The budding star arrived to bona fide Hoosier hospitality when touching down in his hometown after a New York City media blitz.

He had to be exhausted. Winning a highly rated TV competition and performing on the Today show the morning after—in person, across the country—will do that to you.

Patiently weathering a phalanx of asks before and after touching down, Josh Kaufman calmly greeted supporters, friends, and family members at Indianapolis International Airport after emerging from his delayed flight’s terminal. Originally, Ryan Noel, a college chum of Kaufman’s at Anderson University, had organized a grand arrival greeting for 9:15 p.m. Thursday—but then Kaufman’s flight was delayed. Ultimately arriving at 11 p.m. at IND, the verve of fans was hardly less, and undeniable once he appeared in the airport’s main atrium.

Today at noon, Kaufman will serve as the grand marshal of the 500 Festival Parade that rolls through Pennsylvania and Meridian streets downtown, as well as winding around Monument Circle. (That’s not to say Jim Nabors has been displaced—he remains honorary grand marshal of the proceedings.)

Here’s a look at the scene courtesy YouTube user MarshallMovieMaker: