Rotary Club of Madison lands at Home Place Park with Parrots Block Party
MADISON – Rotary Club of Madison is bringing what promises to be an afternoon of laughter and relaxation with its “Parrots Block Party.”
The block party’s venue will be Home Place Park in downtown Madison. The party on June 6 will run from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Rotary Club of Madison has hosted ‘Parrots’ in some form or fashion since 2005, so this will be our 22nd Parrots!” event chair and Rotarian Debbie Overcash said. “Now, we have the Parrots Block Party – a fun-filled, family- friendly event completely free, games for all ages and raffle tickets for amazing prizes,” Overcash said.
Parrots Block Party is the perfect place for people to wear their island-themed shirts and flipflops and gather to relax to the tropical sounds, Overcash said. Downtown merchants will welcome block-partiers to shop in their diverse selection of merchandise.
“Our deejay Todd Phillips will blast island music far and wide in Home Place Park to set the tone for this one-of-a-kind island bash,” Overcash said.
Parking is free at Madison City Schools Stadium.
“The Community Passport Program, another component of the Block Party, is a fun, town-wide adventure that encourages residents to explore Madison while supporting local businesses,” Passport and Raffle Chair Kristi Kelly said.
At participating businesses, individuals receive a passport booklet and will visit those businesses to collect stamps and qualify for event prizes while discovering local shops, Kelly said.
Passports will open 10 days before the event, giving participants time to explore Madison, Kelly said. Participants will submit their passports at the Block Party on June 6 for prize drawings.
The booklet stamps will translate into raffle entries. All stamps qualify for the grand prize drawing.
Led by Marc Jacobson, the Game Team is steadily developing the floorplan for the block party’s games – to entertain youngsters and the young at heart. David Bier, Chair of Food Trucks, is finalizing commitments from vendors; the emphasis will be lighter fare so partygoers can visit a downtown restaurant before and after the Block Party.
The Couch Potato Race will be a hilarious sofas-on-wheels race that will generate laughs. Individuals can organize a team, modify a couch potato’s beloved sofa and compete. The first-place entry will receive $100 per team member ($400 maximum). First place also will receive a trophy, as will the “Best Couch Theme.”
Sponsor opportunities are open. The club invites individu- als or businesses to collaborate for the festivities. Parrots Block Party will provide Rotary Club with resources to impact the local community and support international initiatives in Honduras.
Pat Cross is chairing sponsorships. Individuals can submit donations to: Rotary Club of Madison Foundation, Attn: Alex Luttrell, P.O. Box 856, Madison AL 35758. For questions, email madisonrotary@ gmail.com.
Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary can visit a meeting. Rotarians meet at Hogan Family YMCA on Thursdays at 7 a.m. Monthly on third Thursdays, Rotarians skip the morning meeting for social time at a Madison restaurant.
Parrots Block Party Committee includes Overcash, Cross, Jacobson, Kelly, Bier, Event Co-Chairs Margie Phillips and Michelle Gudgen, Public Relations Chair Erik Simonson, Logistics Peter Alvarez, Entertainment Chair Todd Phillips and Couch Potato Race Chair Bill Holtzclaw.
Rotary Club of Madison pursues a broad set of goals in these categories: “Local community service and support,” “International Service Initiatives” and “Local Vocational/Youth Service Focus.”
For more information, visit Facebook.com/rotaryclubofmadisonAL, Instagram.com/rotaryclubofmadisonal or Madisonalrotary. org.


