This
Weekend!
CPHC St. Patrick’s Day Parade Float!
It’s
time to start the process to design and build our St. Patrick’s Day
Parade float and we’re going to need volunteers! This is the biggest
thing we do all year! Last Saturday we had a special meeting to
review ideas for the float. Several ideas were presented. We decided
to go with a tropical/Jamaican paradise theme called “We Be
Shammin’!” loosely based on the Denver St. Patrick’s Day
Parade theme “Shamrockin’”! Our float will have
a giant wave with surfers and of course a Tiki Bar! Later this week
we will have a drawing in PDF format. The drawing will give everyone
a much better perspective. Now we need volunteers to work on
the design details and construction of the float! Most
important is volunteers to lead the Design team and lead the
Construction Team. These volunteers need to work closely together so
the whole project comes together! If you are interested in becoming
a Lead or just a volunteer as part of the team please send me an
e-mail, trule@comcast.net.
Please let me know what area you are interested in Design or
Construction.
Below
are our construction dates which will take place at Dixie LaHood’s
place on the corner of 7th and Inca Street in Denver.
Construction of small items may take place at other locations but
the majority of the building will be at 7th & Inca.
Please let me know if you want to be part of this major event by
volunteering for design or construction! And remember, we need a
couple of members with leadership skills to guide the teams and
bring the float together!
Float
Construction Dates!
Saturday,
March 6th – Float Construction! 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Dixie’s lot at the corner of Inca St. and 7th,
Denver!
Saturday,
March 7th – Float Construction! 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Dixie’s lot at the corner of Inca St. and 7th,
Denver!
Friday,
March 12th – Float Construction! 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Dixie’s lot at the corner of Inca St. and 7th, Denver!
Saturday, March 13th ~ PARADE
DAY!!!~ No
Club meeting in March due to the parade!
Below are the Parade
Day FAQs (also enclosed). Some things have been added and updates
made so please take another look. A few things I want to point out
are Candy, Costumes, Tips for our Driver and Throwing Candy or
Give-a-Ways (these items are all covered in the FAQs)! Please bring
a large bag or two of candy to the staging area. Wear costumes that
reflect our float theme! Jamaican style!! Keep them G-Rated. This is
a family event! Every costume store Maureen and I have been in have
the dreadlock wigs and hats with dreadlocks. Please don’t forget to
bring some extra cash for the truck driver. Our driver Lance does
this on his personal time and does a great job every year! He
deserves a big tip!! We cannot throw candy or our give-away items.
It’s a very serious offense! We’ll get a warning then we’ll be asked
to pull out of the parade. Please hand out all items to the crowd.
If you see anyone throwing items please let me know!! Thank you!
Where are we going after the parade?
Immediately following the parade we’re going to LoDo’s Bar &
Grill! 1923 Market Street, right across the street from Coors Field
for our Post-Parade Party! Go upstairs where you’ll find an area for
the Parrot Heads! Families are welcome! The area will be open to the
general public as well so please get there early to get a good seat!
Irish step dancers and bagpipers will be performing. There may also
be an Irish band playing! LoDo’s will be offering beer and Margarita
specials for the Parrot Heads! Also a buffet lunch deal! As soon as
we bring our float back to the staging area we’d like everyone to
make their way over to LoDo’s. Keep your Green Wrist Bands on to
identify you as a Parrot Head. They may use those to identify us for
our drink/food discounts! Let’s try to get to LoDo’s as soon as we
can and keep the party going!!
Parade Day
Frequently Asked Questions!
I’d like to give
you as much information as I can about Parade Day. I hope to answer
all your questions but if I missed something please let me know,
trule@comcast.net! We have a lot of new members who may be
unfamiliar with the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade and how this all
works! This is one of the most fun things we do each year and we
want it to be a safe and successful day. Of course we’re also hoping
to make an impression on the crowd and the parade judges! I expect
as many as 100 people showing up to be part of the Colorado Parrot
Head Club float. We need everyone to know what’s going on! If you’re
not sure about something please let me know! Please make sure your
guests are aware of this information too!
When and where is the parade?
Saturday, March 13. Lower Downtown Denver. Parade route is at the
bottom.
Should I reserve a hotel room?
Yes! We highly recommend you get a hotel room for Saturday night!
This is going to be a fun day and a long day! Please get a room!!
There are lots of hotels downtown and price options. Unfortunately I
don’t have any specific hotel deals.
What do I bring? Please bring
a large bag or two of individually wrapped candy for us to give away
to the crowd! We need your help to fill the horse trough with
candy! Please bring your bags of candy directly to the rear of the
Kid’s Trailer and drop them off. Do not bring any cans, bottles or
coolers! There will not be room on the float for coats, purses,
backpacks or personal items! We will have beer, margaritas, rum
drinks, soft drinks, water and plenty of plastic cups.
Where do I need to be on Parade Day
morning? Our driver will try to get the float in the
staging area by 9:00 am. Staging area is the Coors Field Parking
Lot! Please plan to arrive between 9:00 am and 10:30 am. We will
have designated people doing final preparations to the float while
in the staging area. We may not take off down the parade route until
11:00 am or 11:30 am. Take advantage of this time to walk around and
see other entries! We’ll also try to take a group picture in front
of our float before we take off. If you have any trouble
finding our float in the staging area just ask any parade marshal
for help.
Colorado Parrot Head Club
Division –
1
Unit Number –
45
Staging Area Street
Address – 145 Limerick Street
Where can I park my car? If you
get there early enough you can park in Coors Field parking
Lot A. Get to Park Ave.
(23rd St.). Park Ave. is one way heading northwest.
Proceed northwest on Park Ave. (23rd St.). Turn right at
Wazee St. into Coors Field Lot A. The lot will fill up fast!
You cannot bring your car to the float staging
area unless you are dropping off something for the float. If you are
dropping off items for the float you must drop it off quickly then
move your car to Lot A!
What do I wear on parade day?
What you wear is very important! The parade theme is
ShamRockin’. Our float theme is We be Shammin’.
Parrot Head & tropical/Jamaican costumes please! Colors are
Green, Yellow and Red – Rasta Colors! This is a family parade and we
are a family oriented club so please keep all costumes tasteful and
G rated. We would appreciate it if you could dress children in
Jamaican costumes (dread locks, tie dyed shirts, etc.). We want to
be colorful and eye catching! Be creative! We also want to carry
over our theme and show off our Parrot Head attitude at the
Post-Parade Party at LoDo’s (1923 Market Street)!
Will you need volunteers on Parade
Day? Yes! In the staging area we will be asking for
several volunteers. We may need as many as 30 volunteers! Some to
carry our club banner and LoDo’s Bar & Grill posters. Others to
carry flags and large fins on sticks. Our banner will lead our
float. Volunteers carrying flags will follow the club banner and be
in front of the main float. Volunteers carrying the fins on sticks
will follow the Kid’s trailer. We would like our volunteers carrying
LoDo’s posters to split up and walk the parade route spaced out
evenly on each side.
Will there be food available in the Staging
Area? No. We will have some doughnuts and pastries
in the staging area but we recommend you have a good breakfast
before you arrive! The doughnuts and pastries will go very fast! You
can get lunch at LoDo’s following the parade!
Can I ride on the float? Probably
not! Unfortunately we will not have much room for riders. We will
have two young people on the float riding surf boards under the
wave. There will be a few already designated members running the
Tiki Bar. One designated member inside the wave with the confetti
cannons. Two designated members on board to run the sound system. If
you have a physical condition and need to ride please let me know,
trule@comcast.net and we’ll
take care of you.
Can children walk in the parade or do they
have to ride? Children under 5 years old must ride on
the Kid’s Trailer! 5 and older can walk with their parents along
the parade route.
If I can’t ride on the float and I’m not
volunteering what do I do? You have a very important job!
We would like everyone to walk along side and to the rear of the
Kid’s Trailer and hand out candy! Do not throw candy
or anything to the crowd!! You must hand candy to the people on the
streets.
Where do we get the candy to give to the
crowd? The children on the Kid’s Trailer will be filling
up cups with candy. Please go to the back of the Kid’s Trailer and
get a cup or two of candy. Hand that out to the crowd. Keep your cup
and return to the Kid’s Trailer for a refill of candy!
Can we throw candy or give-a-ways to the
crowd? NO! Please do not throw candy or anything else to
the crowd! If the parade marshal’s see us throwing items we will be
warned. If we don’t comply we will be removed from the parade! If
you see someone throwing anything please let Todd or Maureen know
right away! We must control our fellow members and guest! This is a
strict parade rule!
How do I get a beverage from the Tiki
Bar? You must be at least 21 years old and wearing a green
wrist band to receive any alcoholic beverages! On parade morning in
the staging area you can get wrist bands from Todd or Maureen Rule.
Members can have up to 4 wrist bands. We are asking for a donation
of $5.00 each for “Guest Wrist Bands”. Some members will be walking
around in the staging area with trays of beverages to help reduce
the amount of people around the Tiki Bar. Please be patient and
don’t rush the servers, they will be doing the best they can to get
you a beverage!! You must be 21 and wearing a green wrist band to
get a beverage! It won’t be easy and we don’t recommend you try to
get beverages from the Tiki Bar when we’re on the parade route!
What drinks will be available for the
kids? We will have soft drinks and water for the children
on the Kid’s Float. Kids Do Not need wrist bands!!
Can I bring guests? Yes members
can bring guests. Please ask your guests to bring candy and dress to
our theme! We are asking for a donation of $5.00 for “Guest Wrist
Bands”. Children do not need wrist bands.
Can I advertise my company on the float or
along the parade route? No. Our sole sponsor is LoDo’s Bar
& Grill. Please do not try to post any advertisements on the
float or pass out information about your own personal company or any
organization you may be associated with along the parade route. We
will be carrying posters and have a banner advertising LoDo’s!
Remember, this is the Colorado Parrot Head entry sponsored only by
LoDo’s Bar & Grill.
Is there any danger I should be aware
of? Of course! You need to be careful in the staging area.
There will be a lot of last minute work being done by the designated
Design and Construction teams. Try to keep some distance from the
main and kid’s trailers to give them some room to work. On the
parade route please keep a safe distance from the sides of both
trailers! Especially when making turns!! Use some of your Parrot
Head common sense!
Do we tip the Driver? Yes we do!
The driver is a volunteer doing this on his own time! Please have
some cash on hand. We will be taking up a collection once we’re back
in the staging area.
Where are we going after the parade?
Immediately following the parade we’re going to LoDo’s Bar &
Grill! 1923 Market Street, right across the street from Coors Field
for our Post-Parade Party! Go upstairs where you’ll find an area for
the Parrot Heads! Families are welcome! The area will be open to the
general public as well so please get there early to get a good seat!
Irish step dancers and bagpipers will be performing. There may also
be an Irish band playing! LoDo’s will be offering beer and Margarita
specials for the Parrot Heads! Also a buffet lunch deal! As soon as
we bring our float back to the staging area we’d like everyone to
make their way over to LoDo’s. Keep your Green Wrist Bands on to
identify you as a Parrot Head. They may use those to identify us for
our drink/food discounts! Let’s try to get to LoDo’s as soon as we
can and keep the party going!!
When are we going to dismantle the
float? Sunday (3/14). On Sunday we need to take everything
off the trailer! The trailer needs to be ready to go back to Duffy’s
on Monday! Please stop by Sunday and give us a hand! Tear down will
start around 10:00 am!
If you have any questions not answered above
please let me know, trule@comcast.net!