Hey Parrot Heads!
What a week! It started off great when the Broncos won the Super Bowl, and since then we’ve had a big Denver celebration followed by some unseasonably beautiful weather. Life in Denver has been pretty good recently.
Unfortunately I do have a little bit of disappointing news to share today as it relates to our float planning for the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Here’s the bad news/good news:
Bad News: We cannot build at Denver Fire Station #9
Unfortunately upon further inspection of this space, our truck and trailer is just too large. We wouldn’t be able to get our truck into the lot without causing damage to either the property or the truck or both, so we had to scrap that build site. Trust me when I say that nobody was more disappointed than me, since I still turn into a little kid around fire trucks and fire stations. We are so very appreciative of the offer, and all that Jack Harris did to work this out. It just wasn’t the right space for this year.
Good News: We have found another build site
We have located a build site that has everything we want/need to build our float. It’s privately owned and completely secure, it has plenty of space for building & parking, it has electricity, water and facilities (a Porta-Potty) and the owner is really psyched to let us build there. There may even be a BBQ grill there we can use. It’s a really nice spot in the country out near Bear Creek. I’ve already checked it out and it’s a great spot, and our truck with fit with no trouble.
So what’s the catch?
The site is much further than the parade location, so we’ll have to rethink how we build things. The location is just off C470 and Morrison Road. Obviously we’d love a space closer, but this seems like the best option based on what they can provide to us. Some aspects of the float will need to change since it will be taking a much longer drive on parade day. Items will need to be secured well enough to travel on the highway, or made so they can be put up quickly on parade day. Because of this we’ll probably now need to steer clear of paper mache for the pot of gold, so we’re working on another option. We’ll also need more volunteers to come early on parade day for any final assembly & finishing touches. We can discuss this more at our next club meeting, but just keep this in mind. We really hope this new location isn’t too inconvenient, and that you all still come out to help at least a day or two during the 2-weekend build.
The other good news is that Jill has already started to design the critters, and should soon have items for everyone to start painting very soon. We are working on maybe getting a painting party together separate from the build, so stay tuned. We can’t say enough how much we appreciate all Jill is doing to help make this float look great!
Parade Day: What we know so far
We are still waiting for all the final details about the parade (our launch time, etc.) so we’ll get that out as soon as it’s confirmed. I did want to let you know that we’ll have wristbands available for paid members starting at our February 20th club meeting, and we will also have them at each build day. As a reminder, you must be an active member to get wristbands, so renew now if you haven’t already. Single members can get up to 2 wristbands, and Family members can get up to 4 wristbands. We have also confirmed that the Fainting Goat will be doing their Irish Breakfast on parade day once again, and they’ll be hosting us for our parade after-party again. So plan your day accordingly and make sure you visit the Fainting Goat.
That’s about it. I’ll keep you updated if anything else changes (fingers crossed it doesn’t!)
Jeff Estes
President, Colorado Parrot Head Club