Successful street party
The Ocala Civic Theatre’s Escape to Margaritaville Block Party saw more than 400 people dancing in the streets of downtown Ocala.
Parrot Heads rule!
Fans of the late Jimmy Buffett, known as Parrot Heads, took to the streets of downtown Ocala in a swarm on the late afternoon of April 28.
The Ocala Civic Theatre hosted the “Escape to Margaritaville” Block Party in conjunction with the stage production of “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville,” which runs through May 19 at the theatre.
The block party, held at the intersection of Southwest Broadway Street and Southwest 1st Avenue, gave guests a fun afternoon under a brilliant sun with some definite changes in latitudes and attitudes, as noted in Buffett’s iconic hit recording.
“We had a great time at our ‘Escape to Margaritaville’ Block Party. About 430 guests were dancing in the streets and beach balls were flying through the air as downtown Ocala became a tropical oasis,” said Melody Murphy, OCT’s director of marketing and public relations.
“Legendary Jimmy Buffett tribute band Gary Roland and The Landsharks put on a fantastically fun and interactive concert. The OCT cast of ‘Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville’ had a blast performing a couple of numbers from the show with them and leading the conga line,” Murphy added.
Murphy said that every guest was greeted with a lei upon entering O’Malley’s Alley and that “the crowd was full of Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and parrot hats.”
Percussion artist SeanT brought his steel drums and island rhythms to the O’Malley’s patio and the Brick City Center for the Arts courtyard, and The Black Sheep on Broadway kept the margaritas flowing as the VIP lounge for the event, Murphy noted.
“With prizes like two Margaritaville getaway vacations and a custom guitar autographed by the late great Jimmy Buffett, the raffle was extremely popular. Raffle tickets and block party event merchandise will be on sale through the run of OCT’s ‘Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville,’ live on stage,” Murphy stated.
The play will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 19.
To learn more, go to ocalacivictheatre.com
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