Tropical redux: Luau event returns after poor weather forced its delay

Rain and nasty weather couldn’t dampen the inaugural downtown Festival Country Luau, only delay it for a few months.

Despite a three-month wait, the county is finally getting the tropical party it wanted. Local residents get to break out the hula skirts, shake off the leis and get ready for some of those island vibes with food, beer and wine topped off with a performance by one of the country’s premier Jimmy Buffett tributes, Parrots of the Caribbean.

The festival starts at 5 p.m., with opening band Indyca taking the stage at 5:30. Parrots of the Caribbean go on at 7 p.m.

“We hate it when the weather causes an event to be canceled, but it happens. We aren’t always able to reschedule, but this time it worked out,” said Holly Johnston, events and program manager for Franklin Parks and Recreation. “We were fortunate to find a date that worked for the band, sound company and our schedule so we could still have the Festival Country Luau this year.”

Organized by Franklin Parks and Recreation, the event was originally planned for May 21 as a way to kick-start one of the most eventful summers the city has ever seen — only the onset of storms forced its delay.

Franklin Parks, working with Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism wing, has been working on a summer kickoff event for the past few years. While pandemic safety concerns had put those plans on hold in 2020 and 2021, this year set up perfectly to host a new kind of festival, Johnston said.

For Festival Country Indiana, the new event fit perfectly into their central goals, said Kenneth Kosky, executive director for Festival Country.

“One of Festival Country’s goals as an organization is to help create new festivals and to strengthen existing ones,” he said in May. “We talked with Franklin Parks & Recreation, and both organizations were excited to create a festival that had a new, different feel to go along with the first season of events at the new amphitheater.”

During the luau, food trucks and a beer and wine garden will be available for attendees. Tiki-themed decor will help establish the tropical atmosphere, which organizers plan to amplify by passing out free leis.

The centerpiece will be the musical performance, though.

Parrots of the Caribbean is a Buffett tribute act, bringing the Key West sound by way of Dayton, Ohio. They have been performing Buffett’s greatest hits at festivals, bars and amphitheaters for the past 16 years. Brought together by the free-wheeling love of the music, the members have created a stage show that rivals the Parrothead-themed parties of their inspiration.

Lead singer and founder Dave Albrecht, dressed in an all-white sea captain’s outfit, croons around inflatable palm trees, grass skirts and coconuts on stage. The band brings audience members on stage to hula and break out in spontaneous conga lines.

“They are a very entertaining band, great to work with and the community really enjoyed them. They fit in with the tropical theme for the luau,” Johnston said. “We are happy to have them back in Franklin.”

With the luau serving as the kickoff, downtown Franklin will enjoy an entire weekend of activities as well. The Creative Council of Franklin has planned its monthly Night Lights event to correspond with the concert, offering live music and an artistic light display when the sun sets.

Then on Saturday, people are invited to flex their creative muscles during Art-to-Finish, the annual art-in-a-day contest organized by the Creative Council.

The contest is open to all mediums of art — not just painting, drawing or sculpting, but writing, music and dancing. The only limitations are that people have to create their art over the course of one day.

Registration for the event is between 9 and 11 a.m. Saturday at the Elks Lodge No. 1818, and all work must be turned in by 4 p.m. that afternoon. Prizes will be given for youth ages 6 and under, juveniles ages 7 to 10, juniors ages 11 to 14, young adults ages 15 to 17 and adults 18 and over. In each category, awards will be given for 2D and 3D art, as well as writing and performance.

To sign up, go to the Creative Council of Franklin’s website at creativecouncilfranklin.org.