Rocket City Trash Pandas

The Story of Town Madison: “An Overnight Success 20 Years in the Making”

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“What an overnight success!”

This is common (positive) feedback that Breland Companies President Joey Ceci often hears from those who are wowed by the explosive development at Town Madison in the last three years.

Comments like this make Ceci chuckle a bit though because “if people only knew how long Louis has been working on this.”

Town Madison is the micro-community that’s home to Toyota Field, where the Rocket City Trash Pandas are getting ready to begin their second minor league baseball season. It’s located in Madison just south of I-565 and is currently home to a half dozen restaurants, several hotels, a bank, and hundreds of apartment units, townhomes, and single-family custom homes.

The Story of Town Madison in Madison, Alabama

About a dozen more restaurants are in the pipeline, all scheduled to be open by the summer of 2023. The Hub, a family-friendly destination with retail, restaurants, and live entertainment will open later this year, and several hundred more homes will soon be built as well.

Additional hotel concepts are also in the works, with “something signature” planned to wrap up the community, Ceci shares.

But the story of Town Madison is anything but an overnight success, according to Ceci. He says that what people are seeing and enjoying now has been 20 years in the making.

“I have been involved with this project for over 14 years and Louis started working on it several years before that.”

Over those years the hurdles to get where Town Madison is today have been quiet but countless.

“The biggest hurdle we’ve faced has been the retail landscape and how much it’s changed.”

He elaborates that the first concept of Town Madison actually included a big power center, gobs of retails, several department stores, and even a Bass Pro Shop.

“For a while, those big stores were going to be our anchors.”

He says that over time though, the whole retail world began to change and the way developers had to move forward was confusing, to say the least.

Looking for a new way forward, Louis Breland visited a new community in Atlanta called Avalon, which is located in suburban Alpharetta. Avalon was established in 2014 and is a mixed-use community with significant residential experiences, experiential restaurants, and retailers that consumers want to follow.

He knew something like that would do well in Madison, so Breland Companies moved forward with their design and plans for what is now the rapidly-developing community of Town Madison.

“What we have now has ended up being a stronger, much more durable project that is going to look good for years and years to come.”

Ceci says that curveballs such as the “downturn of 2008-2009 as well as the pandemic make people cautious by nature, especially with investments.”

He continued to share that potential tenants were nervous about Town Madison because they were starting from scratch.

“We heard all the time that something like Town Madison would never work in its current location simply because it was an empty field without a proven commercial tenant.”

Ceci explains though that the land where Town Madison is was owned by Intergraph and wasn’t available for development until Breland purchased it a few years ago.

“Intergraph and its founder owned all of this land at one time. Louis bought the south portion over twenty years ago but wasn’t able to purchase the former Intergraph campus at Wall Triana until a few years ago. So, the reason there were no proven tenants was that this land was “locked up” in a sense.

The Story of Town Madison: Challenges Overcome

Despite all of the risks and challenges that had to be overcome to bring Town Madison to life, Ceci says that Breland Companies founder and owner Louis Breland “is just one of those guys that isn’t ever going to give up. This is a very personal project to Louis; He’s out here every day paying attention to every detail.”

He concluded by sharing that it’s been crucial to continually adapt to the new reality of the world we live in and strive to make something quality of it.

“We’ve had no choice but to hang in there and make it work, and we are.”

To read a full, updated list on the concept coming soon to the Town Madison community, click here!

Town Madison website | Facebook | Instagram

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Trash Pandas Birthday Parties In a nutshell, an all-inclusive birthday party package with the Trash Pandas is $300 and is designed for eight children and two adults.

Breaking Down All-Inclusive Trash Pandas Birthday Parties

Entertainment, Go & Do, Resources Birthday Parties, Little Leagues, Rocket City Trash Pandas

One of the highlights of my childhood was attending minor league baseball games in Huntsville as we cheered on the Huntsville Stars (I’m aging myself here!) From family outings to fundraiser events to church gatherings to end-of-season team parties, I remember loving every single moment at Joe Davis Stadium.

One thing I never got to experience at the ballpark though was having my own birthday party at the stadium simply because my birthday is in January (out of season!) A couple of my own kids though have birthdays that fall within baseball season, and I can just imagine that a birthday party with the Rocket City Trash Pandas would be one they would absolutely remember fondly.

In fact, we did celebrate our youngest daughter’s 2nd birthday at the ballfield last July via a group hospitality option (she was a bit too young to bring along her little friends). 😉 We had a wonderful (!!) time, and I hope to book with the Trash Pandas again in the future as our kids grow and we look for celebratory birthday party options.

If there’s a child you love who will be celebrating a birthday this spring or summer (April – September) consider a party at Toyota Field! The Trash Pandas offer an all-inclusive package that makes the entire experience a delight. From their booking process to the time you and a bunch of kiddos pull away from the stadium, I guarantee you’ll feel like your money was well spent on a celebration like this.

Trash Pandas Birthday Parties

In a nutshell, an all-inclusive Trash Pandas birthday parties are $300 and designed for eight children and two adults. (Of course, you’re welcome to have as many children and adults as you’d like, which is why they offer individual prices for every additional adult and child you’d like to bring over that initial “eight kids plus two adults” figure.)

For the $300 package, you’ll receive:

BOX SEATS (WAHOO!) for eight kids and two adults
Food for the eight kids (premium Conecuh hot dog, bag of chips, pack of Oreos, and a drink)
A Trash Pandas pennant for each kid

Not only is the activity, food, and party favor taken care of, but there are also a few special perks that will make the birthday party extra special and memorial for the guest of honor.

He or she will be invited to go on top of the dugout for a big round of the Happy Birthday song.
He or she will receive something special from sponsoring Main Event to go enjoy at a later date (bowling, laser tag, etc.!)
His or her name on the video board welcoming the group

When chatting with Trash Pandas Vice President Lindsey Knupp about their birthday party options, she says that this package was an absolute dream for kids ages 7-12 last season, though children of any age are invited to book their party with them.

She says that their number one goal with Trash Pandas birthday parties is to make sure the birthday boy or girl has a wonderful time and that the Trash Pandas coordinators will work with each family personally to hear out their requests and work to make it all happen. She also shared that if a kid isn’t comfortable being on the dugout, that is completely optional and up to the child if he or she wants to participate.

The welcome message on the video board is also an extra special perk because this is generally only an option for those with groups of 20+ people. She also says that the box seats aren’t “kids’ seats” but rather regular seats that are some of the best in the house!

If you’re ready to find out more information about booking Trash Pandas birthday parties, please click here to fill out an inquiry form and a staff member will be in touch with you as soon as possible.

DREAM TEAM/LITTLE LEAGUE OPPORTUNITY WITH THE TRASH PANDAS

Knupp says that their “Dream Team” option for little league teams is an unbeatable opportunity for memorable fun for the players and families alike!

Groups of 20+ are invited to book a “dream team” night where little league players are invited to go out on the field with the Trash Pandas players during the National Anthem and then run out to their positions with them when their names are called.

{Author note: I AM DYING. This is so fun! I don’t know who would love this more: me as a parent who would get to watch my kids experience that or my kid who’d be giddy to run on the field!}

Each player will also go home with his or her own pennant.

Have a team with 50+ players and family members that’ll be booking/sitting together? Groups of 50 are eligible to pick a representative to throw out the first pitch!

If this sounds like something up your team’s alley, don’t delay in booking! Each home game only has two “dream team” slots available.

Interested in reserving a “Dream Team” night? Click here to fill out the inquiry form at the bottom of the page.

Quick Links for Dream Team and Birthday Parties

with the Rocket City Trash Pandas

Toyota Field

500 Trash Pandas Way, Madison, AL 35758

(256) 325-1403

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A Breakdown of Our First Rocket City Trash Pandas Baseball Game Experience

Entertainment, Family, Go & Do, Resources Minor League Baseball, Rocket City Trash Pandas, Toyota Field, Trash Pandas

Last night my husband and I attended the second ever Rocket City Trash Pandas minor league baseball game against the Tennessee Smokies and enjoyed it immensely! If attending a game is on your radar, here’s a rundown of our experience as first-timers.

Our First Rocket City Trash Pandas Baseball Game Experience

We live in Madison near-ish to County Line Road, so we took County Line to I-565 and headed east to the new ramp. We hit the ramp about 5:40 p.m. and flew straight to the parking attendant with zero problems.

Considering this was just under an hour ahead of the first pitch at 6:35 p.m., we were really happy with our timing. We had heard and read all about the chaos of parking on opening night the night prior (it took some people upwards of two hours to go two miles to get anywhere close to parking), so we knew we wanted to get there with plenty of time to settle in.

Thankfully it looks and sounds like improvements to the traffic situation were made extremely fast after opening night one (Bravo, Trash Pandas!), allowing for a super pleasant entry and exit situation for guests.

We’d both heard that there was an app one can download in order to secure parking passes ahead of time, but we failed to do so since we were mostly flying by the seat of our pants for this first game after extremely busy days. We paid $10 via our debit card but won’t do that again. We now have the CLUTCH! app, which allows ticket holders to purchase pre-paid parking passes at a discounted $6.

We were soon greeted by the sight of long lines to get into the stadium itself, but they moved swiftly (we waited 15 minutes max).

We didn’t mind waiting in line though as the energy was already high; Everyone appeared to be light-hearted and excited about going to the game, and seeing a community all united in Trash Pandas apparel was awesome. Plus, every Wednesday dogs are invited to come into the stadium and hang with their owners on the green space (nearish to the outfield along the first baseline), so we enjoyed standing in line and admiring dogs of all breeds and sizes that also seemed excited about their outing. 🙂

We brought very little with us to the game since there is a strict “clear bags only” policy, so we emptied our pockets before going through the metal detectors and then breezed right in.

With roughly 30 minutes until the first pitch, we had our sites set on dinner. We waited about 10 minutes in the Champy’s line, where my husband ordered a fried chicken sandwich, fries, and a couple of adult beverages for us. His sandwich and fries were $12, a 32 oz beer was $11 (or $6 for a 16 oz.), and a canned spiked lemonade of sorts was $10. The stadium is entirely cashless, so we used our debit card for all of our purchases. Easy!

We are big, big Champy’s fans, but I personally wanted to branch out and try somewhere different to eat. We landed at the Gravity Grille (semi behind home plate), and though the line looked daunting, it moved rapidly.

I ordered a Mint Julep Chicken Sandwich which is described as a grilled chicken patty marinated in bourbon and mint. It came with fries and hit the spot. Neither of us actually finished our food because the portions were large! My meal was $10.

Once we had our food, we settled into our seats and got ready to watch some baseball.

We both agreed that one of our favorite moments from the evening was when the National Anthem was sung by Ms. Veteran American, Mary Ann Hotaling. It had been a while since we’d stood in a crowd at an event like this with our hands over our hearts and heard the National Anthem sung, and it felt good to back enjoying a moment like this in an environment that felt “normal”. Personal opinion there, but we loved it.

Though I enjoyed watching the game itself (just so darn happy for these players that are getting to do what they love!), I really enjoyed all of the extra on-field entertainment throughout the night. It’s obvious that everyone behind the scenes at the Trash Pandas has worked diligently to plan for and provide a super enjoyable experience for all throughout the game, whether one enjoys watching baseball itself or not.

The on-field entertainment was well organized, family-friendly, and comedic for all. There were balloon popping contests for kiddos, musical inflatable chairs for adults, a “Dirtiest Car in the Lot” award (they won a Super Shine car wash gift card, haha!), the infamous “Kiss Cam”, and much more.

About halfway through the game, I met up with a friend and her family in the children’s play area (outfield along the third baseline) where about a dozen kids were burning off some energy. I think this was such a smart idea and great addition to the stadium.

In conclusion, we had a fantastic time at the game and look forward to returning as soon as this weekend with our children. I grew up attending Huntsville Stars games, which were some of the highlights of my childhood. I loved watching all of the on-field games, shouting all of the chants, participating in the 7th Inning Stretch, eating ice cream out of a plastic baseball helmet, attending big-group picnics, and more. I’m excited that this will all now be a part of our kids’ childhood experience as well.

I’m glad the Trash Pandas are in the Madison, and I’m eager to watch Town Madison grow (check out this list of restaurants that are coming super soon!) The stadium itself is first-class and designed to be something our entire north Alabama region (and guests) enjoy.

Click here to head to their website and check out a full schedule, promotions, stadium policies, and more.