When Lancaster Liederkranz holds its annual Parrot Fest on Saturday, July 20, don't expect a flock of birds. Instead, the event will feature "Margaritaville at the Liederkranz," with food, beverages and live music providing an island vibe.

"Our first Parrot Fest was held in 2008, and one of the questions we got prior to the fest was a call from a lady looking for information on what kinds of parrots we were going to have and how many," recalled Paul Stanavage, fest chairperson. "So of course we told her we would have Parrothead fans, not parrots, but we would be throwing an island-themed party."

"Parrotheads" is the term for Jimmy Buffett fans, people who love Buffett's music and the island lifestyle.

Parrot Fest will run from 5 to 11 p.m. at the Lancaster Liederkranz, 722 S. Chiques Road, Manheim.

Tropical Sunz will perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by headlining band Jimmy and the Parrots, which will play from 7 to 11 p.m.

"They are from the New Jersey area and were a Jimmy Buffett cover band when we met them at an Oktoberfest being held at a German restaurant in center city Philly called Ludwig's," Stanavage recalled, adding that the experience of seeing the band at an Oktoberfest event was unusual. Stanavage and his wife run a German Schuhplattler dance group called Alpenrose, and they were hired to dance at the Oktoberfest. Due to a scheduling conflict, no German bands were available, so the cover band stepped in.

"When we got there and saw there was a Buffett band playing, we were a tad surprised, to say the least," Stanavage said. "But, they were really good and really entertaining. They played Buffett, and we did the German traditional stuff. We all had a great time."

Stanavage stayed in touch with the band, and when he was looking for fundraiser ideas as then-president of the Liederkranz, he thought of Jimmy and the Parrots.

"They play a little trop-rock, Zac Brown, Bob Marley with plenty of Buffett sprinkled in," Stanavage shared. "They tell us they love playing for us because from the first song they play 'til the end of the night, our dance floor is packed with people dancing and having fun."

The club's first Parrot Fest drew more than 800 people, and after a few years, the crowd had swelled to 1,500. That was just a few too many people, Stanavage said, so organizers have capped Parrot Fest at 1,000 tickets.

Along with live music, Parrot Fest will feature food, including hot dogs, hamburgers, "Cheeseburgers in Paradise," pork barbecue sandwiches, jerk chicken, walking tacos, hand-cut french fries and vegan hot dogs and hamburgers. Food will be served from 5 to 9 p.m. A selection of German beers will be available on tap, along with a draft margarita wine and other beverages.

"The Lancaster Liederkranz offers a great venue just off 283 outside of Mount Joy along the scenic Chiques Creek," Stanavage said, noting that Parrot Fest promises to be a fun evening out. "(There is) plenty of seating, a large dance floor, two great bands, food and drink."

Stanavage encourages people to purchase tickets early for Parrot Fest. There is a discount for tickets purchased before Sunday, July 14. All tickets must be purchased in advance and may be purchased by searching for "Parrot Fest" on http://www.eventbrite.com.