MADISON — It was a grand slam out of the skatepark for the 2021 Madison Business Expo & Kid’s Day at the Insanity Complex. In honor of the new Rocket City Trash Pandas, the theme this year was “Baseball.”

OwnerBroker Pamela Bass center of Virtuous Realty Group won 1st Place in the themed booth contest

Owner/broker Pamela Bass, center, and VIrtuous Realty Group won for their best baseball-themed exhibit booth. (Photo/Madison Chamber of Commerce)

More than 50 Madison businesses, all decked out in baseball themes, provided business networking opportunities and demonstrations of their products and services.

After a year’s delay due to COVID, it was the Expo’s first year at the Insanity Complex. The facility provided more room for inflatables, a rock-climbing wall, a face painting booth, and lother games and activities for the kids.

More than 1,000 people came out to enjoy the sounds of the Expo’s first concert with music from Groove, while the Step & Repeat photo booth offered pictures with the Trash Pandas mascot Sprocket. There was plenty of food, beverages, and ice cream available, too.

The Bob Jones ROTC and cheerleaders helped set up and take down the event, as well as overseeing and supervising the games, organizing sponsors. The students also used their creativity to run the face-painting event.

Members from the Madison City Council and other civic leaders were judges in the best baseball-themed exhibit booth. The winner, Virtuous Realty Group, won a free exhibit booth for next year’s Expo; Continental Roofing took second and Rosenblum Realty was third.

“It was great to see so many people out mixing business with pleasure,” said Felecia Rodgers, events & marketing coordinator for the Madison Chamber of Commerce. “It has been two years since people have been able to get outside and enjoy activities with their families, but it wasn’t just the kids who were having fun. It was the adults who decorated their booths.

“Many of them really got into the baseball theme and made a success of it.”