Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Give A Day For The Bay

Volunteers are needed to pick up litter along the Hillsborough River at Rivercrest Park and Greenway. There is a LOT of litter here. We may also be doing some cleaning up of mulched plant beds, trimming, invasive removal and other chores as needed by the Tampa Parks Department. Suitable for ages 5 and up. Lunch and t-shirt provided.

Volunteers must pre-register!! To sign up, call Nanette at (727) 893-2765 or e-mail nanette@tbep.org.

This workday is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, the Tampa Parks Department and the South Seminole Heights Civic Association.

When: Saturday, March 15 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Where: Rivercrest Park 4802 N. River Blvd. Tampa, FL 33603

Here are my top ten tips for successfully getting through Gasparilla Day:

1. Eat a decent breakfast. You never know where your next meal might be.
2. Pack light. Leave the coolers at home.
3. Hide a $20 in your sock. You will need it later.
4. Sunscreen. Trust me on this one.
5. Charge your cell phone the night before.
6. Bring a disposable camera. If you lose it no biggie.
7. Pace your intake of adult beverages. Mix in a water now and then.
8. Be patient. Standing in line will occur more than once.
9. Show some respect for the kids and seniors. There will be plenty of beads for everyone.
10. Just when you think you have seen it all, you will see something that makes you go WTF?

Rivercrest Park is located in the South Seminole Heights neighborhood north of downtown Tampa.

From the City of Tampa website:

Rivercrest Park runs along much of the Hillsborough River as it winds its way from Hillsborough Avenue to Martin Luther King Boulevard. Park amenities include a pier, playground area, picnic tables and grills.

One of the best features of this park is its location on the Hillsborough River. Since I have been going there I have seen alligators, bald eagles, manatees and osprey. There is a decent sized gazebo in the middle of the park and is often used for birthday parties. The children’s area has two playgrounds which are both shaded by many oak trees. That shade helps to provide many great spots for picnicking, too.

Rivercrest includes a nice walking and jogging path that goes around the majority of the park. There is also a long dock on the water, where you will find numerous options to take nature photos without having to leave the city.

While there are not any basketball courts or softball fields, the city has added new in-ground garbage cans and the park is kept relatively neat. The number of parking spaces are few, but there is a handicap space with a ramp in close proximity. Your best bet when driving there is to use West Osborne Ave from Florida Ave or Nebraska Ave.

Overall grade: B-

This is the first of what I hope to be many posts on your local parks. Being the father of three young children I often end up at one of the many parks in the area. If you have kids or like to get out and enjoy the outdoors as much as I do, I hope you find these useful.

The park I go to on a regular basis is Henry and Ola Park located in the Old Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa. This park is run by the City of Tampa, and as far as I can tell is named after the streets where it is located (no, I couldn’t find out who the streets are named after either).

One of the things I enjoy is that this place is popular with local citizens, and busy on a regular basis.  Henry and Ola hosts youth soccer on Saturday mornings, with adult soccer pickup games throughout the week. The main soccer field has been re-sodded in the past few years and is well maintained, so I can definitely see the attraction there. The city maintains the softball field and basketball courts, and are always well-lit.

The children’s area includes a playground with swings, a climbing wall and the new style jungle gym, but it would be much nicer with mulch or ground up tires in place of regular old Florida sand.

The city added new in-ground garbage cans to replace the aluminum ones that were constantly getting abused. In saying that, trash seems to still be a problem as it is not always put it into the cans. Whether in a park or on the streets, we encourage you to hold on to your garbage and drop it where it belongs.

Parking can be a problem when there is an event, but folks can use an overflow area for really busy times. The picnic tables could use an upgrade and it would nice if the playground included an area for toddlers.

Henry & Ola Park earns a C+

With a St. Patrick’s parade in Ybor City coming up this Saturday I began to wonder how it all got started. Since we don’t have a large Irish community like other cities, what’s the reason for a celebration with a parade? When I think of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations I think of New York, Savannah GA, NewportRI, and of course Boston.

I know the Ybor City parade is run by the Rough Riders krewe in Tampa. Besides that I don’t much about the parade’s history. If anyone has any insight, I would be interested to hear about it. As far as the holiday itself, I have celebrated at a few different locations over the years - mostly at the south Tampa standards like Four Green Fields, the Dubliner, and MacDinton’s. Does anyone have other recommendations on where to spend St. Patrick’s in Tampa or the surrounding areas?

I read an interesting article about Regency Cove in the Trib recently. For you those of you unfamiliar with South Tampa, the Homes of Regency Cove is a retirement community of manufactured homes just off of Westshore and Gandy. Though it’s NOG (North of Gandy) I vividly remember going by this place growing up in SOG. But because of the residents’ strong anti-development stance, the neighborhood will likely be one of the last trailer parks in Tampa.

The article details a recently published book about the history of the community. Founded in 1956, the community began because self made millionaire Welburn Guernsey dreamed of creating “Guernsey City.” Regency Cove, The First Fifty Years memorializes Guernsey and the community’s storied past.

While reading the article I was surprised to find out about a former resident. Harold Russell acted in a handful of films, culminating in two Oscars for his portrayal of Homer Parrish in The Best Years of Our Lives. That’s right - he was the only actor to win two Oscars for one role. The story of how he got the acting gig is even more fascinating.

I was out on my training run at lunchtime Friday when I got stopped on 4^th Ave by a guy named Cephas. I have been stopped a few times during my run. Typically someone is lost and looking for the Aquarium or some other local attraction. These holdups break what little rhythm I have going, but my good side takes over and I try to be a good neighbor.

But Friday I was struggling and needed the breather, so I listened to hear what Cephas had to say. He told me that runners like me need an aloe shake. He went on to talk at great lengths about the benefits of aloe.

I explained that I did not have money on me, but he didn’t want any. He said I would be back after I start feeling the positive effects of aloe. He told me everyone comes to Cephas Hot Shop all the time to drink his shakes.

Right after he fixed mine a state prosecutor walked up and ordered one. He said the shakes have really helped him health wise. Not knowing to expect I began to sip the shake and Cephas told me I needed to hold the cup from behind and drink it real quick. I think his words were “slam it.” The taste was not as bad as I expected. Then Cephas gave me two more refills.

He’s right - I’ll be back.

I recently celebrated my 40th birthday, and I decided it was time to buy a guitar. I have never owned a guitar and have absolutely no training, but that is beside the point – I’m 40 now.

However, I did prefer something geared toward the entry level (read: cheap) in case it didn’t work out, so I wouldn’t be stuck with an expensive reminder. After talking with some friends and doing a little research I made my decision.

I dragged my wife and the twins (nearly three years old), and ended up at a chain store. My patient and understanding wife promised to watch the boys while I look.

I found my desired guitar, and tracked down a clerk. After a bit, it was obvious this clerk was not having a great day. He tried to upsell me a case, but I declined – for this ridiculous endeavor, a gig bag would be fine. He returned from the back room empty handed, explaining they are out of gig bags. In the middle of ringing up the purchase, he gets a personal call and immediately begins to argue with the irate caller. Then he can’t scan the strap I picked out and walks over to the rack to get another one. After which he informs me I will have to go to the front of the store to actually get a receipt to sign since his printer is not working.

After standing in the “front of the store” line for a few minutes, the customer in front of me turns to me and asks “Would you like a guitar?” I explain that I am already buying one, and he says “No, would you like a free one?” Says he’s buying an electric guitar over a certain price with a store credit card and the store promotion is to give him a free electric/acoustic guitar. A free electric/acoustic guitar that he doesn’t need. I smile and say “Sure!”

The counter person hands me a box from a nearby cart. I opened the box to see a better guitar than the one I am buying!

I hand my original choice back to the counter person, and my wife, out of earshot, has the classic “WTF?” look. She is glaring as if I have changed my mind after dragging the whole family down here.

I got the customer’s name and number, and will take him out for dinner or something. “Bob” indicated it would be nice, and asked how long I had been playing. I told him that “Today is the first day of my music career.”

If you think everyone is just getting more cynical and self-centered remember there are still lots of individuals like Bob. And yes, Bob, I will remember you on the credits of my first album.