Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Another week and we have earned another dollar, so let’s go spend it around town. Courtesy of Weekly Options, here are a few of the Pirate Events in Tampa for you to attend and enjoy for a few bucks!

25 Jan. Friday - Rough Riders Gasparilla Eve Annual Party – 6-11pm at Embassy Suites 513 S Florida Ave. Tampa. Buffet, dancing, music and more. 35$.

A Fabulous Buffet Will Be Served From 6:30 to 9:30 and music by Otis and the Old School Band. Rough Rider Members are free and guests are $35.00 per person which includes buffet and two drink tickets per person. Payment due in advance and reservations are required. Call Club Secretary Iris with credit card info at 813-248-1898.

26 Jan. Saturday – Gasparilla 11am - ? Downtown Tampa

The pirate invasion of Tampa will begin at 11am in the south end of Tampa Bay and then docking at the Tampa Convention Center at 1pm. At that time the Mayor will have to hand over the key to the city. With the key to the city in hand they will begin the parade of pirates down Bayshore Blvd.

26 Jan. Saturday - Gasparilla Pre-Parade Brunch – 10am-Noon at the University of Tampa Plant Hall West Verandah 401 W. Kennedy Tampa.

Join UT alumni & friends for the annual Gasparilla Brunch on Saturday, January 26th from 10 AM until noon. Enjoy an all you can eat breakfast buffet, an open bar, and free parking while you get ready for the parade. Tampa Alpha Members and children under 5 are free, $35 per adult guest in advance ($40 at the door), $10 for children ages 6 to 13 in advance ($15 at the door), Children 5 and under are free.

26 Jan. Saturday – Gasparilla Invasion Brunch - 10am-1pm at the Tampa Convention Center 333 S. Franklin St. Tampa.55$ adults, 45$ child.

This event includes a buffet brunch, live entertainment and a reserved seat with the best view of the invasion. Pirates from the Ye Mystic Krewe will return to this location after the invasion to get a bite to eat with you. You must have a reserved ticket and to do so call 813-353-8108 before 2pm Monday – Friday before the 26th.

26 Jan. Saturday – TBT Pirate Invasion Party – 10am-2pm poolside at Westin Harbour Island 725 South Harbor Island Blvd.

Drink specials, music and a fantastic view of the Gasparilla Invasion. 25$ advance, 15$ general admission. MUST BE 21 TO ATTEND! Arrive early for best parking options. The bridge crossing over to Harbour Island will close at 9:30 a.m. The Westin Harbour Island does not provide free parking. The Pirate Fest Buffet will be included with the purchase of a VIP ticket/ VIP table only. All other food and drinks can be purchased on site. Tickets after Jan. 24: VIP, $35 General Admission: $25 for reservations and details call (727) 893-8602

Whether you eat at one of these events or not make sure you do eat before you start the drinking part of this great parade! The list of things to remember have already been posted here at Sticks so read over them, pick your seating area or venue and have fun!

The 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Justice National Parade begins at 1:15 p.m. in downtown St. Petersburg. The parade starts at Third Avenue S and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street to the waterfront via Central Avenue.

The 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 Second Ave. NE. Program begins outdoors at museum entrance; continues indoors with presentations, entertainment, dancing and music. For more information: (727) 894-1052.

Get on over to Tampa’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade at noon. The parade begins at 15th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and ends at 22nd Street and Osborne Avenue.

The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival continues all week, culminating in a huge Tampa Blues Festival on Sunday.

I know the pirates are coming to town this weekend for the kids but the little one won’t be home this weekend. So that means I am free to do adult things, and took a look at Eric’s Weekly Options for ideas. I have made a list of things I would like to do and hopefully Hubby and I will make it to one or two. I hope you get out this weekend and find something you enjoy.

Friday: If you start your weekend a little early and are ready to get in the mood for the BIG pirate invasion check this out!

Open House, January 18 Noon—5:00 p.m. at the Henry B. Plant Museum

From skulls and crossbones to gowns and feather plumes this exhibit is definitely the biggest party in town. Have a blast creating your own parade in an interactive exhibit. Join the merriment of Tampa’s signature celebration. Underwritten by Pepin Distributing and Verizon.

Saturday: Tommy has been promising to take me to Tarpon Springs - I’m Greek and have never been! Maybe some chili on a cold Saturday afternoon will get him motivated to take me there!

19 Jan. Saturday - Suncoast Chili Cookoff – Noon at the Boys & Girls Club 111 W. Lime St. Tarpon Springs.

Saturday: Well, this may not be a big barrel of fun, but I want to open a bed and breakfast one day. If I don’t get to this one this weekend, I will keep an eye out for future meetings.

19 Jan. Saturday – Going Into Business Class - 9am-Noon at the Corporate Square business complex Suite 425 of Building 400, 7402 N. 56th Street Tampa . 25$. www.tampascore.org

Saturday: I enjoyed a wine tasting event at a winery in Plant City last year. I love the shirt I got there: Drinks Well With Others! This one sounds like a good one as well

19 Jan. Saturday - Wine Festival and Market – 10am-3pm at Florida Estates Winery 3101 37th Ave. N., Saint Petersburg. The event will include fresh foods, sandwiches, sauces, home made arts and crafts, live music (light and classic rock) and an opportunity to sample the winery’s offerings.

All weekend: I will go to Treasure Island for anything and if the weather is half-way decent on Sunday I want to go to this Kite Festival. They have a lot of cool little pubs on the island as well!

18-20 Jan. Fri-Sun. - Treasure Island Kite Festival - 10am-5pm on Treasure Island Beach behind the Thunderbird Beach Resort 10700 Gulf Blvd. Treasure Island.

Now I have to try and decide which Saturday event I will want to do the most! Chili at Tarpon Springs or the Wine Festival in St. Petersburg?

Nine year old Jordan Hays was killed at the Plant City Christmas Parade. He was walking alongside his church’s float and tossing candy to the crowds when the horrible tragedy happened. He got caught under the wheels of the float as he reached for more candy to throw.

Parade rules say children younger than 10 should ride on the floats rather than walk alongside “if at all possible.”

Plant City investigated the death, and have a good handle on what happened:

• Jordan “Booka” Hays was too young to walk the parade route.
• The float’s design partly was responsible for his death.
• The boy’s death was preventable but was not caused by parade spectators crowding the float.
• Rescuers responded to the accident in a reasonable amount of time. Paramedics reached Hays in less than six minutes.
• No reckless behavior led to the death.
• Other safety recommendations posed for consideration include a shorter parade route, capping the number of parade participants and moving the Christmas Parade from night to day. It also recommends city officials ban the distribution of beads and candy in parades.

If I am encouraging or even allowing my ten year old child to walk in a parade, I am personally going to be right there making sure nothing happens. If the float setup looks funky or dangerous, she’s not walking near the thing. She certainly won’t be heading toward a wheel to grab more trinkets. Yeah, hindsight is 20/20, and we can chalk this up to a horrible, terrible accident.

It sounds to me as if parade organizers and city leaders did their parts in preventing this death. Simply put, those adults on and around the float did not properly supervise the child. Unfortunately, Plant City doesn’t have the guts to say that (maybe because it’s a church float?). In fact, the city is nearly begging to be take some of the blame.

In a unanimous vote Monday night, Plant City commissioners decided to ban distribution of candy and beads at parades.

That’s just crazy. What kind of lame parade will that be? What kid is gonna want to go watch a parade to watch old people drive by, with no chance of getting even a butterscotch? Why not just kill the entire affair instead?

Banning candy is not going to stop another kid from walking in the wrong spot. I wouldn’t think I have to spell this out, but… Stopping kids from walking in the wrong spots will stop another kid from walking in the wrong spot.

Jerry and Connie Hays have created a foundation in memory of their son called Jordan’s Wish, which will collect toys for less fortunate children. Plant City businessman Johnny Knotts, one of the first to reach Jordan after the accident during the Christmas parade, has volunteered to collect donations, including cash, checks, toys or stuffed animals, at his hardware store. Donations and toys can be dropped off at Knotts Trading & Supply at 314 S. Collins St. in Plant City.

The Hays family has also established a trust fund for monetary donations at Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. Checks can be made payable to Jerry D. Hays Jr. or Connie L. Hays and dropped off at any credit unit branch, or mailed to Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union, Attention: Member Service Support, P.O. Box 11904, Tampa FL 33610.

OR: Eight things that annoy me (and should annoy you too) about Christmas

I’m not one of those people who hate Christmas, but certain aspects of the holiday season do get on my nerves. Ok, here we go, in no particular order:

1. Remaking Christmas songs – I don’t know why but every so-called pop star is required to record at least one Christmas song, if not an entire album. And for some other unknown reason, they always feel compelled to go out of their way to make the song their own, like they’re creating the definitive version of a song that’s already been recorded at least 300 times. You can almost hear them saying “Suck on that, Bing Crosby”. This is usually accomplished by altering the tempo slightly and piling on heaping scoops of unnecessary, elaborate vocal flourishes featuring lots of “whoa-ho-ho-ho” and “me-heh-heh-ree-yeah chree-ee-ee-ee-ee-st-may-aaaaas” nonsense which just makes everything a big mess, sort of like a cargo plane pilot doing barrel rolls just to show he can.
2. Year end lists – I don’t need VH1 or Time to remind me what a wacky year it’s been. Whatever “it” is, I either remember “it” already on my own or I’ve intentionally forgotten “it” on purpose because “it’s” not worth the storage space in my brain required to remember “it”. Besides, I already told you back in February that the Story of the Year would be the Astronaut Love Triangle. Sex, astronauts, diapers, scorned lovers, a cross-country quest for vengeance and diapers. Nothing could possibly top that. Not “Chocolate Rain”, not the litany of Britney Spears shenanigans nor even the recent harmonic convergence of a Tampa Bay troika of trollops with Debra Lafave, Jessica Sierra and former Wharton High School basketball coach Jaymee Wallace all occupying what seemed to be the same 15 minutes of sex scandal and poor judgment fame at the same time. Not even Larry Craig. Ok, maybe Larry Craig.
3. Online Greeting Cards – When you virtually care enough to hit send. Gee, how thoughtful. I’ll cherish this for up to 30 days.
4. Misleading Christmas words – Not only is fruitcake terrible, unlike it’s two delicious primary components (fruit and cake) but mistletoe, which could be the most awesome nickname ever for a punter (basically by default, since nobody bothers to bestow nicknames on punters) has nothing to do with missiles or feet. Also frankincense has nothing to do with Boris Karloff.
5. Making up new words to “The 12 Days Of Christmas” – For whatever reason, people don’t seem to understand that merely changing the words to what is easily the longest, most boring and annoying Christmas carol ever doesn’t render any of those negative attributes void. No, they’re too busy congratulating themselves for cleverly coming up with “The 12 Days Of (where they work/their family/their favorite TV show/something else they think is important here)” to get that. They also expect you to be suitably impressed with their cleverness. And, since it is Christmas, you’re sorta morally obligated to act like you are or else you’re a Grinch or a Scrooge (see #7).
6. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” – Back to the subject of pop singers and Christmas music, this song begat Band Aid which begat USA For Africa which begat “We Are The World” which begat that smug “yeah, we got this” thumbs-up from Lionel Richie that makes me hate charity every time I see that video.
7. Sexy Santas – The coalescence of two things that normally bring me great joy, but for entirely different reasons, Santa Claus and scantily clad women, confuses and frightens me. Please stop it.
8. Being called Scrooge or Grinch for complaining about Christmas – Christmas as we know it now has been celebrated for hundreds of years. There are dozens of traditions, hundreds of movies and countless songs about Christmas…but you’re telling me there are only two derogatory terms for people who aren’t into it? How is that possible? We deserve, and should demand, more Christmas insults!

Merry non-annoying Christmas, everyone.

(Cross posted at Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness

With the economy tanking, the writer’s strike taking over TVland, and local leaders once again plying taxpayers with ambitious dreams about the Godzilla of sports stadiums, where can a girl go to get some cheap art?

This Friday, the answer is The Wine Exchange in Hyde Park, where eleven/17 will be holding its own art show complete with wine and different forms of paintings and sculptures by local artists. The showing starts at 7 p.m.

Rob Haskew, the man behind the scenes, said many of the pieces will be under $100. He’s never seen anything go for more than $1,000.

For people inclined to go to the club rather than stand around and look at paintings, there will be a DJ on hand, spinning old-school hip-hop and indie dance tunes.

On the bill for the gallery showing is a diverse group of artists. The pieces range from the cartoonish renderings of Duncan Barton to the photography of Deborah Muller.

Haskew finds artists for his shows through Myspace. He feels the site is a great place for artists to upload their portfolios and gather a following.

“I think it’s changed (the art world) for the better,” Haskew said. “A lot of artists get a lot more recognition than they would before and don’t have to spend huge exhibition fees at a gallery.”

While Haskew does charge an entry fee to cover promotional materials for his shows and takes a small percentage of sales, he says it’s still more affordable to show at eleven/17 than at most galleries in the area.

With six shows under his belt, Haskew has proven there is a need in Tampa for hip art presented in a fun atmosphere, complete with music and wine.

“Ultimately, people need to support the art scene in Tampa,” Haskew said. “eleven/17 shows are fun. You meet interesting people, and there might be that piece of artwork you’ve been waiting your entire life to buy.”

The show is also timed perfectly for holiday shopping. (Channukah is only a few days away.) It’s also a perfect place to rub elbows for a night with Hyde Park hipsters and members of the local art scene.

Friends of the River is a citizen support group concerned with promoting health and environmental policies that affect the quantity and quality of water in the Lower Hillsborough River and the Tampa Bay by actively promoting the development and implementation of natural resource management strategies which will improve and enhance the current and future health, recreational, environmental and proprietary values of the Lower Hillsborough River, the Tampa Bay, and adjacent lands and bodies of water, and promoting general public awareness of the issues with which F.O.R. is concerned.

The Friends of the (Hillsborough) River hosts an annual holiday boat parade on the Hillsborough River. They hope to have more than three dozen boats and hundreds of spectators. Held at dusk, boaters sometimes have elaborate set-ups powered by car batteries, while others may have a couple strings of 10 lights run with four C batteries.

As you might guess, this parade is for those of you with smaller craft. It’s easy to be in the parade, and they encourage anyone with any type of boat to get in on the fun. Kinda sounds like the redneck yacht club. I’d fit right in.

All boaters with kayaks, canoes and traditional motor craft are invited to join the Annual Hillsborough River Holiday Boat Parade, Saturday December 8, sponsored by Friends of the River. Boaters meet at the Lowry Park ramp at 5:30 p.m. and travel upriver from 6-8 p.m. past the illuminated Sulphur Springs Tower to the Harbor Club on the river at Nebraska Ave. Incoming tides will be favorable that evening for this trip. Free entry.

This is the boat parade for the rest of us - yacht ownership NOT required. Decorate whatever you have that floats and join the fun!

Spectators can gather to view the parade at the riverfront park by the Sulphur Springs City Pool and historic Gazebo, where they will find plenty of parking and room for viewing.

This year’s parade theme is A New Day in Tampa Bay, celebrating the coming rebirth of the Lower Hillsborough River. New Year’s Day 2008 fresh water starts flowing down the river every day from now on, something our community has not seen for 36 years. This daily minimal flow will provide good conditions for the River to once again function as Tampa Bay’s estuary, the nursery where fish are born & raised. Friends of the River advocated the river’s restoration for the past 9 years, winning its case when Swiftmud set the River Recovery Plan in motion this fall. As a result, scientists expect fishing in the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay to improve dramatically next year, along with birds and manatees, and to get even better every year from now on as conditions necessary for fish to spawn continue to improve.

This sounds like a great time on the river. Grab your rafts, and head out to Lowry Park at 5pm. The parade ends at the historic Harbor Club at Nebraska Avenue, and rumor says their waterfront bar will be open!

Most of us use this time of year for reflection. We think about where we have been over the past year, and where we hope to go next year.

We find ourselves thinking about others, too. We give thanks for the great friends and family in our lives, and offer well-wishing thoughts of hope, love and prosperity. And we also consider those less fortunate than us. Perhaps we’ll make significant donations to a local charity, or donate our various skills in a volunteer effort to help those who need assistance.

I like to think about community. I feel that we are all in this together – not only friends, family, and business partners – but also that person you don’t know sitting across the room from you, the bad driver you try to avoid each morning, clerks who don’t speak clearly, and the guys who are trying to sell you something. We are all in the same boat, simply trying to get by the best way we know how.

This time of year, it’s easy to give a little extra. An extra smile, nod, or “hello.” An extra couple of seconds before blasting the horn. An extra moment of attention to understand. An extra minute to really listen. And all of that helps to make this one of the best times of the year.

We like to think we are good at all of that. But we are not perfect. So here at Sticks of Fire, we try to put an emphasis on what’s best for Community. We also want an emphasis on listening and conversation. We encourage you to not only read here, but let everyone know your thoughts, wishes, and ideas. Especially if you disagree with what you find here.

Listening, understanding, and conversing leads to community. When all of us join in on the conversation together throughout the entire year, we can show others why Tampa Bay is one of the best places to live in the world.

Welcome to the Holiday Season!

Over the past years, Hillsborough County has been adjusting the school calendar to better accommodate studies for FCAT testing. Those changes resulted in area students trudging back to school weeks before the rest of the country was even thinking about education. After public uproar, the state demanded that local school boards return the summer schedule to a somewhat normal calendar, and now classes can not begin earlier than two weeks prior to Labor Day.

Good. I thought it was crazy to see it change every year over the past few in a row. Of course, the local School District of Hillsborough County fought the change as much as they could, and settled for starting classes on August 20 - the earliest possible day.

Now, I look forward on my calendar to the holiday season and see the HCSD has attempted to make up for the summer correction by altering the winter break. It HAS ALWAYS been the week before December 25 and the week after. Kids would always return to school the first business day after New Year’s. This year, the first day off school is December 24, and they all return back to school on January 8.

Some divorced parents of children in the Hillsborough County School System have the winter break custody split spelled out, including the 2nd grader’s. That agreement says that in odd numbered years, Dad will have custody from the first day of winter break through Christmas Day, and Mom will have custody from Christmas to the return of school. The school schedule has had those same two weeks off for such a long time that Hillsborough County courts have used this schedule in custody resolutions since my parents divorced thirty years ago.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this new twist in the HCSD calendar will screw up custody orders all over the county. This year, Dad is to spend less than two days with his child for the winter break, while Mom will enjoy 13 days of family togetherness. Thankfully, the 2nd Grader’s parents get along, and have worked out a more equitable arrangement, but some divorced parents will take advantage of this to screw the other parent.

But why should we have to? Why do elected school officials keep messing with our schedule? So I asked. I contacted the HCSD to learn how and why they would want to make these radical changes. Here is the official response:

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