Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Eastern Hillsborough County keeps getting more and more interesting. Finally got myself out the Sunday Market at the Wat Mongkolratanaram Thai Temple in Palm River (5306 Palm River Road, just off 50th Street). It’s like taking a day trip to Thailand. The people are friendly, the temple is stunning and exotic and the shady grounds on the banks of the Hillsborough River are lovely.

And the food is great, plentiful and cheap. For ten bucks, you can get a fantastic array of food that feeds two or three with some left over to take home. They cook it right there and serve it fresh, and you just point to what you want. Most fun is to go with a group so you can buy a lot of different stuff and share at one of the picnic tables by the river. Among my faves were the deep-fried sweet potatoes, tarot and bananas; fresh mango; pad Thai and Thai curry dishes.

There’s also a small part of the market where they sell plants and fresh produce and a busy stage with all sorts of stuff happening, from singing to Thai Jeopardy.

Market’s from 11am-1pm, but my advice is to go early.

(check our previous review of Wat Tampa - ed.)

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On the way back to town, I hit my new favorite place to buy wine, West Palm Wines/Beaune’s Wine Bar (2009 N. 22nd St.) on the eastern edge of Ybor. It’s basically a warehouse with a cool industrial-looking lounge, a huge wine storage area, and some great deals on wine. No supermarket wines, actually no American wines, but you can get some really interesting wines for less than $10 a bottle. The owner knows his stuff but is not snobbish about it. He was just as nice to me as I rummaged through the low-price bins as he was to a millionaire who shall remain unnamed who was there at the same time spending what looked like thousands of dollars.

As many of you know, I’m the lead singer in a wonderful rock ‘n’ roll band. Check out our website at JGLB.net

A couple of these gigs were set up at the last minute, so in case you are wondering, here is where you can find the JGLB this weekend:

Friday
Blues Ship on Top
1910 E. 7th Ave. in Ybor City

Saturday
The Blue Shark
1502 E. Seventh Ave. in Ybor City

Sunday
FREE CONCERT!
Skipper’s Smokehouse
910 Skipper Rd. in N. Tampa

JUNE 29 SUNDAY
VINCE’S McGILVRA’S RETIREMENT PARTY
JOHNNY G. LYON BAND Johnny is a consummate showman and plays rollicking blues & rock.Johnny G. Lyon, founder and leader of the band, is one of Tampa’s most entertaining and polished musicians, providing his audiences with attention grabbing guitar licks, an incredible sense of wit and humor, crowd interaction, and synchronized stage choreography. 5PM

Read more about Vince’s retirement party from Tampabay.com and Creative Loafing. This is going to be a great party.

If you’re looking for something a bit different to do over the next week, I highly recommend taking in the Young Dramatists’ Project at the Gorilla Theatre. It consists of five short plays written by local teenagers and directed by some of the area’s best local theater professionals, including David O’Hara, Ami Sallee Corley and Karla Hartley.

Now in its eighth year, the project is a gift to the local artistic community from Susan Hussey and Aubrey Hampton, who own the Gorilla. The competition is open to all Bay area middle and high school students. Winners get their plays produced along with mentoring from the project’s dramaturge (and very talented playwright) James Rayfield, as well as royalties for the production and paid membership into the Dramatist Guild. It’s really a great way to discover and nurture new talent, and the talent I saw in these plays is pretty impressive.

I went Wednesday night, which was a dress rehearsal and fundraiser for another good karma and very worthy organization, Sierra Club Inner City Outings, which introduces city kids to nature through guided hikes, kayaking, camping trips and other stuff. The whole evening, including a 15-minute intermission is about an hour and a half long and costs a mere $15. For that, you will see five very different and compelling short plays.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be impressed, or even terribly entertained. I’ve been to plenty of kid-written performances over the years and usually they fall on the pleasure scale somewhere between watching bowling on tv and mowing the lawn at noon in July.

But each one of these five plays was good. The first was Order by Sierra Almengual, a junior at Shorecrest. It’s a short, dark piece about two brothers that reminded me a little bit of Sam Shepard’s True Grit. Next was Aftershots by Blake HS sophomore Elizabeth Klette, which takes place after a Colombine-style shooting at a high school and explores the way various subcultures react. I was especially impressed with the way Ms. Klette captured the distinct voices and perspectives of a nerd, an emo girl, a black kid, an overachiever, a skater, a prep and a jock. Fable de Veras by Eric Davis (senior at Palm Harbor UHS) was an artistically ambitious look at a young girl born in the US to Mexican parents. Shorecrest junior Alexander Nunnelly’s Red Cross was a polished gem featuring a Red Cross rescue worker with a secret and the woman he is trying to save against her will.

Gabriel Neustadt’s Destruction Room ends the evening with a bang–literally. Actually several bangs. It’s a sophisticated and wry satire that takes on the power and commercialization of violence, and if you didn’t know it had been written by a junior at Shorecrest high school, you might well imagine an older, more experienced playwright had written it.

If you have ever complained that Tampa is a cultural wasteland, you owe it to yourself and to the cultural life of this area to support the Gorilla Theatre, the Young Dramatists’ Project, and these young talents (and the actors are just as impressive as the directors and playwrights, btw). It’s only fifteen bucks and less than two hours of your time. Plus, you can have a glass of wine, a beer or a brownie while you’re watching the show in a cool, dark, air conditioned place. What have you got to lose?

Gorilla Theatre is in Drew Park, and the production runs through June 8.

The Tampa Bay Derby Darlins are at it again.

Having captured the inaugural Florida State Championship in February, the Switchblade Sisters, Vicegrip Vixens and Cigar City Mafia have begun their regular season schedule for the 2008-09 season.

I’ve talked about my love for the roller derby and the Darlins before, but it bears repeating that the game we’re talking about now is a modern, totally unrehearsed, all female reboot of the old classic and not just a campy rehash of silly, staged WWE style antics with pre-determined outcomes. ESPN has even offered a stamp of legitimacy with a feature story they ran a couple of weeks ago.

I attended a scrimmage last week and skater Gore Mae (you know, I’m not sure that’s her real name, but it’s not like I’ve never had a girl I was talking to at a skating rink give me an alias) taught me how serious these women are about the roller derby. For starters, new skaters participate in a mandatory eight week training camp before they’re allowed to skate in a bout. Also, there are minimum performance standards that must be met before they’re allowed to participate in competition. Wow, what sport wouldn’t benefit from adopting that concept? And as mentioned previously, these are actual competitions with scores tallied and results tabulated. There is plenty of style but no style points. The games count and they’re playing to win.

For fans, it’s great because there’s plenty of fast-paced action, the skaters are accessible (how many times have you been invited to hang out post game at The Hub with members of the Rays, Lightning or Buccaneers?) and tickets are affordable ($12 or less). plus, don’t let the risque flourishes scare you, it really is family friendly entertainment. What more can you want?

The Tampa Bay Derby Darlins next bout is Saturday, June 7th at Skateplex, 5311 East Busch Boulevard in Temple Terrace. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Go to the Tampa Bay Derby Darlins website for more info, including a complete schedule of upcoming bouts and other events.

Cross posted at Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness

Like most of my friends and co-workers, my family and I are feeling the pain of rising gas prices, higher grocery bills and not to forget the utilities constantly going up. I have always been one to clip coupons, sign up for contests, and I shop at the local consignment shops; but now that is not always enough.

We have cut back on going out to dinner, we try to run all the errands we have in the best route possible and we stay in more than we used to. I have mentioned before that if it’s FREE it’s for ME.  Well Tampa Bay area offers a lot of FREE events.

Take a look at the following list I pulled from TBO.com.  Remember, these are just the events that piqued my interest; you may find several more that pique yours!

Remember to stay happy and healthy - we need to get out and have fun, so don’t stay indoors just to save money.  I encourage you to utilize what our city offers and enjoy.

Friday April 25, 2008 will be a good night, there are FREE concerts to go to, one on each side of the bay:

• Q-Fest Classic Rock Concert in Coachman Park, Clearwater. This concert is part of the 55th Annual Clearwater Fun ‘N Sun Festival This part of the event is from 4pm-11pm on Friday and is for all ages. Featuring: Starship starring Mickey Thomas, Rare Earth and Invasion. Admission is free but you can buy reserved seating for $20. You can go to www.myclearwater.com for the entire weekend line up!
• Friday Extra Concert Series in Lowry Park, Tampa. Sun City Swing Band with The Smokers Band will play in the bandshell outside of the Zoo grounds and they begin jamming at 7pm.  Admission is FREE!   I have been to this event when the JGLB has played and what fun! People take blankets, chairs, coolers, food and just have a blast. Make sure to have some bug spray though, summer time in Florida gets a little “creepy.”

Saturday, April 26, 2008 has a lot to offer. I have found FREE events all across the bay:

• Children’s Board 20^th Birthday Party, 1002 E. Palm Ave., Ybor City. My family and I have been to this facility several times working with the foster families of Hillsborough County and have seen some of the work they have done for our community. If you don’t know much about them you should head out for this FREE party. The event runs from 10am until 1pm. There will be a brief program at 10:15am and then the fun begins!   This is all for the children, with face painting, moon walking, balloons, arts & craft activities, and ongoing student performances. You can go to www.childrensboard.org for more information. Don’t forget to visit the Ybor City Fresh Market on your way home.  It will be open until 3pm!
• The Biggest Beach Party Ever, 1507 Bay Palm Blvd, Indian Rocks Beach. Normally you can not truly “party” on the beach, but Indian Rocks has a night set aside for just that! This event runs from 6pm until 11pm.  It’s an evening of beer, wine, and food (cash bar and no coolers allowed). Music will be supplied by DJ Terry Newman and they also plan on having a big bonfire (if weather permits). Sounds like something I would really enjoy! This is a sponsored event and all the proceeds go back to the community through the Rotary Club of Indian Rocks.
• Pops in the Park with the Florida Orchestra, Al Lopez Park, Tampa. The Florida Orchestra will begin at 7:30pm, and there is no listed ending time - it may go all night long!  You can bring coolers, chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets!  Here in Tampa Bay, springtime is the best time to sit outdoors.  Go enjoy the fact that you live in a beautiful community!
• Tampa Theatre’s Traveling Picture Show, River Tower Park in Sulphur Springs. We learned of this event when we visited the Tampa Theatre for the History of Seminole Heights movie debut. The movie will begin at 8pm and will end well, when it’s over! The movie this Saturday is “The Princess Bride” Gates will open at 6pm and you may bring coolers, chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets! They have another movie scheduled for May 17 at Cotanchobee Park in Downtown Tampa, for all the info go to www.tampatheatre.org

After all this you will need to rest on Sunday, or like my house will be… More Spring Cleaning!

Get out and have fun!

I have put it off long enough.

The SecondGrader comes home this weekend and has already asked if we are going to actually do the spring cleaning list that has been posted on the refrigerator for about a month. "Yes we are," I told her, and she is very excited.  Ha!  She is so young!

So I guess this weekend I must get my spring cleaning done! Every year seems to roll into the next, so now I am about 4 years behind.  If I go home right after work tonight and get it started, maybe I can be done by Saturday evening, and still have Sunday to go and play (crossing fingers). Okay, that is my plan and I will stick to it.

At our house, the HighSchoolSenior is heading to Orlando for Grad Night with all the other seniors in the world, she already has her schedule made which includes a nap. She is very excited - and so are we as parents!  (Hey HSH, we are very proud of you and love you!)

Even though I will be pretty busy this weekend, I still need something fun to look forward to.  Here’s what I found on Weekly Options of Tampa Bay and TBO.com community calendar.

Saturday, April 19 from 1pm to 4 pm, the Tampa Museum of Art is having a FREE Family Fun Day! There will be children activities, fiber designs, scavenger hunts, music and much more. Don’t forget, the TMOA is temporarily located in West Tampa.  You can call 813-274-8130 for more information. This might be a good place for me to send Tommy and the little one so I can clean without interruption, it just might work!

On Sunday, April 20 The Beach Theatre on St. Pete Beach is bringing back an event from last year that sold out quickly. The Beach Theatre travels back in time to 1939 - the year the Beach Theatre first opened! The theatre will have 3 shows that day and admission is only 25¢, and 10¢ will get you a fountain soda or small popcorn! They will be showing The Wizard of OZ at 12:30 pm and again at 4:30pm then you can catch The Mark of Zorro at 7:15 pm. For more information go to http://www.beachtheatre.com

Also on Sunday, April 20 starting at 1 pm, Derby Lane will be rockin’ and rolling. The first Music and Motorcycles event sounds like a lot of fun with vendors, poker tournaments, bike games and even a bikini pageant. The bands are Xchange, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe Band and the Outlaws. Gates will open at 1pm but I could not find an ending time. This is being presented by Derby Lane and Motor Events Florida. I went on both websites but only found a flyer with information. If you want to take a look go to www.derbylane.com or www.motoreventsflorida.com From my experience in the world of bikers, this will not be a good event for my little one.  I wish it was, because I know I would have a blast there!

Enjoy the weekend and let us know what you did by leaving a comment on Monday!

This weekend is going to be good, I can feel it already!

Friday night I’m heading out to listen to the JGLB, I really don’t go see my husband’s band as often as I should! They are playing in Clearwater on Friday night at Two Buks (the self-proclaimed rockingest bar in Pinellas !!), if you want to join me.

Here’s what I found for Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

On Saturday morning, I expect to sleep in a bit, but I looked on the TBO community calendar and an event titled RUBBER DUCK RACES jumped out at me! That name alone makes me want to check it out:

Saturday April 12 - Beanies Family Grill and Sports Bar is holding the fourth annual Great American Pink Ribbon Rubber Duck Race at 2202 US 42 South Ruskin from 8am-7pm. I’m very curious on how this is all going to work! The money raised on Saturday will support six people who have signed up to participate in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation Breast Cancer 3-Day event later this year. Each walker must qualify by raising $2,200, which goes to the foundation. Chula Vista is sponsoring breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m., and Beanie’s will offer barbecue dinners from 1 to 7 p.m. The event also will feature live bands starting at 1 pm, a karaoke contest at 2 pm, games, a cake walk and children’s activities. Each rubber duck costs $5 to race and the ducks are numbered to identify their owners. During the races, which go on all day, they will be placed in a large tank at Beanie’s. The first three ducks to cross the finish line in each run wins prizes. Volunteers are needed to serve meals, clean the grounds and park cars. To help out, call (813) 649-1700.

Saturday April 12 – Kahuna’s is holding the Parrotheads Pig Roast at 10515 Gandy Blvd, just over the bridge in St. Petersburg, beginning at 5pm until it ends! Now my mom is a huge Buffett fan and has told me for years that I should hang out with this great group of people. She has gone to several concerts with them and has always had a blast. I saw this event on Eric Sturm’s list of things to do in Tampa and had to look into if further. Tickets for this event are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. The pictures on the parrotheads website tell a story of games, drinking and drinking games going on with the music of Flip Flop Dave & Tropical Brain Freeze! Sounds like fun to me! For more information go to www.finsup.com. Of Course when you are done eating and drinking you could always zip across the street for some Greyhound racing at Derby Lane!

Sunday April 13 - Keel and Curley Winery offers a Sunday Marketfrom 11am – 5pm. The place is very nice and is located in a quiet corner of our world. The winery sits on 25 acres in Plant City at 5210 Thonotosassa Road, Plant City, and the native owner Joe Keel, owns the winery as well as its blueberry source, Keel Farms. Joe has been growing blueberries in Florida for the past nine years and has recently purchased another 10 acres to plant blueberries in Lithia, Florida. Joe teamed up with Chase Marden, a Vermont native, who had experience developing fruit wines. They partnered to develop a line of wines under the Keel and Curley label and began bottling. The highbush blueberries are hand picked, fermented and bottled right on Keel Farms in Plant City. Tommy and I stopped by here several months ago which turned out to be the re-grand opening after a fire had shut them down for a time. The Sunday Market features wine samples, food, music and crafts. If you are out on a Sunday drive this is worth the stop!

Enjoy yourselves whatever you do and leave a comment to let us know what that might be!

Another work week is almost over and it is time to make your weekend plans.

The Teenager has to work all weekend, so we won’t see her much (poor thing!). The little one will want to be kept busy or she will continue to ask “what’s next?”! I have looked for kid, family, and not-too-expensive events, and only came up with a few.

I know there is always MOSI, Lowry Park, and other regular staples but I try to look for different things to do with the family. Not only to save money but to venture off a little, not be so same old, same old. When I was a child we had little money for extras (forget about Busch Gardens or Disney!), so my mom and step-dad had to be creative. And let me tell you, I miss that! I’m trying hard to pick that back up for myself and my kids. Sometimes it is not where you go but the fun you had getting there and spending with the family or friends you took! Below are my picks for this weekend, please have fun with whatever you choose to do!

Brandon Fresh Market Saturday March 8, 9am-3pm at the Winthrop Town Centre, corner of Bloomingdale and Providence Avenues. This fresh market will have produce, plants, seafood, books, candy, antiques, and several other types of vendors. There are a handful of locally owned stores in the centre as well. This is not always fun for small kids, but I know sometimes little ones can be bribed for something little or just ice cream! My little one loves Publix fried chicken and since there is a Publix in the centre, well, guess where lunch will be coming from! Now we all are happy and ready for the ride over the bridge (see below). You can go to www.brandonfreshmarket.com for more information.

Sounds of Music Series Saturday March 8th, 1:00pm-4:00pm at the St. Petersburg Pier. The Pier is going to have live music from Lionheart outside at the Waterside Courtyard. For the kids, there will be free face painting, a one man circus and a character from Frizy Bros. (this one stumps me). I suggest taking kites and sandwiches and walking down to the small beach area or over to the park and just have fun with the kids. There are great trees to climb or to sit under for a nice picnic. This is the stuff I love about living here!

Brandon Coupon Club Meeting, Saturday March 8th at 2:00pm at the Bloomingdale Regional Library in Valrico. This is what I need to be doing, I love coupons and I did not know this club existed. I found this on TBO’s community news. All it says is to bring your scissors and extra coupons to share! I won’t be able to make this meeting but they meet every second Saturday of the month. Linda will answer any questions you have. She can be reached at 813-689-9150. I have already marked my calendar for next month, I just wish it was earlier in the day so I could get up, go, and then go shop!

16th Annual Apollo Beach Manatee Festival Saturday and Sunday, March 8th & 9th, 10:00am – 4:00pm at the Tampa Electric South Shore Community Center. This has a $5 admission fee for anyone older than 12 and that does include parking. This event will have artists and craftsmen, cooking demonstrations, children’s creativity center and art show, food vendors, and a beer garden. There will also be an exhibition tent with various organizations to help educate how to protect the Tampa Bay waters, wildlife, boating and environment. They are also offering a free shuttle to the Manatee Viewing Center from the festival site. This sounds like so much fun for the whole family. I planned on going boating Sunday but I think this might be added to our list instead. For more information go to www.apollobeachchamber.com

Those are just a few of the things going on in Tampa Bay this weekend. No matter what your tastes, it’s the most beautiful time of the year, so don’t stay inside - go out and do something!