Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

It’s time once again for Creative Loafing’s annual Best of the Bay voting for 2008!

In previous years, we have been honored to be recognized by Creative Loafing’s readers and editors as being one of the top local websites:

• 2007 - First place Creative Loafing Best of the Bay 2007 - Best Local Blog, Readers’ Choice.
• 2006 - First place Creative Loafing Best of the Bay 2006, Reader’s choice for Best Local Blog.
• 2005 - First place Weekly Planet’s Best of the Bay 2005, Editor’s choice for Best Local Website.
• 2005 - Third place Weekly Planet’s Best of the Bay 2005, Reader’s choice for Best Local Blog.

We certainly are proud of these honors from all of you, and are happy that you are keeping Sticks of Fire on your reading list.

Alas, the time has come once again to see if we can still hang.  There have been a bunch of new blogs and bloggers started up in the past year, and some of them are simply fantastic.  We enjoy reading several of them, and any number of them could knock Sticks of Fire out of the top spot.

Of course, there is so much more to Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay than just websites. You can vote for the best neighborhood, your favorite art gallery, the worst road, the best thrift store, and so much more.  In fact, you must vote in 25 of the categories (there are 100 categories this year, and we list them all after the jump below).

Make sure you vote for YOUR FAVORITES by Aug. 13, 2008, and CL promises to publish the results on Sept. 17.

So vote for the Best of the Bay right now, or cut & paste the list of categories below in order to give ‘em all some thought.

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As part of the 2008 North American Tour, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will make a stop along with Steve Winwood at the St. Pete Times Forum tonight, July 16, 2008 at 7.30pm.

I think you can still get tickets for the show for only $29.50.

Or, leave a comment below telling my why I should give you a pair.  I’ll give them to the one who best convinces me by noon.

For such a simple contest, you wouldn’t think there need be rules, but some folks get excited and leave out details, or get too exuberant and ramble on.  So, there are rules:

1. ONLY ONE COMMENT PER IP ADDRESS.  Yes, I can track this, and if you leave more than one, you’ll be disqualified - no exceptions.
2. FILL OUT THE ENTIRE COMMENT FORM.  ACCURATELY.
3. USE A VALID, WORKING EMAIL.  I’ll need your email address to contact you, and you will have FIVE minutes to respond, or I’ll pick another winner.  Those of you using a lesser email service (I’m looking at you, verizon.net users), may want to use another provider - those email get lost sometimes.
4. DON’T WRITE A BOOK.  Keep your comment to 100 words or so.  I’d count them if I were you.
5. I AM THE DECIDER.  I don’t expect any confusion or trouble, but if there is, I’ll figure it out, and make an executive decision.

Again, I will email the winner around noon, and that person will have five minutes to respond.  Should they not respond in five minutes, I’ll pick another who will have five minutes to respond, and continue in this manner, until I find someone paying attention.

Please make sure you can go to the show tonight - I will meet the winner at the St. Pete Times Forum with the tickets.

If you are NOT the winner, you may want to look into those $29.50 tickets from ticketmaster - they are the ones who hooked us up.

Good luck!

Update 12.20pm: We have a winner! stop all the comments already!!

Based on the comments left on Friday’s post about Tom Petty tickets, we’re going to draw a winner for a pair at the Benefit for Danny Roberts on Sunday. One lucky winner will get a pair of tickets.

Remember, if you can’t get to the benefit at Skipper’s Smokehouse on Sunday, you can still buy tickets for the Tom Petty concert for only $29.50.

Plus, check in with Tampa’s best website on Wednesday morning - we may have another pair to give away!!

You know the JGLB is performing at the Danny Roberts benefit (for the love of Dan-Bob!) this Sunday. You may also have heard that his former bandmate, Tom Petty (along with the Heartbreakers), will be playing at the St. Pete Times Forum just three days later.

So, this guy emails me, and says he’ll give me a pair of tickets to the Tom Petty concert as long as I mention that you can buy tickets for the show for as low as $29.50 at Ticketmaster.

Yeah, right. I told him to go ahead and send the tickets, and I would get back to him.

The tickets came yesterday.

So, I have a pair of tickets to the Tom Petty concert to give to a lucky reader of Sticks of Fire. Any ideas on how to pick a winner?

The show is scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday, July 16, so leave your ideas in the comments - we’ll have to pick a winner fairly quickly.

And don’t forget, you can still find seats to the Tom Petty concert for only $29.50each!

This is for a pair of tickets to see the opening night performance of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a Tony Award winning musical comedy at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Now here’s a popular place… Do you know what it’s called? Send your guess to us via the contest entry page for your chance to win the tickets. Of the correct responses received by Saturday NOON, one will be selected on Monday and your tickets will be held at will call for Tuesday night.

We got another pair of VIP tickets to the International Cane Spirits Festival. The festival features sugar-cane-based spirits that you will be able to sample. The spirits come from all over the world, including Brazil, South America, the Caribbean Islands, and Tennessee. They can be yours, if you know your Tampa Bay area well!

I spotted this place right through the fence, and thought it might do well for our contest here. Do you know where this landmark is? If so, head on over to our contest entry page and let us know! Of all the correct entries received by Wednseday - tomorrow - at NOON, one will be selected at random. If you are the one, you’ll get the VIP treatment and sample all sorts of rums at the International Cane Spirits Festival Best of luck.

Congratulations to our past winners of the photo contests. If you haven’t won yet, here’s your chance. Do you know where this lovely lady spends her days? If you think you know, tell us from the contest entry page! Of the correct answers submitted, one of you will win a pair of tickets to the International Cane Spirits Festival! Be sure to enter by Tuesday NOON for your chance - good luck!

The Abilities Wine and Food Festival is all set for this Saturday, March 10. The party is from 7-9pm at Tropicana Field, and tickets are $75 each. Read more on the Abilities Foundation website. And, yes, you can win a pair right now.

I think this is an easy one - then again, I do really like food. Do you know where this tiled surface is? If you think you do, let me know through the contest entry page. The winner will be chosen from all correct entries received by noon Tuesday March 6, and notified shortly thereafter. Check your email around 1pm to see if you have won.