Stamkos Seen At Davis Islands
Newly signed hockey player Steven Stamkos toured Tampa General Hospital to add a little excitement to many patient’s lives. Stamkos was the #1 Draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Team. Stamkos and entourage arrived at TGH on Davis Islands in a very long stretch limo. Stamkos and the patients were all smiles as autographed pics were handed out and many photos were shot.
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Tampa Music Legend Retires
Usually that type of story refers to a guitar player of legendary acclaim, but in this case it refers to a somewhat quiet guy named Vince McGilvra. For almost 28 years he has been one of the owners of Skippers Smokehouse in North Tampa. This not fancy club has been serving smoked fish and more for years, and will continue to do so. But Skippers has earned their reputation as one of the best blues and music clubs anywhere in the country.
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Party Like a Rock Star for the DeBartolo Foundation
A3, Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Institute (formerly Spa Tampa) hosted an exciting and fun event – Party Like A Rock Star at Floyd’s at the Seminole Hard Rock. The event featured celebrities, an incredible auction, great food, and drink.
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FlugTag Coming to Downtown Tampa!
FlugTag in German means “flying day”. But it isn’t just the flying that will bring thousands to Tampa’s waterfront. Over 400 teams submitted plans for homemade “aircraft” to sail from Tampa’s Convention Center into the warm waters of Tampa. 40 teams have been selected to participate in the Tampa event. Recent events were held in London where over 80,000 gathered in Hyde Park to watch.
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Football Already?
The annual Bucs Fan Fest was held at Raymond James Stadium to a large group of supporters. If the lines for autographs were any clue, this year promises to be a great year. Cheerleaders, players, supporters, and more jammed the field for giveaways and gear buying in support of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Florida Republican Party opens office in Tampa.
The 2008 Campaign season has been off and running for sometime now, but the Florida Republican Party launched the most serious Hillsborough County effort with the opening of a regional headquarters office at the corner of Platt Street and Bayshore Boulevard. Provided by party supporter Don Phillips, this spacious location has a great water view, plenty of offices, and a conference room.
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GO ! A fresh look at Art and more
Okesene Tilo and Gary Randall hosted a unique show featuring artists of every type and style. Many Tampa area shows seem to be repeats of the same art from the previous show, but GO was different. Many of the artists were presenting for their first time at a significant show. The uniqueness and originality speak for themselves as we give you a large selection of views of the various works on display. The newly renovated Ritz in Ybor provided a great venue. This one night show had promised a lot, and they delivered.
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Crawfish Festival Drew Big Crowd
The Second Annual Crawfish Festival held by Nola Café was held at the courtyard of Tampa’s Stetson Law School. The taste of crawfish, potatoes, and corn on the cob were real treats to the many that seemed to eat themselves crazy on this tasty Louisiana crustacean. Music, displays, and friends celebrated this year as the proceeds went to benefit the Voices for Children/Guardian Ad Litem program.
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OBAMA Campaign Returns to Tampa
It was quite a show. We don’t try to compete with CNN, and all those other big guys on national politics or on sports, but we felt this was an opportunity to not be missed. For the first time in months, Senator Barack Obama returned to Tampa for a campaign appearance. After the National Democratic Party called on the candidates to avoid the Florida primary, the Obama campaign appeared at the St. Pete Times Forums today to a crowd of over 20,000.
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Kickballing for Charity
The Krewe of Brigadoon organized an all day kick ball tournament to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. This is the fourth year the Krewe has organized the event and it is always fun and successful. Over $4,000 was raised this year.
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Wine,Food, and the Beach – a Great Way to Go
The Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival provide 3 days of culinary delights at various locations but mostly at the St. Pete Beach Don Cesar Resort. The main tasting was held in a large exhibition tent only feet from the crashing waves. Over a hundred wines, vodkas, tequilas, rums, and others were available for tasting as guests removed their shoes to stroll through the white sand.
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Havanna Nights Spectacular for Tampa General Hospital
Carmen Miranda lookalikes, salsa and merengue music, and great food and drinks all added up to another great Moments in Time Gala for the Tampa General Hospital Foundation. The Hyatt Regency provided a series of varying food stations but the center piece was an ice serving bar covered with shrimp, crab claws, mussels, and more.
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Downtown Live After Five
This monthly free event organized by the Tampa Downtown Partnership had a great crowd as their new location provide plenty of shade and a steady breeze. The May event benefitted the Tampa Bay Business Committee of the Arts. This event is still working to get its own identity. The original location was directly on Kennedy, and in front of the Tampa Police Department.
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Port Tampa Residents Express Neighborhood Concerns
Town Hall Meetings are great events, especially in Tampa. Mayor Pam Iorio assembles every major department head to attend the four annual events. Attendance is never what it could be. The lack of public participation seems to always be a disappointment. Residents have a chance to express their issues and the Mayor responds, frequently the Department head responds, while the Mayor measures their response to the problem.
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13 Ugly Men’s White Party
The annual white party was held poolside at the Hard Rock Hotel this year. I overheard one couple talking “This looks like a big Hollywood party” they said. And they were right. It was an absolutely perfect evening to be outside. The lights, sound, and visuals were extraordinary. And yes, by the end of the evening someone had made it into the pool over and above the bubble dancer that had everyone spellbound. The food kept coming and the amount of beautiful people to see and be seen never seemed to end.
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DragonBoat Races and Asia Fest 2008
Several thousand paddlers, dancers, and observers crowded downtown Tampa to watch over 60 teams race the channel with a day long series of paddled longboats. This colorful spectacle brought teams from across the country. Each boat housed a team of 20 paddlers, someone to steer, and a drummer as they raced to the finish line. We had a perfect vantage point from the yacht The Chesapeake docked at the Tampa Convention Center.
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Ice Cream for Everyone
The annual Ice Cream Social organized by the Davis Islands Civic Association was held at Marjorie Park Marina. There were plenty of takers for the free ice cream provided by Java and Cream. As a clown made crowns and characters out of balloons , a magician made a rabbit appear out of a hat while the kids stayed totally spellbound. The location was perfect and the day even better. Wish we could do this every week.
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Krewes Making a Difference
The Krewes Kare organization is a combination of many different Tampa Gasparilla Krewes. Their combined efforts conduct different events to assist many different good causes, but most specifically Angel Flight Southeast. This group of pilots provides flights for terminally ill children, delivers rescue/emergency supplies, and more. The recent Hurricane Relief party was held at Zendah’s Grotto near Tampa International Airport. With a chili competition, live music featuring the JGLB and more, it was quite an event.
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Making Tampa Beautiful
For the 17th year the SilverSpoons & Sandcastles event raised funds for the Mayor’s Beautification Program. In 2007, the fund planted more than 1,000 trees throughout Tampa and improved over 138 acres of landscaped medians. This program really does make a difference in Tampa’s appearance. Several hundred participants helped this years event held at the Tampa Port Authority.
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