South Tampa News and Events

My brother and I were out last week and decided to stop by the Deck (2202 W Platt St.) to get a piece of pizza and a beer. It’s a tiny place - probably less than 1,00 square feet - but they have plenty of outdoor seating. And a deck. We’ve been going there for a few years after softball because it’s open late, has reasonable prices, and is conveniently located right off of Howard Avenue. I happened to notice on their specials board that on Wednesdays they have $1 slices and $1 beers. That’s a nice deal.

The Music Series continues at Hyde Park Village on Wednesday, August 27 with the De Lei’ed Parrots. This time the proceeds will benefit Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, an organization that promotes recycling and conservation. The concert is from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm.

A cupcake blog from New York has a review of a local cupcake business. I don’t really understand the cupcake thing but if you do, the review is at Cupcakes Take The Cake. The Tampa shop fared much better than the Orlando place they also reviewed. The Cupcake Spot has a nice site, too.

The Gasparilla International Film Festival will screen the next film in the Global Lens Film Series at 8pm on Friday, August 22nd, 2008. ‘The Fish Fall in Love’ from Iranian director Ali Raffi will be the film shown. The screening takes place at Studio @ 620 and is free for all members of the Gasparilla International Film Festival. Members should make their reservations known 24 hours in advance, notifying our office through the GIFF contact form.

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Sticks of Fire has a post about the creative class in Tampa. I still laugh every time I hear that term. Is there really a separate class of people who are creative? But anyway, the post spurred some interesting comments on the urban design and planning. It would be nice if Tampa could revitalize downtown as a community, but outlying areas like Ybor, Channelside, and Hyde Park are more realistic goals.

As far as Hyde Park, Howard Avenue has great potential for becoming a hub of activity. It already has a start, but it needs more pedestrian traffic and outdoor destinations. One of the problems that Hyde Park faces, also, is property costs. It’s important to retain a mix of living options. Nobody (well, almost nobody) wants to live in a place that’s segregated to one class - even if it’s the creative class. Now that the real estate boom is over, maybe Tampa can take a look at actually controlling growth rather than letting developers choose how our communities look.

At a neighborhood meeting Monday night at the Kate Jackson Community Center residents and business owners voted to support a proposed parking plan for the South Howard area. The plan still has to go before the City Council, some of whose members attended the community meeting. Tampabay.com describes it:

“The plan would create 454 parking spaces for an estimated 600 residents in the SoHo area. Some areas will either allow no parking at all on the street or resident-only parking. Residents will get one guest parking pass and can buy additional guest passes at $3 per day.”

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Bromeliad Bonanza

Saturday, August 9

USF Botanical Gardens is holding their Bromeliad Bonanza this Saturday. The event will include tips on potting and dividing, light preferences, use in the landscape, and care and maintenance of bromeliads. It runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The USF Botanical Gardens is located at 12210 USF Pine Drive. Phone: (813) 974-2329.

Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention

Sunday, August 10

This Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel (4500 W Cypress St.) is the the Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention. It will have 85 tables of comic books, videos, toys, action figures, anime, art work and trading cards for purchase. The site doesn’t mention if the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons will be there, but it does list the artist who will be there. There will also be comic book artists, films and costume contests. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 with 12 and younger free. Call (727) 522-9032 for more information.

Whaley’s Market on Howard Avenue is closing this Sunday, August 10 at 8:00 p.m. The store has been a staple in South Tampa for years - 75 years. They were a great place to get local produce, seafood and deli salads. It will be an important loss for the community.

According to Tampabay.com:

“The current owners, sisters Linda Whaley Bublitz and Laurie Pearson and brother Todd Whaley, were unable to come to a lease agreement with the plaza’s owner, said Whaley’s employee Maryann Mireider.”

WaZoo

Saturday, August 2

The beer festival at Lowry Park Zoo (1101 W Sligh Ave.). It goes from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $70 by phone until 5 p.m., (813) 935-8552, ext. 276. Tickets on Saturday are $75 at the zoo’s main gate. Tickets for designated drivers are $20 in advance or at the gate. WaZoo will feature 220 beers this year. Planners expect 4,000 people.

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I’ve never seen the show, but I hear his name quite a bit. Criss Angel (Mindfreak) will be in Clearwater for his attempt to survive the implosion of the Spyglass Resort (215 S Gulfview Blvd.). A&E will shooting it for a live broadcast. The event is open to the public, but you probably won’t be able to get very close. It starts at 10:00 p.m.

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