Let Our Lens Take You There
Plant High School Chorus Showcase Ricks Café: A Stunner
The Plant High School Chorus presented their 2023 version of Rick’s Café, a 37-year-old tradition of performance for the choral group. They were also celebrating the retirement of choral director Bruce Yost. The 30-song, two-hour show showcased the Plant High chorus’s full cast and solo and group performances from remarkably talented singers and dancers.
Former Tarr Furniture Building 520 N Tampa Street demolished
The former Tarr Furniture building was demolished today as Kotler Urban prepares to build its 55-story condominium tower ONE Tampa. According to reports, the structure will be the tallest residential development on Florida’s west coast. The 311-unit tower plans to incorporate a facsimile of the Tarr building into its design.
Sweetwater Organic Farm Teams with Outstanding in the Field for a delicious meal
The weather was nearly perfect on Thursday for a winter long-table event hosted at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. Chef Eric McHugh of Hotel Haya and his team paired up with the Outstanding in the Field organization to present a delicious menu of locally sourced dishes paired with local wine and beer producers
Helicopter recovered from Hillsborough Bay following crash the night before
A Robinson R 44 four-seat helicopter was hoisted out of the water on Friday afternoon following a crash that occurred around 5 PM Thursday
Alternative Products Expo debuts new supplies for the legal marijuana industry
I feel old. It used to be (friends tell me) that someone would score an ounce of weed from a friend or dealer. It was Mexican on regular days and Columbian on good days. On payday, people smoked the buds, and when those ran out, they were left with shake (seeds that popped like popcorn mixed with leftover weed). There was a bag and a bong (or rolling papers), and it all happened in private. Supplies were
La Gaceta: The Documentary premiers at the Cuban Club in Ybor City
Emmy award-winning documentarian Lynn Marvin Dingfelder has produced a new work titled La Gaceta: The Documentary, and it premiered Friday night at the Cuban Club. The nation’s only tri-lingual newspaper recently celebrated its centennial. Dingfelder rounded up a dream team cast, including current and former politicians, journalists, and some of Tampa’s top-notch historians, to document the paper’s journey.
Happy Trails: Ronny Elliot Wraps Up His U.S. Residency
I got to see a bittersweet concert last night with Ronny Elliot and friends playing at the New World Brewery Music Hall in Tampa. Bitter because it was one of Elliot’s last concerts here as a resident as he prepares to move to England. After a long career of playing
Hillsborough County Fair: A Thin Slice of Southern
Life at times is just too noisy. I needed a break and headed out to the country for the Hillsborough County Fair for a taste of home town love. Located in East Hillsborough County, there’s lots going on here but it just seems less frenetic.
Tampa floats it's Inaugural Pride on the River Boat Parade and Festival
Tampa celebrated it’s inaugural Pride on the River celebration with a Drag brunch, a diversity boat parade, and a riverside festival at Armature Works in Tampa. Following the success (and well attended) boat parades this years following the Tampa Bay Lightening, Tampa Bay Rays, and The Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Bucs championship wins, it seemed like a good theme to follow
Seminole Heights Baptist Church coming down
The 72-year-old Seminole Heights Baptist Church is coming down. In 2020 the church saw permission to tear down the building and it was granted. The biggest concern from the community was for the City Fire
A Farm in Downtown Tampa? Yep, Meacham Urban Farm Has Sprouted!
As part of the huge Encore mixed use development project, bordering east downtown Tampa and Ybor City, Meachum Urban Farm planted it’s roots in a back corner lot. After three years of planning and construction the farm store is now
Black Matters Exhibit Shares Generational Bitter and Sweet of the Black Experience in the U.S.
Michele Stone, curator for the Carrollwood Cultural Center, spent months in roundtable discussions with stakeholders in the Black art community focusing on developing an curating the Black Matters: Past Present and Future exhibit for the center that opened on Friday. The exhibit features 50 works from 27 different artists,
Burgert Brothers celebrated in new book
The Burgert Brothers are a celebrated commercial photography company who made their home in Tampa, Florida. From the late 1800s through the mid 1960s their collection records a remarkable visual history of people, places, and events in the city and beyond. This book features over 150 photographs of seeing Tampa then and now
Thousands attend the final races at Derby Lane Greyhound Race Track
In what was billed as the Grand Finale weekend, thousands of people flooded Derby Lane racetrack to catch a glimpse of the final performances of the athletic canines that have performed there for the last 95 years
It's Aliive! Shooting with a Kodak Duaflex IV and Kodet f15 Lens
It sat on my shelf for 20 years, and has been a family relic for as long as I can remember. Surrounded by a dozen other cameras, it never occurred to me to try it. After all, they don’t make 620 film anymore and the shutter never seemed to work years ago when I tried it. Here’s what happened.
Art on the Block Mural Day Brings a Message of Unity and Inclusion
Temperatures in the high 90s and oppressive humidity didn’t slow artists and volunteers from participating in the Art on the Block Mural Day happening in five intersections across the city of Tampa on Saturday. Rollers rolled and brushes brushed transforming normally black asphalt into works of art. The city commissioned local artists to come up with work that promoted unity and inclusiveness for this one-day project.
Second day of protests follow night of violence and destruction In Tampa
Demonstrations continued for a second day following a night of violence and destruction in the University Square Mall area. Several businesses were destroyed and looted after the first day of protests..
Angry Demonstrators in Temple Terrace Join Nationwide Protest
Several hundred people gather at the corner corner of 56 Street and Fowler Avenue to protest the deaths of black African-Americans, most recently George Floyd who died on May 25 in Minnesota.
The Florida State Fair 2020: Things That You Might Not See (but Should)
Carnival rides and funky fried food seem to get the majority of the press when the annual Florida State Fair comes to town. But if you are willing to do a little digging (research entertainment schedules online) you will see some thrilling acts and lively entertainment. While some are tucked in to the back crevasses of the fairgrounds, they are worth finding.
Gibtown Bike Fest: Motorcycle Mayhem comes to Gibsonton
While many folks were celebrating at the Gasparilla Children’s Parade on Bayshore, bikers communed in Gibsonton at the 4th annual Gibtown Bike Fest. Motorcycle enthusiasts came from all over the state to ride, party, and be entertained.