duPontREGISTRY Tampa Bay March/April 2019

MARCH | APRIL 2019

duPont REGISTRYTM Luxury Living in Tampa Bay

MARCH | APRIL 2019

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OUR LAST LUXURIOUS MID-RISE Sales Open March 22

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Noble.

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Now is the time to make Belleview Place your home.

Our fourth and final Mid-rise building, the Magnolia, opens for sales on Friday, March 22. This seven-story wonder features water views, oversized windows, expansive terraces and no need for flood insurance—every home in our private, gated community rests atop a 35-foot bluff.

Steps from your front door, indulge in a wealth of resort amenities, from championship golf at the Belleair Country Club to poolside leisure at the Belleview Inn, a restored portion of Florida’s last grand hotel.

Schedule a tour today—before the sun sets on this spectacular opportunity.

© Belleview Place, LLC 2014

Mid-rise Residences & Carriage Homes from the low $700s 275 Belleview Blvd. n Belleair, FL 33756 BelleviewPlace.com n 727-469-7070

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What Inspires You, Inspires Us.

Books are a uniquely portable magic.

And one can never have too much magic. That’s why you may be inspired to collect books. We understand that kind of inspiration.

We also understand shelves and how to use them imaginatively.

Between the pages of a book is a wonderful place to be.

So we design perfect little spots for getting away from everything and into a book about anything. What inspires you, inspires us.

So let Decker Ross handle the interior design of your home or office.

We guarantee it’ll be one for the books.

Making design challenges work. Beautifully.

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FROM THE EDITOR Contrary to the song, it is easy being green.

Or to be more precise, it’s easy to think of phrases that use the word “green.”

In songs: Green-eyed lady, lovely lady…

God didn’t make the little green apples…

My green, green, green, green, my green tambourine…

In books and movies: The Green Mile Green Book Green Eggs and Ham In everyday vernacular: Green with envy Green card Green screen He was looking a little green around the gills.

And in a so-called visual phenomenon which I’ve never seen and no one I know has ever seen but hey it’s Florida so we have to believe: The green flash (It’s worth mentioning that John D. MacDonald entitled one of his famous crime novels about Florida graft and chicanery A Flash of Green.)

The greenest place I have ever lived was Charlotte — not the Charlotte in Florida or the one in North Carolina, but the one in Vermont (pronounced Shar-LOT, like Camelot) — where one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see comes into view when you crest a hill going north from Charlotte to Burlington. In summertime, the greenness, paired with the blue of Lake Champlain in the distance, is heart-stopping.

But that green only lasts a moment. Maybe that’s why Vermonters treasure it so much — because they know it’ll be replaced by browns and whites and barrenness for a good part of the rest of the year.

In Florida, we’re surrounded by green pretty much all the time. Not just the iconic green of palm trees, but of oaks and cypress and longleaf pine, of elms and cedar and shrubbery, plants with evocative names like bitterbush and beautyberry and wild coffee. Tree canopies are intrinsic to the identity (and the property values) of neighborhoods like Historic Old Northeast and Roser Park in St. Petersburg and Hyde Park in South Tampa, and residents regard them as treasures deserving protection. But many — most? — of us enjoy the shade and aesthetic pleasures of greenery without considering what it’d be like without it.

That’s why I admire the folks we write about in this issue who care so much about their gardens — who know the names of things like bitterbush and beautyberry without having to look them up (like I did).

I moved from Roser Park recently to an apartment, but what I still see out my window is a sea of green.

May that never change.

David Warner Editor in Chief dwarner@dupontregistry.com 8

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SALES ASSISTANT Martha Henry CORPORATE ADDRESS 3051 Tech Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33716 Subscription Inquiries: 888-834-3904 WEB / SOCIAL MEDIA www. dupontregistrytampabay.com @dupregtampabay

The duPont REGISTRY™ is copyright 2019 by Registry Media, LLC. All rights reserved. duPont REGISTRY™, duPont REGISTRY Luxury Living in Tampa Bay, the Steering Wheel design, dupontregistry.com™, and various titles and headings herein, are trademarks of duPont Publishing, Inc. and may not be reproduced without written consent. Printed in the U.S.A. Published six times per year. Single copies available at your newsstand or call our publishing office for shipping information. Canadian GST not included in cover price. The pictures for sale and the written offer for sale are the responsibility of the individual advertiser. duPont REGISTRY™ and duPont Publishing, Inc. make no representation or warranty for accuracy or content. All photos become the property of duPont Publishing, Inc. when printed unless otherwise agreed to by the Publisher.

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dR PICKS: INDOOR/OUTDOOR EDITION

Hose It Down. A perfect blend of refined and relaxed, this power-loomed rug from the Indoor/Outdoor Collection at Rugs As Art offers a sophisticated foundation for all of your spaces. The 100 percent polypropylene yarn is specially treated to withstand rain, sunshine, and other outdoor elements and is even washable by hose. From $25 at Rugs As Art, 6650 S. Tamiami Trail (US 41), Sarasota, rugsasart.com.

Wicker Gets Hipper. Ethan Allen’s new Vero Dunes line of indoor/ outdoor furniture melds traditional and contemporary. The frames are made of rustproof aluminum and all-weather wicker, and finished in an onyx shade that lends them an aura of unexpected chic. Cushions come in performance fabrics in a variety of colors and patterns. Priced from $500 to $3,000.

Circle Game. Another new line from Ethan Allen brings the elegance outdoors with a distinctive design that incorporates interlocking circles and slightly curved arms into its chairs and sofas. With aluminum frames in a graphite finish, the furniture looks substantial but is easy to move; there’s even one piece called a motion chair ($1,129) with a 360-degree swivel base. ethanallen.com.

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dR PICKS: INDOOR/OUTDOOR EDITION

Paradise Calling

There are plenty of reasons to visit Sarasota this spring, one of them being Gauguin: Voyage to Paradise at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Pictured: A bamboo thatched hut and coconut palms in the exhibit’s fishing village. Read more on p. 36.

Nostalgia Trip The VW Westfalia camper van is either a clunky warhorse or an irresistible blast from the past, depending on your point of view. From the looks of online listings, there are plenty of folks who hold the latter opinion; check out WestfaliasForSale.com to see the range of vintage “Westys” available for sale. And if you’re really a van fan, InsideHook.com reported in February that a gentleman in Newmarket, Ontario is selling 55 vintage Westys for a lump sum of $350,000. Happy camping!

Photo by François Goglins from the Exposition 2018 de véhicules anciens à Cannes-Écluse.

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Home & Garden

The Great Outdoors F

lorida means flowers — literally. More than 500 years ago, in the spring of 1513, Spanish explorer Ponce de León stumbled onto our peninsula and named it La Florida, which means “full of flowers.”

It’d be good, wouldn’t it, to be able to see Florida the way he saw it? But the curse as well as the blessing of living here is that we’re surrounded by all this lushness every day. It’s easy to take it for granted. It’s even harder for casual visitors to really see our state, arriving as they so often do with preconceived notions that we’re nothing but swimming pools and palm trees and superhighways, with amusement parks in the middle.

It’s my hope that this Home & Garden edition of duPont Registry Tampa Bay helps you look around with fresh eyes — at the verdant promise of sustainable landscaping; at stunning innovations in outoor furniture and pool design; and at homeowners who see the beauty in old Florida as much as the new.

We introduce you to the architectural and gardening visionaries who shaped Sarasota (and inspired a new hotel), and reintroduce you to a legendary athlete who helped change the course of women’s golf. And since in Tampa Bay we can stay outdoors just about all year round, we include tips on the best al fresco settings for chowing down or getting hitched, Enjoy — and take a moment to stop and smell the flora.

—David Warner

Photo by Heidi Kurpiela www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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James Ostrand.

HOME & GARDEN

For these homeowners on Davis Islands, historic properties offer both challenges and joys.

BY LINDA SAUL-SENA

I

f you’ve ever owned an old home, you know the drill: termite damage, root rot, metal fatigue, water intrusion and the thousands of other natural shocks that decades-old buildings can be heir to.

However, walls can be spackled and window jambs replaced with greater ease than our too, too solid flesh. With the right artisans (and yes, the funds to hire them), the job of caring for an older home and a mature garden is not only a challenge but a joy, I speak from experience. In 1990, the day our youngest daughter was born, we moved into the home my grandparents had built more than 50 years before on Tampa’s Davis Islands — where, as it happens, there are numerous homeowners who have eschewed the ease of a brand new mini-manse in favor of homes that are rich in history and natural beauty.

In hopes of encouraging others to consider the rewards of such stewardship, here are four Davis Islands stories — starting with my own.

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HOME & GARDEN

Northern traditions, Southern charms

M

y grandparents moved to Florida in the 1920s. They chose Davis Islands because the commercial mix — sidewalks, offices, hotels, even a hospital — reminded them of their native New York City (and, unlike other Florida locations, Davis Islands promised to be alligator-free).

In 1938, when they moved from a four-unit apartment near the Davis Island Bridge to build a home, they deliberately hired a Northern architect to design a brick Georgian house with no relationship to the Mediterranean Revival fantasy architecture promoted by D. P. Davis in his promotional materials. In deference to the semi-tropical locale, they did build a “Florida Room” — a screened patio with loads of windows for this pre-air-conditioned setting — and planted citrus trees.

We purchased the home from my grandparents’ estate, adding a

new master bedroom and removing wall-to-wall carpets to reveal the wonderfully intact hard pine floors. Several years later we built a library and the connecting room designed by Jan Abell, our skilled architect, who termed it a ”hyphen.”

Our gardens evolved over time, under the skillful direction of Mark Sena, my husband, with a goal of creating a series of “rooms,” areas to sit in and enjoy different vistas. We built a gravel pathway around the perimeter and then developed the spaces which complement our house, which is oriented toward the garden. Opening our windows to the splash of the fountain on a balmy night is a joy.

Since Davis Islands is surrounded by water, it remains a few degrees warmer than the rest of Tampa, so we have a very old and tall royal palm which has managed to survive for decades.

SIT A SPELL: The author and her husband in one of their garden “rooms.” Photo by Bryan Hunt. Photos below by James Ostrand.

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HOME & GARDEN

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The Old and the New upgraded the electrical systems and replaced the original hardware, seeking out local craftsmen with sensitivity to working with an older structure.

The house had originally been located on eight lots; a previous owner who was addicted to purchasing polo ponies had sold off five of the lots to increase his string of ponies.

The Harrises purchased the adjacent two lots and created a seamless addition which includes a modern kitchen, a laundry room, master suite, family room, pool and outdoor room.

They used original windows and matched the stucco and heart pine rafters. The antique front door was purchased from a neighboring home prior to its demolition. Unfortunately, Davis Islands is not protected by a historic district and a dozen of its original homes have been razed by developers heedless of their character and charm.

During the landscape renovation, the Harrises discovered a cistern tucked under the stairway for use in irrigation. They ripped up the concrete driveway and created a new stone courtyard, and a drive with good drainage and gates for both cars and people.

Photos by James Ostrand.

cross the street from our house, but feeling as if it were a continent away, is the home of Elizabeth and Chuck Harris.

This Mediterranean Revival home was built in 1925 by D.P. Davis’s construction manager, and originally included tennis courts and a small grove. The current owners, Chuck and Elizabeth Harris, strategically added to the home and garden, importing a 17th-century village fountain and paving stones from Burgundy and expanding the home’s footprint so thoughtfully that one cannot tell the old from the new.

When the Harrises planned their return to Tampa after three years in Paris with three young children in tow, they selected this amazing residence knowing it required a lot of work. They needed to modernize their house for family living and began by restoring all the doors and windows and getting them to shut.

“We consider ourselves stewards of this marvelous place,” explained Elizabeth, as she pointed out the copper screens for the windows selected for their historical accuracy. She and Chuck

EUROPA! The owners of this 1925 Mediterranean Revival home imported a 17th-century village fountain and paving stones from Burgundy.

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HOME & GARDEN

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Mid-Century Magic Beyond the custom-designed iron gate that invites one into this special realm, there’s a fountain and sculpted shrubs. Light plays on the seating areas, stone patio, lap pool and terrace. Years of careful gardening have resulted in complex layers of textured plantings overlooked by mature palms.

A wooden pavilion boasts a large orchid and bromeliad collection and can be transformed into a magical candlelit setting for parties. The couple’s impressive art collection is supplemented by a playful outdoor sculpture in the driveway by Mark Chatterley and an extraordinary urn in the courtyard by Mark Hewitt. ”We feel like we are the caretakers of the Guyton house and garden,” reflects Dean, “and it’s so important for us to protect its integrity. We feel honored to live here.”

Photos by James Ostrand.

lorida’s Gulf Coast was heralded internationally during the 1960s for its sleek modern architecture, and among its most respected local practitioners was Robert Wielage. In 1964, he was commissioned to design a home which epitomized the mid-century passion for indoor-outdoor spaces.

In 2014, Burt Mulford and Dean Hamric purchased this quintessential example of Mid-Century Modern memes directly from the original owners, John and Carole Guyton. While the structure was intact, Burt and Dean embarked upon an ambitious project of restoring all the jalousie windows, doors and floors.

Their home conjures up a lively dance between the rooms and the gardens which animate every vista. A solid stucco wall encompasses the property, providing both privacy and a backdrop for the curated gardens surrounding the house.

BE OUR GUEST: A custom-designed iron gate invites visitors into this 1964 Mid-Century Modern home.

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HOME & GARDEN

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True to the Original degree in urban planning from the University of Virginia and specializes in landscape architecture with an emphasis on historic preservation, on their garden design. They also hired Jan Abell to help expand their kitchen and plan a family room.

“We went to Jan and Missy with a clear idea of what we wanted and they both changed our plans based on their expertise, a strong sense of what would work historically, be appropriate to the house and provide a fresh, clean design.”

There are now three courtyards, each with its own distinctive look.

Fred’s courtyard has a slate floor and a pergola where the couple can grill and dine. The center courtyard was inspired by a trip to France where they were charmed by the crunch of gravel underfoot. French doors, awnings and a deck complete this cocktail party-friendly space.

The pool courtyard has travertine tile surrounding a pool and spa made private by layers of dense travelers palms. In fact, there are over 50 palms on their property of 20 different varieties and more than 20 cycads of seven types.

Photos by Amy Martz

athy and Fred Farzanegan live next door to Burt and Dean, and they share a similar passion for their 1925 Mediterranean Revival home and garden (all these friends trade tips on craftsmen and contractors). Amazingly, this residence has had only three owners in almost 100 years.

From carefully replacing the original Spanish barrel tile roof to refreshing the entrance to the original porch, the Farzanegans have taken pains to respect the original materials, scale and sensibility of their home.

“When we bought the house, Fred announced that every plant needed to perform in some way: it needed to flower, it needed to fruit or it needed to to be a specimen cycad or palm,” explained Kathy.

“Cycads are prehistoric, and Dr. U.A. Young in Tampa had a huge collection. When he dispersed his collection, Fred was able to acquire some rare examples. People who know cycads stop and ring our doorbell.”

The Farzanegans worked with Missy Schukraft, who has a masters

INSIDE OUT: The house has three courtyards, each with its own distinctive look.

Time will tell These fortunate owners share an appreciation for the original good bones of their properties and a deep commitment to protect and celebrate them. As Florida grows and changes, the patina of time only deepens the value of these original places.

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HOME & GARDEN

To Infinity and Beyond...

What’s new in swimming pool technology and design.

Infinite Pool Finishes

STORY BY ERIC SNIDER

CLEAN LINES: Pool owners are increasingly looking for simplicity of design.

T

he backyard pool, that emblem of the Florida good life, has undergone a transformation of late.

Whether you’re building a brand new pool or renovating an existing one, there are myriad ways to inject this essential amenity with new vigor.

as backyards have gotten smaller. That means the water gets hotter that much quicker. The chilling component is really an untapped opportunity.”

Get Smart Not surprisingly, swimming pools have entered the Internet Get Chill of Things. Pool owners can change light colors, turn on We’ve all thought, or heard, this during the summer the heater (or chiller), rev up the spa, click on water feamonths: “I’d love to go for a dip but what’s the use of tures, set them all on timers, maybe even mix a gin and jumping into a pool that’s 92 degrees?” tonic — all with a few taps on a smartphone or tabThese days, What if, instead, it was 82 degrees — even in the let. “I’ve had customers who never used the hot tub people are dead of August? ’cause they don’t know how to turn it on,” Thomas decluttering Pool owners can achieve this quite simply by says. “With an automation system, I can be in introducing a heat pump that includes a chilling China, turn on the hot tub for the kids, and within their pools. component. “It’s one of my favorite things to reca few minutes it’ll be the right temperature. And I ommend,” says Bart O’Connell, CEO of Landmark can change the pool lights from blue to red, for good Pools, based in Odessa. “It helps so much during the dog measure.” And LED lighting, he adds, has changed the days, and increases pool usage.” game. “You have a rainbow color spectrum at your disposal.”

A no-brainer, right? Dual heat/cool pumps are more expensive than standard heat pumps, but not exorbitantly so. And Get Extravagant they’re easily installed for existing pools. You’d think such a Landmark Pools recently built a pool with an unusual feafeature would be ubiquitous in the Sunshine State.

ture. O’Connell calls it a “jet tunnel: a walk-in area at one Not so. “It’s a mistake the industry makes by not promotcorner of the pool, where you can stand up and get a theraing both [hot and cold] options,” says John Thomas, CEO peutic jet massage.” of Pinch-a-Penny. “Pools have gotten smaller and shallower That’s but one example of the luxury features available in 26 26 www.duPontREGISTRY.com www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

Paramount Stoneworks

HOME & GARDEN

STEADY ON: Paramount Stoneworks’ marble is two-and-a-half times more slip-resistant than travertine, says owner Ben Rossett.

new pool construction. Here’s another: We’re all familiar with infinity — or “negative edge” — pools. Bobby Alvarez, who constructs high-end custom homes, is seeing rectangular pools with a negative edge that goes around all four sides, where the decking and the pool water are the same height. It’s infinity — squared!

Get Grippy When it comes to hardscaping — the decking area around the pool — travertine has been the go-to material for more than 10 years. Spring Hill-based Paramount Stoneworks brings an exciting new option to the poolside game: real marble that’s textured with a proprietary technique, making it two-and-a-half times more slip-resistant than travertine, says owner Ben Rossett.

That’s not to mention its enhanced color brilliance, durability, stain-resistance and smoothness (yes, smoother and grippier). Paramount sources its stone from an area of the world that Rossett will not reveal. “It’s basically been in the ground a million years longer than travertine, making it much denser,” he says.

Get Vibrant For decades, the standard pool finish was some shade of aqua, which over time tended to get dull, which turned into boring. About 15 years ago, using glass beads to make a pool-finish compound vastly broadened the underwater color spectrum. But glass beads tended to break apart, so manufacturers started mixing them with other stuff.

These days, the most popular material at Fort Myers-based Infinite Pool Finishes is a 50/50 blend of glass beads and pebbles, says regional sales manager Eddie Bohn. “You get the color vibrancy from the beads and the longevity of the pebbles,” he adds.

Pool finishes come in any color imaginable. Although aqua and gray-hued “Tahoe blue” remain popular, some customers are going bolder. “We introduced a new color called In the Mood blue, which is really vibrant,” Bohn says. “Our owner’s wife is obsessed with the color purple, so we finished their pool with a purple-y blue. We could finish a pool in bright red if someone asked.”

Get Sleek In terms of contemporary pool design, contractors are seeing a shift toward a more minimal, modern look. O’Connell says that Landmark still builds some huge, multi-fingered resort-style pools with waterfalls, cliffs, rocks and other paraphernalia. But it’s more common to think of the pool as part of an overall backyard experience. And that increasingly means clean, simple lines.

“It really comes down to what kind of space you have,” he says. “These days, we have a lot of nicer homes built on smaller pieces of land. People aren’t concerned with having a 40-by-20 pool, or one with a crazy shape or rock work.

They’re concerned with efficiently using the space.”

Jack Barnwell, owner of C3 Gardens, which designs and installs foliage for pools, sees it much the same. “You tend to see a more limited color palette of plants, maybe even one big central piece, rather than wild bursts of color all around…

You’ve seen the reality shows about people decluttering their lives. These days, people are decluttering their pools.”

Infinite Pool Finishes www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com 27 www.duPontREGISTRY.com 27

HOME & GARDEN

Natural Habitats

Why sustainable landscaping is the new way to keep up with the Joneses.

Infinite Pool Finishes

STORY AND PHOTOS BY HEIDI KURPIELA

IN THE WEEDS: Linda Bisgeier and Carla Gregory pull weeds in Bisgeier’s front yard in St. Pete’s Crescent Lake neighborhood.

K

supports wildlife and humans.” aitlin Hammersley and Peter Fritsche’s St. Petersburg Designed by Hammersley and planted over a year ago by yard is not pristine.

Wilcox Nursery & Landscape in Largo, the landscape has never It’s not manicured, symmetrical or particularly lush. been treated with pesticides or chemical fertilizers.“Our soil is In the front yard, there’s a dense vine of Key West Morning the happiest,” Hammersley says. “You can dig anywhere in the Glory spilling over the gate to the backyard, a thatch of wild backyard and find earthworms.” coffee, firebush, sprawling Porterweed — a monarch magnet — and a crop of yellow starfruit ripening on a tree. In the backyard, there are high climbing purple passion vines hanging beIn recent years, gardening has helped bring together a tween the house and shed like a leafy tightrope and thick number of Crescent Lake residents. sprays of cranberry hibiscus, red and yellow wildflowWhen self-taught gardener Linda Bisgeier moved to “Our rule ers, and overgrown Oxalis, a weed that resembles St. Pete from Long Island two years ago, she bought here is simple: all a house next door to Hammersley’s with a front shamrock. the plants need to lawn that needed a lot of TLC. “It was nothing but Nestled on a quiet street overlooking Crescent serve a purpose.” sad sod and weeds,” Bisgeier says.

Lake, the home’s landscape is fully sustainable and deliberately wild. There is no grass, no sprinkler and Now she meets every Monday morning with her no lawn maintenance service. Every plant in the front neighbor from across the street, Carla Gregory, to play yard is native to Florida and every plant in the backyard in the dirt. is edible, including the kiwi berries, sweet Jamaican cherries, fig, “We call it our Monday Weeding Club,” says Gregory. mango, and guava trees.

Next door to Bisgeier, Drs. Susan and Peter Betzer’s yard is Unlike the formal landscapes that front many high-dollar a showstopper, especially when native plants are in full bloom. homes in Tampa Bay, this yard feels as indigenous and lived-in Together with the neighbors’ yards, it has helped to make the as a nature preserve. block a mini-oasis for wildlife.

“Our rule here is simple: all the plants need to serve a purPeter, the retired dean of the College of Marine Science pose,” says Hammersley, a landscape designer who works at USF, and Susan, a retired physician, have lived in their remotely for a California-based design firm. “Aesthetics are 2,800-square-foot Crescent Lake home for 48 years. When they important, but more important is planting wisely in a way that decided to redo their yard four years ago, they invited an

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HOME & GARDEN

POLLINATOR ALLEY: That’s the local nickname for the Florida-friendly yards of Susie and Peter Betzer and their Crescent Lake neighbors.

award-winning design team from Winter Park (Stephen and Kristin Pategas of Hortus Oasis) to stay with them during the process. The end result nabbed them a spread in the Home & Garden section of the Tampa Bay Times.

Like Hammersley and Fritsche, the Betzers use a drip irrigation system and steer clear of pesticides. In addition to tropical orchids and bromeliads, the Betzers’ yard is brimming with native beach sunflowers, snowberry, Jamaica caper and heat-loving penta, all popular food sources for butterflies, bees and birds.

“They call our little parkway ‘Pollinator Alley,’” Susan says.

“These aren’t your typical blow-and-mow landscapes.”

Proprietors of independent nurseries are thrilled to see a shift toward more eco-friendly planting.

Michael Manlowe, who owns Twigs & Leaves, a Florida native garden center in St. Pete’s Grand Central District, says he’s busier than ever.

He says most of his clients are looking for low-maintenance, long-lasting plants that attract butterflies and use less water.

They’re interested in edibles and creative alternatives to turf grass — the worst offender in Florida yards.

“Everyone’s yards are Home Depot-revised a million times,” Manlowe says. “People hire me for a consult and I usually start with lawn removal. It freaks them out. I say get rid of the lawn.

Get rid of the mower. You’ll shrink your carbon footprint immediately.”

A local pioneer in the native landscaping business, Manlowe, who lives on a boat, opened his store 15 years ago after working as a marine science educator in the Florida Keys. In addition to selling native plants, he installs and maintains landscapes for clients from as far away as Palm Harbor.

For homeowners who aren’t so eager to ditch their St. Augustine sod for shredded bark mulch, Manlowe recommends widening flower beds and filling them with wildflowers and

other nectar sources, such as blueberry and holly. Permeable hardscapes (natural stone pavers and tiles) are another “green” alternative to traditional grass.

“If there was a mandate that a certain percentage of your landscape had to be native, we’d start to see real change,” Manlowe says. “Homeowners don’t realize how important it really is.”

EAT ME: In Central America, cranberry hibiscus flowers like this one in Hammersley’s yard are blended with ice, sugar and lemon to make purple lemonade.

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HOME & GARDEN

APPROACH THE BENCH: A welcoming seat in the Betzers’ garden.

Or maybe they do.

Artificial turf sales are on the rise in Florida as more property owners replace water-hogging, poorly growing grass with synthetic carpets. A decade ago most people only knew of one use for turf: sports fields.

When Better Than Grass (BTG) distributor Tim Davis installed fake grass on his Indian Rocks property 13 years ago, friends and family were baffled by the move. They pictured a cheap green indoor/outdoor carpet, not a realistic lawn impervious to drought, bugs and bad mowing habits.

Davis, a general contractor, was so pleased with the results he asked the founder of the company to train him to sell and install the product himself. Since then, dozens of competitors offering varying iterations of artificial turf have flooded the market.

“Most of the grass we grow in Florida is weeds,” says Davis, whose turf is made in Italy and woven in the Netherlands. “A lot of my customers come from the north where they’re accustomed to short, green lawns. This appeals to them.”

Most high-quality turf has an estimated lifespan of 10-15 years. BTG’s turf is porous, UV-protected, fire-resistant and completely recyclable. By Davis’s calculations, a homeowner with 1,500 square feet of BTG grass in his yard will break even on the investment less than three years after install once you subtract the cost of irrigation, lawn care, pesticides and watering.

“It’s obviously an acquired taste,” Davis says. “But I can tell you business is booming. Maybe it’s because water is becoming more and more precious and fake grass saves on water.”

MORNING: Key West Morning Glory on Hammersley’s garden gate.

STAR POWER: Hammersley’s loaded starfruit tree.

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HOME & GARDEN

What’s Happening In Your Back Yard?

Innovation abounds in the latest designs for outdoor living.

ShadeCraft Robotics

STORY BY JANAN TALAFER

IT’S AUTOMATIC: Bloom is a fully automated, voice-activated product that turns your patio umbrella into... (see closeup on opposite page).

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mall backyard patios are so old school. Luxury living in Tampa Bay calls for amazing outdoor living spaces that are an extension of the home, with all of the amenities you would expect to enjoy inside: comfortable, stylish furniture to lounge on, drinks and snacks on hand in the kitchen, Netflix on the flat screen and surround-sound for your favorite tunes.

Fire Up The Grill Cooking outside has never been so much fun.

“When you’re hosting a party outdoors, people gather in the outdoor kitchen just like they do indoors,” says Russ Faulk, chief designer and head of product for Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. “We’re also seeing distinct zones — a food prep area, cooking area, grilling area, dining and then a separate seating area with built-in fire pit or fireplace.”

Party Outdoors Although Kalamazoo continues to offer free-standing Today’s spacious outdoor rooms are perfect for grills, the new trend is toward designing a complete entertaining, says Rick Green of Ethan Allen.

“We can paint outdoor kitchen just like the one inside, says Faulk.

“When I grew up, my parents had cockThat means built-in appliances and outdoor cabiwith light and tail parties in the living room,” says Green. nets to store dishes, glasses, utensils and everything highlight the areas else you might need. “It’s all about the conve“Today, people want their guests to enjoy the party outside. It’s easier. Drinks spilled on the we want.” nience,” says Faulk. “When it’s easier to use and to white carpet or furniture inside might be a disaslive with, you tend to use it more often.” ter, but outdoors there’s less worry.”

Must-have products? A Hybrid Fire Grill and at Outdoor rooms might be more relaxed, but they are least one specialty appliance like a pizza oven, beer tap, or unjust as decorative as the inside of the home. Ethan Allen der-counter refrigeration. offers an extensive collection of outdoor furniture, from dining room tables and chairs to extra-long sofas, ottoProtect Yourself mans, end tables and chaise lounges.

Outdoor comfort means protection from the sun, wind, rain The company’s new high-performance fabrics are deand bugs — and privacy from the neighbors, says Al Erturk, signed to be durable. “We even carry outdoor rugs that president of A-Niks. Fortunately, there are a lot of products can be hosed off and allowed to dry in the sun,” says to choose from. Structured retractable awnings, roofs and Green. screens. Shade shelters and shade canopies. Turbo cooling sys

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HOME & GARDEN

… a smart hub, allowing you to open and close the umbrella automatically and integrate with smart home devices.

tems and automated insect misting systems.

“We first brought our automated bug control system to Tampa Bay in 2004,” says Erturk. “We offer a timed-automated system that delivers a botanical-based spray to take care of mosquitos, noseeums and spiders. We typically custom-design a system that is built around the perimeter of the property, such as the fence line, or in the planters and landscaping so it blends in with the environment.”

One of the company’s newest products is a permanent louvered roof system, which offers the flexibility of lounging in partial or full shade, or even full sun. “It looks like a traditional pergola, but the louvers pivot to give you the perfect shade at any angle, or you can close them — the louvers interlock to provide protection against rain,” says Erturk.

Are you a tech geek? In June, ShadeCraft Robotics will be introducing Bloom, a fully automated product that attaches to patio sun umbrellas, converting them into smart hubs. According to CEO Armen Gharabegian, Bloom is voice-activated, allowing you to open and close the umbrella automatically, and it integrates with smart home devices. Play music music through the embedded Bluetooth speaker, or charge your phone with the USB charging port.

“The first step is to make sure you have good outdoor WiFi coverage,” says Rick Shook, president of Rick’s Electronics Boutique. “A lot of times you may not have a strong signal outside. We can increase the range so you get the outdoor coverage you need to stay connected.”

The next step is to select the right kind of TV — one that is durable and weather-resistant. SunBrite TV is one of the top-ofthe-line products for outdoors, says Shook. The company offers three different outdoor models. Which one is best? That depends on where you intend to place the TV. Each model is designed for different types of lighting, from full shade under a covered roof to partial sun under a pergola, or full sun against an outdoor wall.

In order to create the right sound, you’ll need the right speakers. Rick recommends both Rockustics and Origin Acoustics for their durability and quality. Rockustics has a cool line of speakers designed to look like rocks that come in brown, gray, sandstone, terra cotta and grey to blend perfectly with the landscape. The speakers can be placed just about anywhere: on pillars, under eaves, on exterior walls or even furniture. They can also be hid

SPEAK NOW: Which one of these is a speaker? All of ‘em.

Stay Entertained If you enjoy having a home theater, why not have that same level of quality of entertainment outside as well? www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com www.duPontREGISTRY.com 33

Coastal Source Landscape Lighting

HOME & GARDEN

SHADOW PLAY: The right lighting can definitely bring the drama.

den in shrubs in the landscape, placed in the pool area or set up in the outdoor kitchen to keep the chef entertained.

Let There Be Lighting Lighting is an integral part of creating a beautiful outdoor space.

There’s the aesthetics, of course. The right lighting can definitely add drama. “We can paint with light and highlight the areas we want and leave dark those areas that are less attractive. We can also create an entirely different mood from day to night,” says Franco D’Ascanio, president of Coastal Source Landscape Lighting & Outdoor Audio.

Landscape lighting is more than making the backyard attractive; it’s also about making the outdoor living space more functional, says D’Ascanio. That means taking both safety and security into consideration.

“If the property is not well-lit, it could be treacherous for guests, especially if there are steps or uneven terrain,” he says. “Good lighting in the right places can also deter suspicious activity.”

Coastal Source custom designs and manufactures its own proprietary lighting products, including LED step lights to illuminate walls and steps; Tiki torch lights for drama; and small, high-performance niche lights — micro-lights that can be hidden in the landscape and are perfect for “downlighting, moonlighting and shadowing.”

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Stay Cool Scott Wetmore, advertising manager for Dan’s Fan City, calls an outdoor fan a “Florida staple” for lanais, porches and patios, as well as gazebos and birdcage pool enclosures.

“Outdoor fans have to be able to withstand Florida’s humidity and salt air,” says Wetmore. “Wood blades don’t last long outside, so make sure to use a non-warp plastic blade, preferably UV-resistant to reduce fading in sunlight.”

He recommends several models, including The TroposAir Tornado, Gulf Coast Raindance (pictured below), the Liberator and the Bombay.

Get Out There With a little creativity, some protection from the elements and the right products, it’s easy to create an outdoor space that you’ll never want to leave.

SARASOTA MODERN

WEEKEND TRAVEL

A balcony overlooking the pool at the Sarasota Modern.

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WEEKEND TRAVEL

Home Base

How Sarasota’s architectural legacy informs a vibrant destination.

STORY BY MEGAN PADILLA

that of the Umbrella House, not in style but intention. “A typical thing Frank Lloyd Wright did, and many architects do, is compress the entry and then you step into the double-height space,” Wilson explains after stepping through the Umbrella House’s plain mustard-colored door atop a single coquina step.

Something similar happens at the Sarasota Modern.

Unadorned double glass doors off the public sidewalk lead into a low-ceilinged, curved, board-form concrete vestibule that funnels you into a high-ceilinged, light- and plant-filled foyer — a space that is itself a contrast of light and dark, neutrals and colors, indoor and outdoor elements that when combined, make you feel entirely transported. It is a potent use of design to signal that your vacation has begun, even if you’re only staying for dinner.

Its restaurant, Rudolph’s, pays homage to the co-founder of the Sarasota School not just in name. Chef Jennifer Salhoff and her team, who are recognized on the cover of the menu as the architects of your culinary experience, are making good on the promise of a modern take on food by delivering the unexpected, such as wild boar shank or blueberry goat cheese gelato, on the frequently revised menu.

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n the third Saturday of each month, architecture buffs vie for one of the few slots to tour Sarasota’s most recognizable residence, Paul Rudolph’s 1953 Umbrella House, built as a model home in the Lido Shores neighborhood.

Not far from here, John and Mabel Ringling’s Venetian Gothicstyle mansion Ca’ d’Zan and Marie Selby’s jewel-box botanical gardens — both bayfront parcels gifted to the community by their owners — have long been must-visits on the Sarasota circuit for those seeking more than sun and sand on some of the nation’s best beaches. Now, a renaissance of Sarasota’s Midcentury Modern architecture, collectively referred to as the Sarasota School of Architecture (SSA) movement, is inspiring the next generation with design-forward hotels, an expanding downtown footprint and a desire to learn from the past to create the future.

To be clear, there is not and never was an actual school.

The SSA refers to modern architecture developed for the Florida climate from 1945-1975, says Dr. Christopher Wilson, architecture and design historian at Ringling College and chairman of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF), whose efforts are putting Sarasota on the map for design enthusiasts. SAF gives tours of the privately owned, museumquality Umbrella and Cocoon houses as part of its mission “to educate about, advocate for and celebrate the SSA.” The ideal homebase for exploring the city’s architectural highlights is the recently opened Sarasota Modern, an 89room boutique hotel in downtown’s emerging Rosemary District. (Without traffic, it takes a maximum of 10 minutes to drive to any of the sites mentioned in this story.) Boston-based architect Stephen Chung collaborated with Sarasota-based Hoyt Architects, who brought a working knowledge of the SSA movement to the project.

That doesn’t mean you’re getting an Epcot version of a Sarasota School hotel, says owner-developer Jason Cincotta.

“They didn’t have insulation practices,” he says, “or airconditioning,” referring to the mid-century period in which the design movement is attributed. “We had to bring that ethos of the Sarasota School and adapt it to today’s building systems as well as our desire to use materials that will stand the test of time.” While Cincotta is envisioning his hotel in the future, he is definitely keeping one foot anchored in the past.

For instance, the entrance to the Sarasota Modern evokes

Paul Rudolph’s iconic 1953 Umbrella House in Lido Shores.

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PANSY BAYOU

HOME & GARDEN

The Cocoon House, a restoration of Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchell’s 1950 Healy Guest House, is sited directly on Siesta Key’s Bayou Louise.

From the Sarasota Modern, it’s easy to explore. Start with coffee and avocado toast at the Overton, just a short walk up the Boulevard of the Arts at the center of a new complex, Rosemary Square, built as a hub for Sarasota’s culinary and performing arts. The Overton itself is an example of a modern approach to exposing the beauty of building materials rather than concealing them. Copper piping provides a steady drip for the cold brew coffee, the texture of concrete block walls feels warm, steel framing and air ducts painted white provide a geometric counterbalance to the light-filled space that seamlessly merges with the gracious courtyard. “It’s a very important gesture for a developer to give to the public,” notes its architect, Jonathan Parks of Rosemary Square developer Dr. Mark Kauffman.

A ten-minute walk away on Main Street is A Parker’s Books, a rare book seller that has served downtown Sarasota for nearly 40 years and is a favorite of New York and Sarasota-based interior designer Ellen Hanson for finding volumes on design, cooking, history and more. Hanson’s own Pansy Bayou Design Studio is a short walk beyond, on Dolphin.

Visit her showroom for choice vintage finds mixed with furnishings, fabric, lighting and accessories by young American makers. Of note, Hanson exclusively carries Sarasota-based textile designer Charlotte Osterman’s fabrics for their bold screen-printed graphics in craveable and unexpected color stories. “We are totally committed to her and her Gulf-coast mission,” says Hanson.

You can see Hanson’s and Osterman’s work in the reimagined 1950s interior of the Cocoon House, another project of the SAF, which last year was able to lease and then restore Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchell’s 1950 Healy Guest House, sited directly on Siesta Key’s Bayou Louise. “You feel this profound connection to nature, water and the sky, which is extraordinary on the Gulf Coast of Florida,” says Hanson.

When Rudolph and Twitchell built this 770-square-foot guest house, “Sarasota was at the edge of the world,” says Parks (of Rosemary Square) who is also on rotation to give SAF tours. “It was a harsh environment with no air-conditioning and lots of 38

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bugs.” The Cocoon House was nicknamed for the plastic sealant Rudolph had encountered at the Brooklyn Navy Yard which he experimented with by using it on the hammock-shaped catenary roof.

Parks is a leading restorer of Rudolph’s structures. “When I moved to Sarasota fulltime in 1997,” he says, “I’d meet clients who didn’t even know they lived in a Paul Rudolph house.”

Today, collectors buy significant SSA houses as others purchase art. That’s a win for the architectural foundation.

In 2014, SAF launched Sarasota MOD, an annual November weekend packed with tours, films and conversations about the Mid-century Modern architecture that has done so much to shape the Sarasota of today. This year’s MOD will focus on the 1960s, but you don’t have to wait till then to explore Sarasota’s rich architectural heritage.

Architect Paul Rudolph (1918-1997) working on the model for the Umbrella House sunshade.

HOME & GARDEN

The dramatically shaded pool at the Umbrella House.

Plan Your Trip Stay at The Sarasota Modern. Its fifth-floor king balcony suites are soothing cocoons of comfort overlooking the courtyard pool deck. Pop in for their grand opening event on March 21 from 4:30 to 8 p.m.; there’s live music in the restaurant Thursdays through Saturdays. thesarasotamodern.com.

The pool at night at the Sarasota Modern.

Become a Sarasota Architectural Foundation member. Members get advance email notices for ongoing tours, films and lectures that celebrate the Sarasota School of Architecture. Check the SAF website for info on tour schedules for the Cocoon House and the Umbrella House.

Download SAF’s new app, SarasotaMOD Tour, for access to its entire “Tour Sarasota” architectural guide. sarasotaarch itecturalfoundation.org.

Allocate at least half a day to visit the Ringling Museum. The museum is a three-ring extravaganza that ties together John Ringling’s legacy and includes the Circus Museum (don’t miss the exquisite miniature “day in the life” circus exhibit); the Ringling Museum of Art and its grounds; and John and Mabel’s 36,000 square-foot Ca’ d’Zan. Dine on the patio at Muse, whose star is the burrata caprese served on a slab of Himalayan salt. ringling.org.

Ca’ d’Zan at The Ringling.

Don’t miss Gauguin: Voyage to Paradise at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Each year, the Selby mounts a transformative exhibit inspired by an artist, and this year’s focus on the great Paul Gaugin is a must, his Tahitian pastorals a perfect fit with the floral exotica of the gardens. The show runs through June 30; “Gauguin Nights” is a series of five after-hours events (one per month) featuring opera, ballet, theater, music and more. selby.org. www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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dR FASHION

What To Wear To A Garden Party

How to shine as brightly as the bougainvillea.

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ll the ideas in this issue about outdoor rooms and beautiful blooms… it almost makes you want to throw a garden party, doesn’t it? Or better yet, get invited to one! Our style expert Tracy Negoshian has come up with a complete outfit for just such an occasion. If you wind up looking so good you out-dazzle the daisies — well, that’s just the risk you (and your hosts) will have to take. l — The Editors

SHINE ON: You’re not dressed for the party till you apply Beautycounter’s Poppy Shimmer Lip Gloss, $29 at beautycounter. com.

IN THE BAG: J.McLaughlin’s Victoria Circular Wicker Bag — you can carry it off for $158 at jmclaughlin.com.

TOP THIS: Finish your look with Hat Attack’s Panama Continental Hat in pecan and ivory. $120 at shopbop.com.

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BLOSSOMS, DEARIE: A garden party is, of course, the perfect excuse to wear a pretty floral pattern, so we say go for it!

Lena Robe Dress from Rhode Resort, $85 -9 09 at intermixonline.com.

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SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS: If you’re going to be outside, don’t risk braving stilettos. These Adalyn espadrille wedges from Marc Fisher LTD are comfortable and will keep your feet from sinking into the lawn. $159.95 at zappos.com.

T H E F LO R I D A O R C H E S T R A

Raymond James Pops

Tampa Bay Times Masterworks

Performers straight from Broadway revisit your favorite classics, featuring songs from Lion King, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and many more. William Waldrop conducts.

Haydn’s crowning achievement depicts the creation of the world in a resounding choral masterpiece, featuring the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. Michael Francis conducts. Free tickets for kids and teens in advance.

Broadway Tonight

Mar 16 & 17

The Creation

Mar 22 - 24 Tampa Bay Times Masterworks

Raymond James Pops

Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 Mar 29 - 31

Ragtime, Blues & All That Jazz Apr 5 - 7

Free Tickets for Kids in Advance

Featuring Byron Stripling

Tampa Bay Times Masterworks

Raymond James Pops

Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 Apr 12 - 14

The Music of John Williams Apr 27, 2 pm & 8 pm

Free Tickets for Kids in Advance

Saturday Matinee

LISTEN LOCAL | Concerts in Tampa, St. Pete & Clearwater FloridaOrchestra.org | 727.892.3337 or 1.800.662.7286

DINING

Where To Dine Out(side)

10 places to eat and retreat in the open air.

STORY & PHOTOS BY DAVID WARNER

WALK RIGHT UP: The view from Sandbar Bill’s at the Bon-Aire Resort.

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t won’t be long before the hot weather chases us indoors, but in March and April it’s still a pleasure to eat, as the artists say, à plein air — and with so many restaurants adding sidewalk seating, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. But sometimes you don’t want to be in the thick of things (including traffic, pedestrian and otherwise). So for this list we focused on spots that, even when nearby the hustle and bustle of a downtown or the beaches, provide a rare kind of oasis. (And yes, three — count ’em three — have “Sandbar” in their names.)

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ON THE EDGE: The sunny patio at No Vacancy.

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Alésia The welcoming, unpretentious indoor dining room has appeal, but the trellis-covered back courtyard, strung with lights and bordered by abundant bougainvillea, is the real find. No matter where you sit, the food at Alésia is unfailingly delicious — a fusion of French and Vietnamese influences that always tastes fresh. 7024 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-345-9701, alesiarestaurant.com.

No Vacancy A surprisingly chill getaway in the midst of the Edge District at the former site of Kings Street Food Counter, whose owner, Steve Schrutt, shifted from classic diner grub to what he calls a “Florida motel vibe.” Word has it that the noise level rises as the sun goes down, but during the day the patio is a swell place to hang in the sunshine, eat tasty tacos and day-drink in a plastic lawn chair. 937 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-308-7878.

Paul’s Landing Until the Vinoy Renaissance Resort opened up Paul’s Landing across from the Vinoy Marina a year ago, we didn’t know what mealtime views we were missing. Now we do — sweeping vistas of the downtown skyline, the fancy boats and the bay, all while snacking on delicious items like shrimp toast and grilled oysters. Vinoy Renaissance,

DINING somebody’s private cookout, but not to worry — everyone’s welcome. Bon-Aire Resort, 4350 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, bonaireresort.com.

LOOK AT THAT: Downtown St. Pete and the Vinoy Marina as seen from Paul’s Landing.

501 5th Ave. NE, 727-824-8007, St. Petersburg, paulslandingstpete.com Red Mesa Cantina According to the Tampa Bay Times’s former food editor Laura Reiley, who recently left us for the Washington Post (sigh), Red Mesa Cantina is a favorite spot for Times journalists’ farewell parties. So yes, it’s liable to be very busy.

But no matter how many diners share the space with you, the Cantina’s shady, brick-lined courtyard feels like a secluded hacienda, complete with burbling fountain and waterfall — plus killer margaritas. 128 3rd St. S., 727-8968226, St. Petersburg, redmesacantina.com.

Salt Rock Grill The food is renowned at this Frank Chivas-owned favorite, but you’d never know from the crowded parking lot (unless, of course, you sailed up on your boat) that the Salt Rock also has one of the nicest outdoor dining areas around. The views of the Intracoastal Waterway are sublime, as are the seafood and the steaks. 19325 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores, 727-593-7625, saltrockgrill.com.

Sparkman Wharf So instantly popular and densely populated that it can’t exactly be called an oasis — but maybe a mirage? Because the first time you come upon Sparkman Wharf’s expansive waterfront site, with its wide lawn, frolicking kids, live music stage and all-star lineup of restaurateurs serving up grub from shipping containers, it’s definitely a pinchme-I’m-in-downtown-Tampa? moment. Best idea: Avoid the crowds by getting there early for lunch on a Saturday morning. If you’re coming in from St. Pete, take the 10 a.m. ferry, which docks at the Florida Aquarium, a short walk away from Sparkman. 615 Channelside Drive, Tampa, 813-345-5881, sparkmanwharf.com.

The Sandbar Restaurant At the Sandbar on Anna Maria Island, you’re not just eating at the beach, you’re eating on the beach, with many tables perched right on the sand. The lines can be anything but soothing (they don’t take reservations), but once you’re seated, the dining experience is about as quintessentially beachy as you can get. 100 Spring Ave., Anna Maria, 941-778-0444, sandbar.groupersandwich.com.

Trophy Fish A casual fish shack with boat-fresh seafood that’s nowhere near the water — it’s tucked into an outdoor courtyard and bar in the busy Grand Central business district.

The fish is no-frills delicious and the cocktails, reflecting the owners’ pedigree (they co-founded Mandarin Hide), are as sophisticated as their nautical monikers are groanworthy. Case in point: The Fin & Tonic, a bar staple transformed into a thing of beauty. 2060 Central Ave., St Petersburg, trophyfishstpete.com (open Thursday-Sunday only).

Sandbar at Opal Sands Resort Cross Opal Sands’ gleaming lobby, navigate past the pool, and surprise! You’re in a relaxed yet elegant beach bar just above the water. True to its name, there’s sand underfoot, a Tiki bar and a menu of expertly rendered versions of familiar beachside fare, and — best of all — a row of rocking chairs with a sunset view. 430 S. Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater Beach, 727-450-0380, opalsands.com.

Sandbar Bill’s Bar & Grille The best way to approach Sandbar Bill’s is from the beach (finding a space in the parking lot of the popular, family-friendly Bon-Aire Resort can be a trial). Follow your nose to their prize-winning burgers, step off the sand onto the small patio, place your order, settle into a table and sigh at the view. You may think you’ve stumbled into

SEAWORTHY: The Fin & Tonic at Trophy Fish. www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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YOUR HOME FOR JAZZ, BLUES, CLASSICAL AND MORE!

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WEDDINGS

I Do’s Outdoors

The top 10 al fresco wedding venues.

Regina As The Photographer

STORY BY MARY LOU JANSON

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rom serene garden spots to splashy waterfront venues, from rooftops to treetops, these Tampa Bay sites (listed in alphabetical order) are perfect for open-air nuptials.

Florida Botanical Gardens Within the walls of this well-designed wedding garden, couples enjoy privacy as they express their mutual love beneath a rotunda gazebo bordered by the apropos quote, “Love is the Flower of Life.” This stunning setting is part of a 100-acre oasis that is home to Florida native plants as well as exotics and flowers from around the world. Valentine’s Day 2019 marked the 13th year that lovestruck couples gathered here to tie the knot in a mass ceremony conducted by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. 12520 Ulmerton Rd., Largo, lbg. org/private-events-weddings.htm

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The Garden Venue By day, Palm Harbor’s The Garden Venue (formerly known as Earthscapes Garden Room) showcases the latest design trends for outdoor living. After hours, the perfectly arranged plants, dramatic lighting effects and water and fire elements do more than just look attractive. They collectively create the perfect space for weddings and other private functions. Groups of up to 250 can gather within an openair lounge to enjoy this decked-out retail space and all of its amenities. Stylish, inviting and able to accommodate live music, as well as any catering needs, discovering it is like coming across a secret garden. 816 Palm Harbor Blvd., Palm Harbor, thegardenvenue.com

WEDDINGS Museum of Fine Arts Its elegant design has been described as a combination of classic art museum and Mediterranean villa. Wedding parties drawn to the stately building delight in its old-world charm as well as its contemporary two-story glass conservatory complemented by an adjoining terrace, both overlooking downtown St. Petersburg’s bayfront. The MFA’s event spaces include a Spanish-style garden that’s perennially in bloom, encircled by columns and arched loggias, and a garden space combining sculptures plus plants. Groups may also gather in neighboring North Straub Park ceremonies beneath an ancient banyan tree. 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, mfastpete.org.

Hotel Zamora For a beachfront wedding with a twist, consider elevating your special event high above land to exchange vows on the Hotel Zamora’s rooftop overlooking beautiful St. Pete Beach.

The view from the 360° Rooftop Lounge provides spectacular vantage points of the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway. Sync the festivities with a brilliant sunset or opt to say “I do” under a canopy of stars. Weekend nuptials are already booking through 2021 but couples with the flexibility to marry on, say, a Thursday or Sunday may find earlier availability. 3701 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, thehotelzamora.com.

Safari Wilderness Lakeland Feeling a bit adventurous? Lakeland’s Safari Wilderness invites wedding parties to surround themselves with the sights and sounds of free-roaming zebras, warthogs, antelopes and more. Guests gather at the spacious Safari Lodge before being whisked away to the towering Treehouse located in the center of the preserve, where 360-degree views of the habitat await.

Optional safari tours aboard vehicles, camels or kayaks may be booked for guests as well as encounters placing people faceto-face with select wildlife. 10850 Moore Rd., Lakeland, safariwilderness.com.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Magnificent oak trees, fragrant flowers, an historic mansion and aquatic elements like lily ponds, lagoons and waterfalls are defining features that make Selby Gardens an always in-demand wedding venue. The 15-acre botanical garden features two well-separated sectors, with views of the grounds, waterfront and sunsets equally enjoyable from either side, north or south.

The south accommodates exclusively open-air affairs, while the north has climate-controlled covered areas. Amy Allen, who coordinates bookings and catering by Michael’s On East on Selby Garden’s behalf, selected the venue for her own wedding and held the summer ceremony on the north lawn. 900 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, selby.org.

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WEDDINGS Tampa River Center Located along the banks of the Hillsborough River, directly across from downtown Tampa, this new venue makes the most of its waterfront setting thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and a covered terrace facing the city’s skyline. The flexible floor plan comfortably provides indoor seating, overflow to the balcony and even incorporates the Event Lawn and dockside space just below the elevated building. Located within the 25-acre Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, this sleek structure features lots of glass, woodwork and high ceilings that create a spacious and gracious setting. 402 W Laurel St., Tampa, tampagov.net/parks-and-recreation/featured-parks/riverfrontpark Sunken Gardens Towering Royal palm trees, brilliantly colored blooms and thick, lush greenery flourish throughout a four-acre paradise that could easily be mistaken for a tropical island. The fertile grounds that once served as a lakebed have remained a popular wedding spot since this landmark attraction first opened in 1935. Where else can you enjoy waterfalls, century-old gardens and, always a favorite, pink flamingos? Leave the decorating to Mother Nature or simply arrange for a tent, lights and chairs, and the stage is perfectly set for that special day.

1825 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, sunkengardens.org Ybor City Museum Garden Seeking an idyllic setting for your wedding day? Few can compare with the storybook look and courtyard-like feel of the Ybor City Museum State Park garden. Featuring a centerpiece fountain, signature streetlamps specific to Ybor, ornate wrought iron accents and brick-lined paths, the open-air venue presents a picturesque setting located within a National Historic Landmark District. Guests are conveniently close to hotels, restaurants and shops selling hand-rolled cigars, perfect for wedding favors. Don’t be surprised if Ybor’s resident chickens check out the ceremony. 2009 Angel Oliva Senior St., Tampa, ybormuseum.org/garden

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Tampa Bay Watch Invite guests to share your cherished day while also helping to cherish Tampa Bay’s precious waterways. Renting the 74-foot-high lighthouse includes access to the second-floor enclosed event space surrounded by wall-to-wall windows, a wraparound deck and the versatile grounds below that can host ceremonies, create great photo ops and even accommodate games like corn hole. Plus, you could even have your wedding party arrive via kayak. Located near Fort De Soto Park, Tampa Bay Watch is a non-profit organization ded-9 09 5 icated to protecting and restoring Tampa Bay’s estuary. A portion of rental fees support those educational and environmental efforts. 3000 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, tampabaywatch.org 48

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(727) 536-2756 www.clearwatersindependentschool.org

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WINE

A Glass For Every One And Every Wine!

STORY BY ERIC KENNEDY

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will never forget the time when a good friend insisted that my wife get him a “real wine glass.” It was at our annual Christmas party and we had a lot of guests on the back patio.

Not wanting to have any mishaps or any broken glass, my wife had purchased some very nice plastic wine glasses for our event.

Well, this very good friend, in particular, refused to drink his Far Niente from anything other than a vessel made from genuine melted sand. Years later, It still makes me laugh — and yet, there are many good reasons to choose your wine glass carefully.

Choosing the right glass can definitely improve the wine’s taste and the overall experience. Good glasses don’t have to cost you a fortune either. So, what defines the importance of a proper wine glass? The types of wine glasses that you can choose from are vast and varied. Of particular note for the serious wine enthusiasts, there is scientific evidence that supports the importance of

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the wine glass shape. For instance, a Japanese medical group used a special camera to record images of ethanol vapors in different glasses. The results of the study revealed the way that different glass shapes had a dramatic effect on the density and the position of the vapors at the openings of different glasses.

Why do vapors matter? Vapors introduce aromatic compounds into your olfactory senses — basically, your nose.

These compounds produce the overwhelming majority of flavors in the wine. Although taste and smell are distinctly separate senses with their own receptor organs, they are very closely tangled together. Tastants are the chemicals in foods that are detected by taste buds, the sensory cells on the tongue that are responsible for sending signals to specific areas of the brain.

At the same time, highly specialized cells in our noses detect odorants, which are airborne odor molecules.

WINE

It matters which glass you choose.

These odorants stimulate receptor proteins and initiate a unique neural response. When these two messages converge, they deliver one combined perception about taste and smell. This is why the wine glass you choose can actually change your wine-tasting experience.

Of the many different wine glasses available, you’ll find that certain shapes are better for enjoying certain types of wine. If you’re worried about the stem, don’t. Stems don’t really matter.

What is really important here is the shape of the glass and how it collects aromas and translates them onto your palate.

Never fill your glass to the top! To fully taste the aromatic flavors in your wine it is very important to leave air space above the wine. It is in this space that the aromas collect and drift into your nose. White wines are typically served in smaller-bowled glasses which preserve

floral aromas, maintain a cooler temperature, express more acidity in wine and deliver more aromas (even at cooler temperatures) due to proximity to the nose.

Red wines tend to taste better from a glass with a wide opening. The larger surface area can moderate high-tannin wines, deliver more aromas, or make spicy-tasting wines more rounded. In addition, the wider bowl will tend to let ethanol evaporate and will cause the wine to taste smoother.

Bolder red wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Bordeaux Blends, benefit especially from this type of glass. So next time you’re out shopping, add to the variety of wine glasses in your cabinets and see for yourself just why picking the right glass can make your wine-tasting experience even better. Bon vin!wine-tasting experience even better. Bon vin! www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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AUTO

Dwayne Hawkins, chairman and CEO of Crown Automotive Group.

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AUTO

Driving to Give Back For 50 years, Dwayne Hawkins, founder and CEO of Tampa Bay’s Crown Automotive Group, has had a passion for giving.

STORY BY HOWARD WALKER but it can’t be ignored what a great businessman he is. On the Board, he is always thinking through our marketing, our fund-raising, our sales; focusing on how all the pieces fit together, pushing us to come up with the next Big Idea,” she adds.

Over in Tampa, his support for the Moffitt Cancer Center began with a $50 check in 1998 and led to him serving eight years on the Moffitt Foundation board and giving hundreds of thousands in funding.

“Partners like Dwayne Hawkins are vital to helping us achieve our mission of contributing to the prevention and cure of cancer,” says Kara Wagner, Moffitt’s associate vice president of philanthropy. “Benefactors like Dwayne are fueling today’s research and tomorrow’s breakthroughs.”

As for his tireless work to support Habitat, just ask Mike Sutton, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County.

“Those six Pinellas homes equate to about a half a million dollars of financial support, and a couple of thousand hours of volunteer labor from the Crown staff,” explains Sutton.

“I think Dwayne likes the fact that his staff can come out and work on the homes as part of a team-building exercise.

At the end of the day, they walk away and say, ‘Wow, did we really just put a roof on that house?’”

As for his tireless work to support Habitat, just ask Mike

Megan Padilla

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sk nicely and Dwayne Hawkins would happily roll up his sleeves, clip on a tool belt and swing a hammer.

After all, over the years he’s helped build no fewer than six homes in Pinellas County so that Habitat for Humanity can provide much-needed affordable housing to families in need.

But at the age of 82 and with a demanding day job as chairman and CEO of St. Petersburg-based Crown Automotive Group, Dwayne Hawkins can be forgiven for handing over the hammering duties to others.

“I might not be too handy with a hammer anymore, but I’m still extremely proficient at handling a billfold,” he explains.

Not that billfold-handling is anything new to Hawkins.

For the past 50 years, since the day he opened his first dealership in downtown St. Petersburg, his passion for giving back has become legendary.

He won’t admit it, but he’s personally contributed over $2 million to St. Pete’s Bayfront Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Then there’s the $600,000 he donated to found the Hawkins Stem Cell Endowed Chair at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.

Help with kids’ education has also been a lifelong passion.

For the past 11 years he’s been a dedicated and generous supporter of the Pinellas County Education Foundation’s Finance Park venture, providing hands-on personal financial training for more than 12,000 local 8th-graders.

And since 2012, he’s opened the doors to Crown showrooms in Pinellas so that an army of customers and employees could package over 1 million meals to help the local Feeding Children Everywhere initiative.

How dedicated to giving is Dwayne Hawkins? Just ask Jenine Rabin, Executive VP at the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Foundation. The Foundation just opened its brand new $95 million, 225,000-sq-ft Research and Education Building, part of its fast-expanding St. Petersburg campus.

“This just could not have come together without the support, the leadership, the dedication and amazing generosity of trustees like Dwayne Hawkins. He helped make it happen,” says Rabin.

“Not only has he been a profound philanthropist for us,

Crown Pontiac Grand Opening 1970.

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Dwayne and his team.

Hawkins’s quiet, unassuming generosity has also included a focused and loyal support of the St. Petersburg arts scene.

Over the years he has been a major sponsor of the Mahaffey Theater with donations and commitments of over $750,000.

Then there’s the support he’s given to St. Pete’s Museum of Fine Arts and the Salvador Dalì museum.

“I’m passionate about art — I have a house full of it,” says Dwayne. “If you don’t have a vibrant arts scene in your local community then there’s something missing. In recent years, St. Petersburg has become a major center for the arts, and I’m keen for that to continue.”

So what has driven this poor kid from Tarrant, Alabama to be so single-mindedly generous with both his time and checkbook for the past 50 years?

“One of my mentors in the early days told me straight: ‘You have to learn to give back. It’s the right thing to do.’

This business I’m in has been good to me, and because of that I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to support many great causes in our community.”

The mentor he talks about is Alabama auto dealer Doug Willey, who gave Hawkins his first break into the business back in the early ‘60s. Willey saw that the young Hawkins had a gift for selling cars and quickly promoted him to general manager of the flagship Doug Willey Pontiac store in Birmingham.

Then, back in 1969, Willey told Hawkins he wanted to expand his business and was prepared to fund the 32-yearold in buying his own dealership.

“We looked at seven or eight stores and came up with a shortlist that included a Buick store in Tampa, and a store in St. Pete called Waldron Pontiac on what’s now MLK and 54

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5th Avenue North,” explains Haw-kins.

“A couple of years earlier, I’d come to St. Pete Beach on vacation and really liked the place. I thought I could live here. While the store wasn’t much — the showroom was barely big enough for one car — it was a great opportunity.

We ended up selling a lot of Pontiacs there.”

Within months he’d outgrown the cramped showroom and needed to expand. Through a sixth sense that would stay with him throughout his career, Dwayne gambled on moving out of downtown St. Pete. He found a piece of land on 34th Street N, and with Doug Willey’s help, built a sprawling 40,000-sq-ft store. It opened its doors in 1970.

“We designed it with a distinctive circular roof and a border around the top. When Doug and his wife came down to see it, she took one look and said, ‘This is going to be your crown jewel.’ The name stuck, so we called the new store Crown Pontiac.”

And the rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward 50 years and Hawkins’s Crown Automotive Group boasts 22 highly successful dealerships in three states, employs over 1,100 people, and sells more than 22,500 new and used cars and trucks a year.

“In those 50 years, Dwayne Hawkins has become a true American icon in the automotive business,” says Crown’s long-serving president and COO, Jim Myers. “He is an inspirational and visionary leader to his employees, a dedicated and determined giver to so many great charitable causes, and a remarkable human being.”

Recognition of Dwayne’s remarkable career and the significant impact he’s made on the Tampa Bay community came in 2015 when he was nominated for the coveted TIME

AUTO

At 82, Dwayne Hawkins is showing no signs of taking his foot off the gas.

The first Crown dealership opened its doors in 1970.

Dwayne and son Kevin.

Dealer of the Year award, the Oscars of the auto business. He joined a select group of just 55 nominees from 17,000 dealers nationwide for this best-of-the-best accolade.

The nomination came as no surprise to Dwayne’s son, Kevin Hawkins, CEO of Mid-Atlantic Finance, Crown Automotive Group’s Clearwater-headquartered financial arm.

“Some people might look at the new Mercedes-Benz store my father has just completed on US-19 and think that guy has a lot. Sure he’s been successful. But it’s easy to miss the time-lapse photo of his career and the work that went into getting there. The sweat. The decisions. The risk. The determination.

“Dwayne Hawkins is the true embodiment of The American Dream. He came from literally nothing and over the past 50 years has built something that in our town has become nothing short of an empire. What he has accomplished is remarkable.”

He’s also a man of his word, explains Crown Executive Vice President Joe Lamphier. “I’ve been with the company 28 years and every time I’ve heard Dwayne make a promise to someone — whether it’s an employee, a customer, a vendor, a charity, or me — he’s kept it. Without exception. When it comes to Dwayne Hawkins, his word is golden.”

Remarkably, at 82 years young, Dwayne Hawkins is showing no signs of taking his foot off the gas. In addition to his new Mercedes-Benz facility on 34th Street N, he recently opened a state-of-the-art Jaguar Land Rover showroom and service center just up the street on US-19. Crown’s Pinellas Volvo store is next in line for a major makeover.

“These days I do take Fridays off, and don’t come in on weekends. And I’ve definitely packed away that hammer.

Trouble is, I still have too much fun in this business to step away.”

Congratulations on 50 years of a life well-lived, and a lifetime of giving back. www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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Photograph by Todd Bates

dR SPORTS

“I didn’t reach my full potential as a player. But there’s no question it was fun being a superstar.”

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dR SPORTS

In Full Swing

Jan Stephenson, the one-time pin-up girl of women’s golf, has found a fulfilling post-career life in Tampa Bay.

BY ERIC SNIDER

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ere she comes, walking from the clubhouse to the practice green, schlepping a mammoth golf bag emblazoned with “Jan Stephenson.” The men milling around the green, where lights and camera await, gesture toward her, offer to help, but they’re too late. Jan Stephenson waves them off. She’s more than capable of carrying her own bag.

In the ’70s and ’80s, Stephenson was one of the most successful, famous and, yes, notorious, players in women’s golf.

She gave the LPGA tour a dose of sex appeal, helping dramatically increase its popularity. Now 67, Stephenson still exudes star power and swagger, balanced by an unpretentiousness and ease that make her eminently approachable.

We’ve met on her home turf of Tarpon Woods Golf Club in Palm Harbor, a faded public course that she and her partners, Michael and Diane Vandiver, are working to restore while keeping it open. The troika own the club under the aegis of their nonprofit, Jan Stephenson’s Crossroads Foundation, which provides golf-centric therapy for wounded veterans. Their trusty aide and greeter, Eddie, a lovable Gordon setter, is always nearby.

While Stephenson has retired from professional golf save for select women’s senior golf events, she’s anything but idle. Besides working to resuscitate Tarpon Woods, her packed schedule includes promotional appearances and charity events. She’s heavily involved in the wine and rum brands that bear her name, and has an interest in 500 acres of vineyard in Central California.

“There’s not a lot of women in the [alcohol] business,” she says. “It’s not for the faint of heart. It took a while, but we turned the corner two years ago and now we’re doing very well.”

All the activity doesn’t allow much time on the course. “I don’t play social golf,” Stephenson says flatly. Occasionally, she enters a local amateur event to satisfy her unflagging competitive spirit. “I can only play to win,” she adds.

Stephenson’s one-time status as golf’s pin-up girl tends to overshadow her on-the-course accomplishments. In a pro career that began in her native Australia, took off in America as the LPGA Rookie of the Year in ’74, and lasted into the 2000s, she amassed 20 professional victories, including 16 on the LPGA Tour. She won three major tournaments in the early ’80s, including the U.S. Women’s Open and the

LPGA Tour Championship. In June, Stephenson will be enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame’s class of 2019.

She admits that it matters. “It means a lot,” she says. “I got resigned to the idea that I might not get in until I died, when people would feel bad.”

As Stephenson tells it, a year after being named Rookie of the Year, she was summoned to meet with the new LPGA commissioner, Ray Volpe. He was adamant that women’s golf needed to embrace the sex-sells ethos of the era, and he could think of no one better to be the face (and body) of that push than the voluptuous Australian beauty.

Stephenson agreed to do her part — a part that paid off, but also took its toll. She’d routinely receive telexes asking her to fly to New York to meet with potential sponsors or do PR in a another far-off city.

The watershed moment started with a photo shoot for a 1977 issue of Sport Magazine. During down time between a

WINNING SMILE: The 1977 magazine cover that rocked women’s golf. www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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dR SPORTS

Todd Bates

wardrobe change, Stephenson unclipped her bra and threw and recalls being constantly exhausted. But those appearon a pink linen shirt. As a photographer snapped a few ances brought in $15,000 per, she says. frames, she threw her head back and smiled good-natured“It’s easy now to say I shouldn’t have done it,” Stephenly — then forgot all about it. Soon, word came that the son reflects. “It was hurting my game. But how do you turn candid photo, racy for the time, would be the magazine’s that down? When I showed up at a tournament, I’d already cover. earned second-place money.”

Stephenson wrote a letter asking the editor to use a differStephenson says her best years were 1982 and 1987, ent picture. The magazine responded: too late; it’s already when — between product sponsorship deals, promo gone to press. Forty-four years later, sitting in the cramped, appearances and winnings — she made $700,000 to cluttered office of Tarpon Woods, she arches an eyebrow, $800,000. as if to say, “Yeah, right.” The May 1977 “Sex in Sports” In ’87, Stephenson, then ranked No.1 in the world, was issue of the magazine caused quite a stir, mostly because of leading the S&H Classic in St. Petersburg by five strokes the Stephenson pic. going into the final round. As she drove back to her hotel If she could take a mulligan, I ask her, would she make that Saturday night, a girl ran a red light and crashed into the same request to quash the cover? “Good question,” she her car, sending her to the hospital with a back injury and says, then pauses. “There’s no doubt that it really raised my broken ribs. Stephenson dropped out of the event, then reprofile, and I benefited from that.” But the level of stardom turned to action too quickly, playing with a wrap around her that ensued, combined with her promotional commitments ribs. “I was playing an exhibition round with Jack Nicklaus on behalf of the tour, sucked time and energy away from and he made me promise to take some time off and heal,” working on her golf game. “I guess I have mixed feelings she recalls. about it,” she continues. “I didn’t reach my full potential as The St. Pete crash was among several freak injuries and a player. But there’s no question it was fun being a supermishaps. During one tournament, a pine needle fell from the star. I’ll always miss that part.” sky and punctured Stephenson’s ear drum. In 1990, she was Stephenson later appeared in another notorious photo mugged in Miami and suffered a severe fracture of her finger that featured her in a bathtub filled with golfballs that that forced her to miss several months on the tour. barely covered her private parts. Playboy and Hustler came In 2000, with her LPGA career winding down, Stephencalling, but she turned them down. son joined forces with three other tour veterans to found the In 1975 and ’76, Stephenson dated a flamboyant New LPGA Senior Women’s Tour, which three years later was York real estate developer named Donald Trump. At one rechristened The Legends Tour. Stephenson won the inaupoint, she declined his offer to fly her to Paris for dinner gural event, followed by several others. because she had a pro-am tournament the next day. Trump This year’s Senior LPGA Championship features a prize married his first wife, Ivana, the following fund of $600,000, while the purse for the year.

Women’s PGA Championship totals $3.85 Most of the women on the LPGA tour million. It’s not a stretch to say that Jan disapproved of the Aussie interloper’s Stephenson played a significant role in the fame and comparative wealth, whether it steady drive toward lucrative prize money was due to envy or a genuine feeling that in women’s golf. she was compromising the game’s integHas the scorn she received in prior rity. A few players criticized her publicly years given way to gratitude? “Some of — one called her a “walking soap opera” the women of my era, and even those who — but worse, Stephenson says, was being came after, have acknowledged that I had ostracized by her fellow tour competitors. an influence,” Stephenson says. “I don’t “I got so I would steer clear of the locker hear from the younger players, but that’s room.”

OK — we run in different circles.”

Meanwhile, Stephenson began raking in Six years ago, Stephenson moved from the money. Through the rest of the ’70s Orlando to New Port Richey, where she and well into the ’80s, she would compete lives by herself in what she describes as a in tournaments through Sunday, and typical neighborhood. She doesn’t miss often fly out that night for a whirlwind the frantic pace of fame, nor the craziness promotional appearance on Monday that that accompanied it, but neither is she cut included meet-and-greets, photos, dinners, out for the quiet life. “I can do without the speaking engagements and a round of golf. NON-STOP: In addition to her golf club and chaos,” she says, “but I do like the action.

By Tuesday, she was off to another tour charity work, Stephenson promotes the alcohol I guess I’d like to be a bigger fish in a event. Stephenson missed practice rounds, brands that bear her name. smaller pond around here.”

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ARTS

Salt Creek Stories

Herb Snitzer and Carol Dameron recall the scrappy beginnings of St. Pete’s visual art scene.

BY MITZI GORDON & TOM KRAMER

The painter and the photographer in the storage space of their home/studio in Lakewood Estates.

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ARTS

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he story of art in St. Petersburg often carries a thread Dameron said. “But they did not touch Salt Creek.” of displacement.

Meanwhile, a popular gathering called Art on the Rocks was It’s a familiar narrative in many cities: Creative gaining traction not far away. Exhibition designer Dave Ellis people rehab low-rent spaces, and then get edged out when and his wife Astrid were opening up their home on Beach property values increase. When it happened down at Salt Drive Southeast for regular Friday night artist salons, where Creek Artworks, Herb Snitzer and Carol Dameron were there. painters and poets could present their latest creations.

Snitzer, 86, is an accomplished photojournalist who has Soon Ellis and his neighbor, playwright Bob Devin Jones, worked for Life Magazine and the New York Times, renowned for began envisioning a community space that would bring people his intimate jazz-era portraits of greats like Miles Davis and together from diverse cultural backgrounds to create and exNina Simone. Dameron, 62, is a classically trained painter who perience art. They gathered at a friend’s house for dinner and studied around the globe, from Dijon, France, to the Rietveld collected donations to launch the project. This was the genesis Academie in Amsterdam, and has shown her evocative, often of The Studio@620, which launched in 2004. allegorical artworks in group and solo shows in NYC and St. “Bob Devin Jones is a very big reason why our city is where it Pete. The couple met here in the early 1990s while attending is,” said Dameron. an opening at a small, progressive art space called Gallery at The arrival of University of South Florida downtown also cre145. ated a new dynamic.

Curated by Tiffani Szilage and situated on 3rd Street just east “They made it a university town, which brings money, which of Williams Park, Gallery at 145 was a beacon to artists when the brings recognition,” Snitzer said. “It was incubating.” local scene was sparse.

Salt Creek Artworks grew to house 42 artist studios and two “So this was one of the very beginning parts of our art world, spacious galleries during 20 years of operation. Prince’s daughbecause Tiffani understood,” Dameron said. “She ter, Pat Burgess, took over the building after her “We was all about giving people a chance.” father’s death. did a show of Musicians and artists frequently found each other “They were so honorable,” Dameron said. “They at Szilage’s gallery. Conversations between Snitzer African-American did not raise our rent, did not charge for utilities. and local painter Lance Rogers soon hatched a art, the first time in the They were just so gracious.” vision for Salt Creek Artworks. They wanted to history of St. Pete that Unfortunately, a dispute between Burgess and build an interactive and welcoming artist commuher brother over Prince’s will forced the sale of such a thing took nity where people could work and exhibit. the building in 2012 to a man who bought the fish place.”

“We talked about art and music and St. Pete, plant next door. Salt Creek Artworks was torn what it didn’t have and what it should have, and down to become a parking lot. one thing just led to another,” Snitzer said.

“So we went to different places, to Central Avenue where Fortunately for them, a property owner named C. Azell Herb got his own gallery,” said Dameron.

Prince was visionary enough to imagine a space for the arts in “It was like starting all over again, you know?” Snitzer said. his building, a former furniture store. In 1992, the Salt Creek In spring 2018, the couple launched Art on Alcazar, a proArtworks collective launched at 1600 4th Street South. gram of salons and exhibitions in their shared home studio.

“The place was dirty, it had not been kept up,” Snitzer said.

They’ve hosted five events in the last year, including film shoot“We pulled up the floor and there was this beautiful tile.” ings, poetry readings, and performances by St. Pete Opera.

Snitzer often ended up covered in grime after working on the “That’s our glue, the glue is the art,” said Dameron, who has space. Soon others came to help. Dameron took over half of a taught painting for many years at local arts centers, including long, pink-walled studio that had formerly held dance classes.

Suntan and the Morean. “We want to have as high a quality of They threw art parties and bands performed in the huge wareart as we can. house. Artists such as Herbert Scott Davis and Paul Eppling — “People want to be with artists. A place becomes gentrified recognized today for their murals and sculptures, respectively and the next thing you know artists are out in Queens and the — created and exhibited there.

Bronx and still people are going out after them.”

“We did a show of African-American art, the first time in the As this evolution unfolds on a smaller scale in St. Petersburg, history of St. Pete that such a thing took place,” Snitzer said. some artists wonder how the future looks. Will a new genera“That was our first show.” tion of people be pushed out by rising costs?

Snitzer’s photographic work often illuminated his social and “Well, they can’t afford any of the high-rises,” Snitzer said. political interests in freedom, equality and justice (as was seen in his recent solo show at the Museum of Fine Arts). Salt Creek A dRTB series: How Did We Get Here?

Photographer Tom Kramer and writer Mitzi Gordon want to welcomed all artists and worked to combat racial tensions that know. Together, they are charting the Bay area’s creative renaissometimes kept trolley drivers from stopping at the venue besance by meeting with transformative and inspiring arts leaders. cause of its South St. Pete location. In 1996, riots rocked the Their stories share perspective on how the region shifted from sleepy city after Tyron Lewis was shot and killed by police. suburbs to thriving cultural hub in just a few decades.

“They burned and burned … all around Salt Creek,” www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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“BUILDING CHARACTER THROUGH SPORTS” 727.793.2696 info@ClearwaterForYouth.org

Over 300 guests joined us for our 46th Annual Celebrity Banquet at the beautiful Sheraton Sand Key Resort on February 23. The night was filled with inspiring moments as we awarded $95,000 in scholarships to 16 high school seniors and recognized local youth athletes for their excellence in sportsmanship. Hockey Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuk and Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins were in attendance to accept notable community awards, and our Live Auction and inaugural Live Impact Drive alone raised over tens of thousands of dollars. We’d like to thank all the attendees for their generosity and support as we continue our mission to ensure no child is turned away from sports programs due to financial concerns.

SAVE THE DATE 10.26.19 Coachman Park

Clearwater

Unique Design Solutions Built Around Our Clients

Tampa 813.749.7999

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LUXURY LIFESTYLE REAL ESTATE

Beautiful Backyards of Tampa Bay www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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REAL ESTATE

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REAL ESTATE

400 Palm Is Se, Clearwater | $1,495,000Â

W

ater lot in the exclusive community of Island Estates. Double entry doors reveal a spacious and open floor plan. Meticulously renovated and updated, this sensational home includes 3 Bedrooms and 3 full Bathrooms with luxurious finishes throughout the interior. The epicenter of every great home is its kitchen and with rich quartz counters and sleek stainless steel appliances you are prepared to delight family and friends in this artfully designed space.

Additional interior amenities include an executive home office and home theater with state-of-the-art components. Transition to the backyard through one of the many sets of sliding glass doors and out to the spacious lanai, enjoy a sparkling pebbletec pool that is heated, tropical landscaping and a large dock.

Designed for both comfortable living and entertaining, this exceptionally generous home is ready for your arrival.

Kerryn Ellson | Coastal Properties Group Christie's International Real Estate | 727.408.4888

www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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REAL ESTATE

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118 Harbor View Lane, Belleair Bluffs • Offered at $4,490,000 LiveInHarborBluffs.com

39 N Pine Circle, Belleair Offered at $1,849,000 NorthPineForSale.com

400 Palm Isle SE, Clearwater Beach Offered at $1,495,000 LoveIslandEstates.com

409 St Andrews Drive, Belleair • Offered at $2,750,000 BelleviewIslandHomes.com

10006 Botanica, Clearwater Beach Offered at $1,200,000 ClearwaterSunsets.com

1717 Peaceful Ave, Belleair Offered at $995,000 LiveInBelleair.com

2018 was an amazing year for us and our clients. Our momentum going into the new year has us excited for 2019!

Here’s to another great year of helping families. Thank you!

727-408-4888 • Gu l fVi ewL i v i ng.com 603 Indian Rocks Road Belleair, FL 33756 www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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20060 GULF BLVD, INDIAN SHORES, FL

Gulf of Mexico in your back yard, facing west for the most beautiful sunsets in Florida! On the east side of the property, across Gulf Blvd, a gated, covered boat dock on land flanked by commercial property. The main living level includes the family room housing a pool table, plus a living room/dining room combo overlooking the sand. 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths fill out the second floor. Offered at $3,700,000 | 20060GulfBlvd.com

8 WINSTON DRIVE, BELLEAIR, FL

This magnificent 5/4.5 waterfront home includes a dock with lifts and pool with spillover spa. The granite and stainless kitchen opens to a breakfast area and family room with fireplace and adjoining terrace. The split master suite features a luxury bath. The ground level contains a huge garage area and carpeted recreation area with sliders to the pool.

Offered at $2,594,900 | 8WinstonDrive.com

407 MIDWAY ISLAND, CLEARWATER BEACH, FL

Enjoy amazing open water vistas from this remodeled 4/3 waterfront home located on a quiet cul-de-sac. It offers a custom dock with a 10,000 lb. lift and a sparkling pool set on a paver deck. Features include a spacious great room with fireplace, granite and stainless island kitchen with breakfast bar, large master suite and a rooftop sundeck with water views.

Offered at $1,399,000 | 407MidwayIsland.com

The Thorn Collection | 727.432.9019 | www.TheThornCollection.com Š2019 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International and the Previews logo are registered and unregistered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The property information.

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215 SHORE DRIVE, PALM HARBOR, FL

Enjoy the perfect Florida lifestyle in your gated waterfront masterpiece situated in the sought-after Ozona golf-cart community. Enter through the impressive lead glass doors and encounter a balance of open spaces and elegant materials accentuating the picturesque views of the Gulf of Mexico. This sophisticated home captures the essence of quality craftsmanship.

Offered at $2,399,000 | 215ShoreDrive.com

1015 ELDORADO AVENUE, CLEARWATER BEACH, FL

Views of Gulf turquoise waters await from this custom designed 6/5 family home. A spacious great room offers a panoramic window wall, wet bar and media cabinets. The large master suite provides a similar view and luxury bath. Features include ceramic tile floors, island kitchen with solid surface counters, elevator, three car garage and deeded beach access.

Offered at $1,495,000 | 1015EldoradoAvenue.com

311 PALM ISLAND SE, CLEARWATER BEACH, FL

This remodeled 3/3.5 waterfront home features a Trex dock and lift plus a screened lanai and heated pool.

Large living and dining rooms are ideal for entertaining.

The kitchen offers a breakfast area, granite counters and custom wood cabinets opening to a family room with fireplace and walk-in wet bar. The master suite includes a dual sink vanity and shower.

Offered at $1,099,000 | 311PalmIsland.com

The Thorn Collection | 727.432.9019 | www.TheThornCollection.com Š2019 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International and the Previews logo are registered and unregistered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The property information.

www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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Dania Perry

Waterfront and Luxury Home Specialist MOBILE: 727-215-2045 dania.perry@gmail.com www.DaniaPerry.com

Sold

#1 Selling Realtor in Tampa Bay Dania sold $128M+ in 2018 and $725M+ since 2010

by D a

nia

BATH CLUB ESTATES NORTH REDINGTON BEACH This exceptional coastal contemporary luxury estate with a rare island ambiance boasts a huge 12,050 total sqft under roof.

Stunning gourmet kitchen, beautiful covered balconies, remarkable master wing and dazzling pool/spa. Wide 135ft seawall supports deep water dock, dual boat lifts and floating dock. Offered for $2,599,000.

BAYSIDE DRIVE – CLEARWATER BEACH Luxurious, Brand New 5 bedroom, 5.2 Bath 9205 total sqft coastal contemporary waterfront is a short walk to the powdery sands of Clearwater Beach. Huge open spaces, exceptional high-quality construction, rich, lavish finishes, rare 10-car garage and rapid deep water Gulf access. Offered for $2,580,000.

Pen din

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BRIGHTWATERS - SNELL ISLE ST. PETERSBURG Brilliantly redesigned in 2015 with an uncommon coastal contemporary executive elegance, this remarkable 5,000+ sqft, 5 bedroom, 5 bath waterfront residence enjoys sublime luxury finishes and beautiful open spaces. Magnificent Master Suite, extraordinary living area, sumptuous kitchen. Offered for $2,495,000.

le

VIZCAYA – REDINGTON BEACH

Sweeping panoramic views of the Gulf! Located in a small, private beachfront community, this magnificent 3 bedroom, 3940 sqft, 2car garage residence enjoys a stunning 53ft-wide covered oceanfront balcony, an immense luxury kitchen an elegant theater room and much more. Amazing private cabana opens to a world class pool/spa. Offered for $1,999,900.

The Dania Difference • The Professional Difference • The Real Difference in Real Estate CENTURY 21 JIM WHITE AND ASSOC. • 10645 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, FL 33706 70

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#1 in the World For the 6th time!

Sold

Dania Perry

Waterfront and Luxury Home Specialist MOBILE: 727-215-2045 dania.perry@gmail.com www.DaniaPerry.com

by D a

nia

PARK STREET – ST. PETERSBURG

EAGLES NEST POINT - BELLEAIR

One of the largest open water estates on Florida’s Gulf Coast!

Spectacular 5 acre, 6 bedroom, 7.3 bath, 16,189 total sqft residence enjoys a sweeping 300ft of waterfront overlooking Boca Ciega Bay. Everything about this home “breathes” scale (think football fields front & back). Magnificent master wing, immense 16,000 sqft pool deck. A rare Hamptons-type estate. Offered for $3,995,000.

This remarkable 5 bedroom, 6.5 bath, 11,000 total sqft waterfront estate delivers huge living spaces and miles of dazzling waterviews!

Fabulous wrap-around balconies, towering 21ft-high ceilings, spectacular gourmet kitchen and all en suite bedrooms provide a plush coastal ambiance. Gorgeous lagoon-like pool/spa with waterfall and massive 54,000 lb boat lift. Offered for $2,350,000.

COLUMBUS DRIVE – TIERRA VERDE Located where the intracoastal waterway meets the Gulf of Mexico, this magnificently crafted 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath, 8608 total sqft estate delivers some of the most spectacular open water views in Florida! Lavish gourmet kitchen, towering 20ft-high window views of the Gulf and a uniquely elevated waterfront pool deck. Offered for $2,590,000.

TAMPA PALMS - TAMPA

FORTUNE 500 EXECUTIVE ELEGANCE across the sweeping grounds of this extraordinary 5 Bedroom, 6.2 Bath 14,064 total sqft Luxury Estate. Mammoth 23ft-high ceilings, fabulous theater/game room, plush CEO’s Office, Grand Master Suite, stunning 55,000 cu.ft. pool deck enclosure, lavish overnight cabana.

An absolute dream. Offered for $2,450,000.

Thank You Tampa Bay for Another Record Breaking Year!

CENTURY 21 JIM WHITE AND ASSOC. • 10645 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, FL 33706 www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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527 20TH AVE, INDIAN ROCKS BEACH

121 PALMETTO LANE, HARBOR BLUFFS

19734 GULF BLVD, INDIAN SHORES

Breathtaking WIDE Water Views of Intracoastal!

Exceptional location, wonderful home for boaters with DEEP water dock and slip. Quick access to Gulf. Beautifully updated 2 bedroom 2 bath FURNISHED home with garage. Perfect primary, secondary or vacation/ investment property. $769,000

SPREAD OUT in this five bedroom, four bath lovely updated residence with outstanding pool area. Open floor plan, high ceilings, lovely master suite—all of the features you are looking for!

Minutes to beaches and bay for fishing or beach combing yet no flood insurance is required! $739,000

Stunning, sophisticated, spacious condo. 4 bedrooms, 3 and 1/2 baths. Relax in the spacious great room, entertain in the chef’s dream kitchen, take in the sunset from the large balcony, stroll down the beach. Abundant storage including a two car garage. $1,499,000

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727.460.7462 Julie@JulieFolden.com www.JulieFolden.com 320 GULF BLVD, BELLEAIR SHORE

JU SO S LD T

BE LL M EA A IR GN SH IF O ICE RE N ES T TA TE !

Recently constructed gated beachfront estate! 9000 square foot of living area. Spacious terraces overlooking heated pool and private yards reconfirms the pinnacle of a coastal lifestyle. Five car garage and improved ground level areas. Listed at $6,299,000

Selling the Beaches to the Bluffs to the Belleairs and Beyond!

Recent Solds Top 20 Realtor, 2018 Pinellas Realtor Association

www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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Waterfront Collection

1227 OSOWAW BLVD | SPRING HILL | $4,999,000 Scott Ferguson | 727-744-0993

1170 GULF BLVD #2201 | CLEARWATER BEACH | $4,000,000 Cheri Boudreau | 727-560-3157

976 MONTEREY POINT NE | SNELL ISLE | $3,400,000 Susan Vaughn | 727-510-8075

2262 HARBOR VIEW DR | DUNEDIN | $2,699,999 Molly Lucas & Peggy Mateer | 727-463-7964

421 BUTTONWOOD | LARGO | $1,899,900 Susan Lube | 727-480-1890

17011 DOLPHIN DR | REDINGTON BEACH | $1,885,000 Sandie Cross | 727-412-3223

460 PALM ISLAND NE | CLEARWATER BEACH | $1,479,000 Karen Bravo-Crews | 727-641-8525

994 OSPREY CT | CRYSTAL BEACH | $1,299,900 Susan Lube | 727-480-1890

W W W.COASTALPGI .COM B E L L E A I R | C L E A R W AT E R | C L E A R W AT E R B E A C H | D U N E D I N | E A S T L A K E / P A L M H A R B O R | I N D I A N R O C K S B E A C H | I S L A N D E S TAT E S N O R T H R E D I N G T O N B E A C H | S T. P E T E B E A C H | S T. P E T E R S B U R G | TA M P A | T I E R R A V E R D E | T R E A S U R E I S L A N D 74

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REAL ESTATE

Indian Rocks Beach - www.1102BeachTrail.com

Spring Hill - www.1227Osowaw.com

Palm Harbor - www.506Hillsborough.com

SCOTT FERGUSON, Broker Associate, GRI, SRS, RSPS, MRP 727.744.0993 | Scott@FergusonPGP.com

LINDA ROSS PRESTON, Real Estate Advisor 813.318.2408 | LindaRossPreston@CoastalPGI.com

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MARCH-APRIL

A&E GUIDE

Becca McCoy stars in the American Stage in the Park production of Mamma Mia! opening 4/10, p. 78.

Photograph taken by Scuderi Studios at the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance MUSE Awards (see p. 86). www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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A&E GUIDE

BY DAVID WARNER • DWARNER@DUPONTREGISTRY.COM

Whiffenpoofs. They’re Yalies, they’re young,

THEATER

and their great-great-great-grandfathers were doing a cappella down at Mory’s about a century before Pentatonix. 3/27, 7:30 p.m., Ferguson Hall at the Straz.

Woodson Chamber Concerts. Clarinet, Viola and Piano Trio, with Natalie Hoe, Jonas Benson and Brett Douglas. 4/7, 3 p.m., Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, 2240 9th Ave. S., St. Petersburg.

Crumbs from the Table of Joy. Lynn

Nottage’s play is set in 1950s Brooklyn, where Godfrey, an African-American widower, has moved from Florida with his two teenaged daughters. Mix in an aunt with Communist sentiments and a new wife for Godfrey, a white German immigrant, and you’ve got the ingredients for a comedy/drama that’s been described by one critic as a cross between Tennessee Williams and Lorraine Hansberry. 3/23-4/14, freeFall Theatre Company, freefalltheatre.com.

Dear Evan Hansen. See it. Not just because it won six 2017 Tonys, including Best Musical; not just because of songs gone viral like “You Will Be Found” and “Waving Through a Window”; not just because it’s rich in opportunities for bravura performances. See it because it’s about something: the loneliness of adolescence, the insidious power of the internet, the challenges of parenting, the question of how much we’re willing to sacrifice for the chance to fit in. See it because it will move you. 4/9-14, Straz Center, strazcenter.org.

Hundred Days. In this critically acclaimed musical memoir, creators and stars Abigail and Shaun Bengson explore a fundamental question: What if you lived as if you only had 100 days left? Through 3/24,Jaeb Theatre at the Straz Center, strazcenter.org.

Mamma Mia! Here we go again. You’ve seen it in the movies, you’ve probably seen it on stage, and you’ve definitely heard the music, because it’s ABBA, their irresistible pop songs wrestled into a “Who’s the Daddy?” plot set on an idyllic Greek island. While Meryl and Cher won’t be on hand, director Stephanie Gularte has assembled a cast of local all-stars (including Alison Burns, Becca McCoy, James Sorensen and Larry Alexander) for American Stage’s annual outdoor musical. Bring your own chair or blanket for general admission or premium blanket seating, or reserve a chair.4/105/12, American Stage in the Park, Demens Landing, St. Petersburg. Pay-what-you-can previews, 4/10-11.

Opening night gala, 6 p.m., Fri. 4/12. americanstage.org.

Radio Theatre Project Live. Live radio plays delivered by actors at mics with sound effects by Matt Cowley. 3/25 & 4/22, 7 p.m., The Studio@620, studio620.org.

Spamilton: An American Parody. Did you miss out on Hamilton tickets and want revenge? Do you love Hamilton no matter what form it takes?

Then Spamilton’s for you, a send-up of the musical that the New York Times called “convulsively funny.”4/9-5/12, Jaeb Theater at the Straz.

The Business of Murder. We can’t tell you who murders whom, but we will reveal that one of the three characters in this twisty British suspense thriller is played by the only occasionally homicidal editor of this here publication. 3/14-24, Gulfport Community Players, gulfportcommunityplayers. org.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare [Abridged] [Revised]. For its 20th anniver-

sary season, Jobsite brings back one of its biggest hits, in which all of the Bard’s 37 plays plus a few sonnets are squished into 90 minutes. 3/15-4/7, Jobsite Theater at the Straz, jobsitetheater.org.

The Mousetrap. Who doesn’t love a good Agatha Christie whodunnit? This one may be the most beloved of all: The production in London’s West End is the longest-running show in the his-

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MARCH-APRIL

Kevin Mazur Clint Black at the Mahaffey 3/22.

tory of the world! (It opened in 1952.) See what delicious tricks the mistress of murder cooked up in this country-house mystery where everyone’s a suspect. 3/22-4/7, Stageworks Theatre, stageworkstheatre.org.

The Roommate.The Odd Couple meets Thelma and Louise, as a shy 50-something homemaker in Iowa gets more than she bargained for with her new roommate, a woman who needs a place to hide and the chance to start over. 3/13-4/7, American Stage, americanstage.org.

CLASSICAL/CHORAL Florida Orchestra Haydn: The Creation. 3/22, 8 p.m., Idlewild Baptist Church; 3/23, 8 p.m., Mahaffey; 3/24, 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 w. Benjamin Grosvenor, pianist. 3/29, 8 p.m., Straz; 3/30, 8 p.m., Mahaffey; 3/31, 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

Ragtime, Blues and All That Jazz. 4/5, 8 p.m., Straz; 4/6, 8 p.m., Mahaffey; 4/7, 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd. Brahms Symphony No. 1 w. Benjamin Grosvenor, pianist. 4/12, 8 p.m., Straz; 4/13, 8 p.m., Mahaffey; 4/14, 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd. The Music of John Williams. 4/27, 2 & 8 p.m., Mahaffey. Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. 5/3, 8 p.m., Straz; 5/4, 8 p.m., Mahaffey. floridaorchestra.org.

La Bohéme. Opera Tampa presents Giacomo Puccini’s heartbreakingly beautiful opera about starving artists in Paris — the inspiration for RENT. 4/26-28, Straz.

Igor Lovchinsky: An Evening of Chopin and Gershwin. The much-lauded young

Russian-American pianist plays a program featuring some of the most exquisite music ever written for the piano. 4/23, 7:30 p.m.

Palladium Chamber Players. String quintets by Boccherini and Schubert and a quartet by Arensky. 4/17, 7:30 p.m., The Palladium.

Tampa Bay Symphony: Sibelius’s Mighty Second. The all-volunteer orchestra led by Maestro Mark Sforzini plays Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. 4/28, 2:30 p.m., SPC Arts Auditorium, 2465 Drew St., Clearwater; 4/30, 8 p.m., The Palladium; 5/5, 2:30 p.m., Ferguson Hall at the Straz.

The Pearl Fishers. Lifelong friends in a Far East seaside village find themselves in an impossible love triangle in Georges Bizet’s 1863 opera, which makes its Opera Tampa debut. 3/15-17, Straz.

JAZZ/BLUES/CABARET Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp! These

rockin’ jammin’ piano-playin’ party people (including the legendary Bob Seeley, celebrating his 90th birhtday) will make you wanna dance, shout and stomp right along with them. 3/23, 8 p.m., Side Door at the Palladium.

Jackson Harpe Collective. Harpe (along with

Mike Cornette) is one of two jazz hosts on WUSF with musical surnames. He’s also an accomplished musician, a trumpeter with his own combo. He returns to the Studio@620 with a program of jazz, funk and original music inspired by the movies.

4/4, 7 p.m., Studio@620.

James Suggs. Local jazz fans can never hear enough of suave trumpeter James Suggs, so this CD release party is cause for celebration. 3/16, 8 p.m., Side Door at the Palladium.

Katt Hefner Sings Nancy Wilson. A tribute to one of the all-time greats by a swinging, smokyvoiced ‘international jazz siren.” 3/28, 7:30 p.m., Side Door at the Palladium.

Synia Carroll & Scotty Wright: Songs of Sarah Vaughan & Billy Eckstine.

A tribute to two of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time by two singers who are pretty darned good themselves. 4/12, 8 p.m., Side Door at the

Palladium.

Nate Najar: From Rio with Love, Bossa Nova. Latin jazz with a killer lineup, led by

the gifted Najar on nylong string guitar with Jeff Rupert on tenor sax and Daniela Soledade on vocals. Grab your favorite Girl (or Boy) from Ipanema and bossa nova ova to the Palladium.

4/18, 7:30 p.m., Side Door at The Palladium.

Tampa Bay Blues Festival. An all-star lineup plays St. Pete’s Vinoy Park, including Jonny Lang (4/12, 8:30 p.m.); Shemekia Copeland (6:30 p.m., 4/13); Boz Scaggs (8:30 p.m., 4/13); and Louisiana Blues Experience, 4/14, featuring (among others) C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band (4:30 p.m.) and Tab Benoit (8:30 p.m.). 4/12-14, Vinoy Park, tampabaybluesfest.com.

ROCK/POP Clint Black. The mega-popular singersongwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been making country hits since the ’90s; this is his 30th anniversary tour. 3/22, 8 p.m., Mahaffey.

Hozier. The Irish singer-songwriter who made such a huge impact with his hit “Take Me to Church” and its harrowing video about anti-gay violence is touring with a new album, Wasteland, Baby! 3/20, 8 p.m., Mahaffey.

Continued

MARCH-APRIL

A&E GUIDE

EVERYTHING IN BLUE & WHITE

You just had to look at David Foster’s face paint. Or talk to Deb Camfferman, who’s been to every single Rays home opener since the team name had a “Devil” in it. Or behold the hopeful face of Nick Solak, a new prospect in his first year out of the minors. Optimism was everywhere at February’s Rays FanFest at Tropicana Field, and given all the ups and downs of 2018 — including the Tampastadium-that-wasn’t — the upbeat mood was heartening. That 90-win season helped; MLB. com has suggested that the Rays front office and the team’s manager, Kevin Cash, might be the smartest in baseball, praising the new “depth and flexibility up and down the roster.” And there are plenty of new non-baseball developments that may improve the team’s still-puny attendance record: moving to a credit-only payment system for concessions; covering up a bunch of seats so the Trop feels more intimate; the Ryne Stanek bottle opener (!). But the key info is this: spring training is underway, and the home opener against the Astros is set for Thursday, March 28 at 4 p.m.

Play ball! raysbaseball.com.

Superfan David Foster at the Rays FanFest in February.

Photo by David Warner

www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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A&E GUIDE ROCK/POP Jackson Browne. The Hall of Fame singer-

songwriter (“Take It Easy,” “Running On Empty,” “The Pretender”) and intrepid political activist, still kind of a dreamboat at 70, plays an intimate acoustic concert (with singalongs!). 4/4, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

John Mellencamp. The hero of the heartland, still rocking after more than 35 years in the biz. “The John Mellencamp Show” will start promptly at 8 p.m. and will not have an opening act. Every ticket purchased online will receive a physical copy of Mellencamp’s forthcoming album Other People’s Stuff. 3-29/30, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

KISS. They’re calling this the End of the Road World Tour, but will their fervent fans ever allow Gene Simmons and his flamboyant face-painted friends to stop playing? Not likely. But this is sure to be a wild concert, farewell or no. 4/11, 7:30 p.m., Amalie Arena.

Leon Bridges. He’s only 29, but his soulful, heartfelt R&B has won him comparisons to such revered forebears as Sam Cooke and Otis Redding.

4/18, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

Listening Room Festival Showcase. The house concert phenomenon that is the Listening Room Network, the brainchild of Tampa Bay singer/ songwriter Fran Snyder, culminates each year in this big, multi-faceted music event. 3/29, 7:30 p.m., The Palladium.

MARCH -APRIL Santana: The Global Consciousness Tour

It’s the 20th anniversary of Carlos Santana’s groundbreaking album Supernatural and the 50th anniversary of his legendary performance at Woodstock. Yes, you can now reflect on how very old you have become. 4/18, 8 p.m., Al Lang Live.

Selwyn Birchwood Band. The accolades keep coming in for the husky-voiced young blues vocalist and guitarist (and Florida native) Selwyn Birchwood and his band. 4/27, 8 p.m., Side Door at the Palladium.

The Florida Björkestra’s The Secret World: The Music of Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush.

If you’ve never been to a show by St. Pete’s truly inimitable “20-piece megasuperband” the Florida Björkestra, what are you waiting for? Their interpretations of pop greats like Bowie and Madonna are deservedly legendary, so expect no less as they pay return visits to the haunting oeuvres of Gabriel and Bush. Don’t give up! Run up that hill! 3/31, 6 p.m., The Palladium.

The Hit Men Live. The mega-talented musicians who made the stars’ records sound better are now standing in the spotlight themselves, playing the hits they made with everyone from Elton John to Carole King to The Who and sharing insider lore. 4/19, 8 p.m., Mahaffey.

be made. The audience will stand and move thru The Studio@620 space. 3/15-16, 7:30 p.m.; 3/17, 2:30 p.m.

The Studio@620.

COMEDY

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

Cedric the Entertainer. From movies like The

Barbershop to his current hit TV series The Neighborhood, Cedric lives up to “The Entertainer” part of his name big-time. 4/6, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

Ken Jeong. He has been such an indelible part of recent pop culture phenomena — The Hangover, Crazy Rich Asians, The Masked Singer — that Ken Jeong has become a phenom in his own right. 4/20, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

Michael Carbonaro Live! He’s known for the

Matt Christine Photography Comic magician Michael Carbonaro at the Mahaffey 4/11.

Mickey Gilley. The country music legend, aka

“The Original Urban Cowboy.” 3/24, 2 p.m., The Palladium.

Patti Labelle. The one and only Patti, she of the unmistakeable vocals and diva-tastic style. 4/25, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

Punch Brothers. The “ridiculously eclectic” GRAMMY®-nominated acoustic quintet featuring Chris Thile (MacArthur “genius” mandolinist and ebullient host of public radio’s Live From Here) tours in support of their latest album, All Ashore. Gabriel Kahane opens the show. 3/29, 8 p.m., Capitol Theatre.

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. The queen of bluegrass leads her band, the most-awarded in bluegrass history, and plays multiple instruments, including a mean mandolin. 4/9, 7 p.m., The Palladium.

Rosanne Cash. “After reckoning with her father’s legacy on recent records,” said Pitchfork of Cash’s latest album, She Remembers Everything, “the singer offers a vivid, complex portrait of life and the compromises and love that shape adulthood.” 4/26, 8 p.m., Capitol Theatre.

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hilarious and confounding comedy/magic videos on his TruTV series The Carbonaro Effect, in which unsuspecting civilians discover what he means when he says “There’s a thin line between that which is delightful and that which is… demented.” 4/11, 7 p.m., Mahaffey.

Paula Poundstone. She’s hilarious on NPR’s Wait!

Wait! Don’t Tell Me! and her own podcast, but she’s even better in person: irrepressibly, relentlessly funny, especially in her interactions with the audience. 3/30, 7:30 p.m., Capitol Theatre.

Piff the Magic Dragon. America’s Got Talent discovered the deadpan, dragon-garbed Piff, who — accompanied by Mr. Piffles, The World’s Only Magic Performing Chihuahua™ — is truly, awesomely, entertainingly odd. 4/4, Straz.

DANCE BEACON ’19 Contemporary Dance. The invaluable collaborative dance project that brings together dancers, artists and writers in the creation of stimulating multi-disciplinary works that stay in the mind, which is good because BEACON’s public performances happen so infrequently. 4/5, 8 p.m., The Palladium.

Bloom and Residue. The Studio@620, projectAlchemy, and Rebekah Lazaridis present an immersive dance and art installation centered around the idea that in order to truly change, sacrifices must

Courtesy of the Oswaldo Vigas Foundation.

The art of Oswaldo Vigas at Tampa Museum of Art through 5/27.

Derek Hough. The EMMY®-winning Dancing

with the Stars choreographer and World of Dance judge is a pretty thrilling dancer himself, of course, and in this, his first solo tour, he explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hop-hop. 4/9, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd.

An all-male troupe that rocks tutus and tights with equal elan, The Trocks manage to pay homage to classical ballet and make fun of it at the same time.

Don’t miss ‘em. 4/5, Straz.

Tap Dogs. “Hot, hunky and highly inventive,” said one reviewer, and having seen Tap Dogs in Edinburgh and NYC, I can vouch for that. The show’s an exhilarating testament to athleticism, creativity and all the things you can do with water, scaffolding and powerfully percussive footwork. 3/29, 8 p.m.; 3/30, 2 & 8 p.m.; 3/31, 2 p.m. Straz Center.

FILM CatVideoFest 2019. Just what it sounds like. I’ll let the folks at Tampa Theatre describe it: “…the best, funniest, fuzziest and cuddliest of the only thing the Internet is any good at anymore: cat videos.” True that, and as a bonus 10% of the proceeds go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. All together now…

AWWWWWWW! 3/10, 3 & 7 p.m., Tampa Theatre.

Family Favorites Movie Series. The movies are family-friendly in this March/April series at Tampa Theatre, and so are the ticket prices: $8 for ages 12 and younger, $10 for adults. The schedule includes the 1992 women’s baseball classic A League of Their Own (3 p.m., 3/31); My Neighbor Totoro by acclaimed animator Hayao Miyazaki (6:30 p.m., 4/7); The LEGO Movie, the unexpectedly good movie about you-know-whats (3 p.m., 4/14); Dolphin Tale, the poignant flick that made Winter the dolphin a star (3 p.m., 4/21); and SingAlong Frozen, which most parents of young children have already experienced way too many times in their daily lives (3 p.m., 4/27-28). tampatheatre.org.

Gasparilla International Film Festival.

Now going into its 13th year, GIFF is one of the highlights of the arts season, a festival that has brought thousands of filmmakers and film buffs to Tampa along with countless film premieres, and has recently been further enriched through its collaboration with the Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival. 3/19-24, various venues, film selections TBA at gasparillafilmfestival.com.

Continued

MARCH-APRIL

A&E GUIDE

SEA OF GLASS

You could say it all started in 2010 when glass artist Duncan McClellan opened a gallery in a former tomato warehouse in what would become St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District.

Or you could point to others who carried the blowtorch for glass art — Susan Gott, Zen Glass, the late Owen Pach — or to the openings of the Morean Arts Center’s Chihuly Collection and Hot Shop and the most recent addition to the scene, the Imagine Museum. However you trace its beginnings, the glass art movement in Tampa Bay — aka The Glass Coast — is now a full-blown (pun intended) phenom, famous enough that the Glass Art Society (GAS), which last met at the fabled glass mecca of Murano, Italy, chose St. Pete as the site of its 2019 international confab. Charting a Course: Visions in Glass is not just good exposure for local artists, it’s a major boon for local art aficionados, because while there are plenty of conferee-only events at places like the Bayfront Hilton and the Mahaffey, many of the aforementioned galleries and museums will be holding workshops and demos and tours, too. See p. XX for details about special shows at McClellan’s gallery and My Favorite Art Place at Sundial, and check the GAS site for details. Pictured: Blue Dragonfly vessel by David Walker of Zen Glass.

Mar. 28-30, various venues in St. Pete, Tampa and Sarasota, glassart.org.

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A&E GUIDE FOODFESTS

Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival.

Food & Wine Cabins with cuisines from all over the U.S. (Dungeness crab croquettes, St. Louis ribs, NOLA grilled oysters), plus wine and spirit tastings, sampler packages and an impressive concert lineup (including The Band Perry, Stone Temple Pilots and Foreigner).

3/16-4/28, buschgardens.com/tampa/events/foodand-wine-festival.

Dunedin Seafood Festival. Local stone crabs, Maine lobster, fish tacos and more at 20 locations in Dunedin’s marina-side Edgewater Park, plus live music, local artisans, and plenty of wine and craft beer (this is Dunedin, after all).

2/7-18, 3/23-24, oldebaycafe.com/seafood-festival.

FUNDRAISERS

American Stage Gala Under the Stars.

The opening night of American Stage in the Park’s annual musical — see Mamma Mia! under Theater — also serves as a major fundraiser for the theater company, with excellent food, live and silent auctions, and the chance to dress (if you dare) in an outfit that evokes the era of the musical. Mamma Mia? I’m predicting a sea of bellbottoms. 4/12, 6 p.m., Demens Landing Park, St. Petersburg, americanstage.org/gala.

Wings Wheels & Wine. A great opportunity to help the fine work of the Arc Tampa Bay Foundation, whose mission is to support and empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by The Arc Tampa Bay. Taking place at the Clearwater Air Park, the fourth annual Wings, Wheels & Wine will feature exotic cars and airplanes, live music, auction, dinner and libations. 3/16, 6-10 p.m., thearctbfoundation.org/event/wings-wheels-wine.

MARCH -APRIL Paisley! 3/18-24, Innisbrook, 36750 US Hwy 19 N., Palm Harbor, valsparchampionship.com.

LECTURES/LITERARY ARTS Limelight. Tampa Theatre’s inaugural speaker

series continues with theoretical physicist Michio Kaku on Apr. 4 and NBC correspondent and presidential daughter Jenna Bush Hager on Apr. 23. Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa, tampatheatre.org.

SunLit Festival 2019. KeepStPeteLit’s annual “Litertainment” festival brings together more than 35 organizations and arts disciplines to celebrate literacy, literature, reading, and writing throughout the month of April — and this year, for the first time, there’ll be events in Tampa as well as St. Pete. 4/11-28, various venues. keepstpetelit.org.

MUSEUMS/GALLERIES ArtsXchange Tully/Levine Gallery.

These Masks We Wear. An exceptional exhibition created by students with disabilities attending Pinellas County schools. “A student-led, visceral, visual concept meant to evoke the spirit of imagination,” says Zach Thompson, an instructor at Sanders Exceptional. Opening reception 3/9, 5-9 p.m. in the Tully-Levine gallery; continues through March. 515 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, warehouseartsdistrictstpete.org/ArtsXchange.

SPORTS/AUTO Festivals of Speed. Over 300 exotic cars,

motorcycles, watercraft and luxury brands, both vintage and contemporary, from Porsche, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, AstonMartin, BMW, Mercedes, McLaren, and more.

4/7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg, festivalsofspeed.com.

NCAA Women’s Final Four. Tampa gets to play host for the third time to the biggest event in women’s college basketball. 4/5-7, Amalie Arena.

Rays Baseball. Spring training’s underway in March, and the home opener against the Houston Astros is Mar. 28. Read more on p. 79.

Valspar Championship. Tiger Woods’s second-place finish brought increased attention to Valspar last year, and while he’s not confirmed for this year’s tournament, the nationally televised championship should prove to be a bigger draw than ever. There’s lots more than golf on tap, including a family fun zone (with everything from hula hoops to putt-putt to a Fortnite Zone), Valspar’s first Chillounge and Silent Disco, and the Valspar LIVE concert on Saturday night Mar. 23 featuring… Brad

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Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at the Straz 4/5.

Dali Museum. Magritte & Dali: Two preeminent surrealists who opened minds to an alternative view of the world, constantly challenging reality.

Through 5/19, thedali.org.

Florida CraftArt. QUEST: Celebration of Glass: In honor of the Glass Art Society (GAS) Conference (see spotlight, p. 81). Duncan McClellan and Mary Childs will curate an exhibition of glass masters who draw on mythological, cultural, and personal imagery. 3/7-4/20, floridacraftart.org.

GAS Conference, 3/28-30, glassart.org.

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.

Modus Operandi: Contemporary Photography from the Collection of BNY Mellon: An adventurous group of contemporary image-makers. Through 4/15, fmopa.org.

James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. The Cultural Connections of Edward

S. Curtis. In the first three decades of the 20th century, American photographer Edward S. Curtis traveled the country to document “vanishing” Native American cultures with his cameras, producing thousands of images. His respect for Native people was ahead of his time, and the relationships he nurtured allowed for informationgathering that would have otherwise been lost to history. 4/6-7/21, thejamesmuseum.org.

My Favorite Art Place. Florida Glass Invitational: In celebration of the Glass Art Society conference (see spotlight p. 81), Sundial’s new art gallery is showing a wide range of works by Florida glass artists and hosting a free series of conversations each Saturday in March with awardwinning glass artists who’ll be sharing stories, techniques, and when possible, demonstrating glassworking techniques like stained, blown, hot sculpting, flamework and more. Through March 31, The Sundial St. Pete, sundialstpete.com.

Museum of Fine Arts. Jewels of the Imagination: Radiant Masterworks by Jean Schlumberger from the Mellon Collection: Extraordinary works by the master mid-century Tiffany & Co. jeweler whose innovative designs graced the likes of Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn, through 3/31.

Glow: The Hand-Painted Photographs of E. G. Barnhill: A unique voyage into the natural splendors of Florida during the early part of the 20th century (through 4/7). Feast for the Eyes: European Masterpieces from the Grasset Collection: Forty superb Old Master paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries by major Italian, Spanish, German, and Netherlandish artists (3/23-7/28). Theo Wujcik: Cantos. A celebration of the work of master printmaker and painter Wujcik (1936–2014), a fixture of the Ybor City art scene whose expansive practice engaged deeply with art historical tradition and the global contemporary art world (4/13-6/2). Through 5/19, thedali.org.

Studio@620. Eggs + Skulls: ’60s Wearable Art Onwards: Showcasing the Art of George Stovall. He’s known as a chiropractor and a canoer, but George Stovall is also a master of wearable art (the gloriously colorful jacket he wore to the Arts Alliance’s recent MUSE Awards being a case in point). Get to know the artistic side of Stovall at this dicussion and slideshow. 3/18, 7 p.m., Studio@620.

Tampa Museum of Art. Oswaldo Vigas: Transformations: An exhibition celebrating one of South America’s most ambitious and celebrated modern artists, Oswaldo Vigas (Venezuelan, 1923-2014), who drew on a broad mixture of sources and stylistic approaches for his art, mingling indigenous South American traditions with Western modernism into a distinctly personal language (through 5/27). Abstract Expressionism: A Social Revolution, Selections from the Collection of Preston H. Haskell: Abstract Expressionism as a unifying direction in post-WWII art, reflected in 25 works by such seminal artists as de Kooning, Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, and Mark Rothko (4/11-8/11). tampamuseum.org

PARTY

PEOPLE

THE CHAMPAGNE FLOWED CELEBRATIONS AT THE BELLEVIEW INN, THE MFA AND MORE…

The Champagne celebration of the unveiling of Christopher Stills’s original artwork at the Belleview Inn, 1/17/19. www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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MARTINIS & MATISSE

1 The Clearwater Free Clinic held its signature fundraising event on Saturday, January 19, at FrankCrum in Clearwater. Over 800 attendees enjoyed tasty spirits, indulged in specialty creations crafted by local chefs, and perused unique donated pieces of art that went home with lucky winners of the lottery-style drawings.

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3 1 Susan Murbach, Jeannie Shapiro, Bruce Livingston, Nancy Ridenour and David Ridenour. 2 Edward Rose, Tom Doria, Tom Doria, Sr., and Lou Galdieri. 3 Kelly Lenz, Kurt Lenz, Katie Crum and Matt Crum. 4 Ellen Cotton and Kate Tiedemann.

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SUNCOAST HOSPICE BALL

1 The 18th Annual Suncoast Hospice Ball presented by Stahl Insurance was held February 2 at the Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg. More than 350 people enjoyed first-class accommodations to the stars for Destination Unknown, raising $312,000 for those with chronic or advanced illness or experiencing grief in our community.

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2 1 Linda Miller, Roxanne Connor and Marlana Posavec. 2 Betty and Chuck Oldanie. 3 Mark Hall; Kathy Rabon, vice president of philanthropy at Empath Health; and Rafael Scuillo, Empath Health president & CEO, at sponsor preparty. 4 Robert Stahl, Sandra Tottle, David Tottle, Brittany Stahl and Kathy Stahl. 5 Bob and Debi Balogh.

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5 www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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THE MUSE AWARDS

1 The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance held its 6th Annual MUSE Awards party on Feb. 8 at the Museum of Fine Arts, raising approximately $50,000 for SPAA programs. Honorees included Mark Aeling of MGA Sculpture Studio; bassist John Lamb; writer Sterling Watson; arts patrons Lisa and Perry Everett and Jennifer and Jeff Lovelady; and photographer Edel Mohr. Performers included Paul Wilborn, Eugenie Bondurant, the James Suggs Quartet, Becca McCoy and Sharon Scott. Photos by Scuderi Studios.

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1 St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman with some crazy art kids (from left): Morean Arts Center’s Roger Ross; Soft Water Studios’ Carrie Jadus; Maureen McDole of Keep St. Pete Lit; SPAA board member Helen French of St. Pete Dance Alliance/Beacon; and (mugging down front) Mark Aeling, MUSE Visual Artist 2019. 2 Yael Kelley painted as guests watched. 3 James Suggs and his quartet entertained the crowd. 4 The dance floor was packed. 5 U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist with Edel Mohr, winner of the MUSE Volunteer Recognition Award for her work on SPAA’s new book Murals in the Sunshine City.

PARTY

PEOPLE

CLEARWATER CHAMBER AWARDS DINNER

1 Over 500 members and guests celebrated the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce’s sold-out 97th Annual Meeting & Business of the Year Awards Dinner on January 24 at the Opal Sands Resort. Katie Cole of Hill Ward Henderson ceremonially passed the Chair’s gavel to Mike Sutton, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County, who will serve as the Chamber’s 2019 Chair. Ms. Debbie White received the 2019 Ms. Clearwater Award, presented by Katie Cole. Creative Contractors’ Alan C. Bomstein presented the Legendary Leadership award to Ambassador Al Hoffman, Jr.

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1 Celebrity Emcee Jenn Holloway of WFLA-8 helped 2018 Chamber Chair Katie Cole pass the gavel to the 2019 Chair, Mike Sutton. 2 Large Hospitality winner Peter Kreuziger of Bon Appetit and Chuck Warrington of Clearwater Gas System.

3 Fred Fisher, Ed Droste and former Mr. Clearwater Ken Hamilton. 4 The AchieveHERs Award was presented by Stephanie Schlageter of Radiance Medspa (left) to Stephanie Smith.

4 www.duPontREGISTRYtampabay.com

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BACK PAGE

By Thomas L. duPont

having fun while helping others

IT'S NOT ALL JUST ABOUT THE STRAWS!!!

L

ast October, a group of Clearwater Beach business operators and residents started an organization that began as a ripple and someday soon will be the equivalent of a tsunami........ a good tsunami: OCEAN ALLIES. This cooperative effort is not a crusade against polluters. Instead it seeks to incentivize businesses to become “ocean friendly,” particularly when it comes to the use of recyclables. They’ve established a criteria of being “ocean friendly certified” and created internal and external marketing materials for members plus established a co-op for finding the best deals on environmentally sound products.

Again, OCEAN ALLIES is obviously not a finger-pointing activist group. It is an organization that seeks to partner, educate and inspire. They believe in a strong connection between tourism and conservation with strategies to strengthen businesses while protecting the marine environment. “Developing an environmentally friendly destination is not only good for the environment, but good for business,” says David Yates , CEO of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and CEO/leader of Ocean Allies. Other leaders involved in this inspirational program are Sheri Heilman, founder, Jana Wiggins, chair of ocean friendly certification, Trish Rodriquez and Frank Chivas among others.

At the moment, OCEAN ALLIES is focusing on strengthening businesses on Clearwater Beach and educating them on how participation in eco-friendly marketing can benefit and increase their business. However, this movement can go mainstream and apply its mantra to businesses and residences throughout the Tampa Bay area. If you are interested and you should be, you could learn more about it at www.oceanallies.org. You can sign up and apply for certification; just contact Jana Wiggins for more information. You do not have to be a resident of Clearwater Beach.

Join this movement now and have your business and your home certified “ocean friendly” and inspire your neighborhood to become more conscious of their environmental responsibilities.

Remember: IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE STRAWS!

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