CRIMSON SAILS

An original play with music by Richard J. Budin. Taking place in an unnamed country in a world long ago, it follows the lives of a Prince and a young woman as they mature. This play was inspired by “Scarlett Sails,” a book by Russian author, Alexander Grin.

MARCH 23 -APRIL 2

Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 8 pm, Saturday and Sunday @ 2 pm

Catherine Hickman Theater 26th and Beach Boulevard South

Gulfport Street Paving When Will Gulfport Fix Ward IV Streets?

Question: When will Gulfport re-pave the streets, specifically, 54th [Street] and 19th [Avenue]? –JJ, Gulfport

Answer: According to Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls, the City of Gulfport has a plan.

“Great question! The city contracted five years ago to have all paved roads inspected and graded with a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating,” Nicholls told The Gabber. “The PCI rated the roads from

‘Excellent’ through ‘Very Poor’ and we have concentrated our annual paving budget on the roads in most need.

“To your specific question regarding 54th Street South and 19th Avenue South, we have this scheduled for the 2023-2024 budget year. The exact locations planned for re-paving in this area are 54th Street South, from 19th Avenue South to Gulfport Boulevard, and 19th Ave- nue South, from 52nd Street South to 58th Street South.

“City council has typically allocated $400,000 annually for re-paving, which allows for approximately two miles of paving.”

Do you have a question about something in your community? Send it to The Gabber, and we’ll do our best to get you the answer. Email your questions to news@thegabber.com.

One Woman. One Lens. Seven Continents.

Gulfport Photographer Jude Bagatti’s Hickman Exhibit

By Amanda Hagood

For Gulfport photographer Jude Bagatti, taking pictures isn’t about the camera – it’s about the eye.

“Everywhere you go,” she says, “look around you and behind you. Try to see beyond what is right in front of you.”

In her case, there has been a lot to see. Her show, Power Places, Sacred Spaces, and Unforgettable Faces is on display in the Hickman Theater Lobby through Mar. 31. It features 35 photographs from her journey through all seven continents.

Bagatti’s travels began with a trip to the Andes in the 1980s. This voyage is captured in a remarkable photograph of the “lost city” of Machu Picchu. “I was on a four-day trek along the Inca Trail,” she says. Upon arriving, she decided to climb just a bit further, scaling the iconic Huayna Picchu peak (known to hikers as the “Stairs of Death”) that towers over the ancient ruins. Turning back, she finally saw it: the famous walls and terraces, embraced by the lofty green and blue mountains, all framing a tiny line of pilgrims winding through the ruins below. Her picture.

“Patience is the other thing with photography,” she says. “Sometimes you have to let things fall into place.”

Gulfport Photographer Jude Bagatti’s A-Ha Moments

You could say that photography was in her blood. Growing up in New Jersey, Bagatti remembers her father transforming the family bathroom into a darkroom so he could process his own prints. She, too, has enjoyed photography as long as she can remember. But the idea of pursuing it as an art only came to her after a massage client – Bagatti is a licensed massage and reiki practitioner) saw a photo of hers hanging on the wall and wanted to buy it. “It was an ah-ha moment for me,” she says.

Many shows and two photography books later, she has finally accom- plished a longtime goal of traveling to all seven continents (that includes Antarctica!) and mounting a show that captures the incredible breadth of that experience.

There’s the “Bronze Lady,” an artfully composed look at the Statue of Liberty capturing the wavelike hem of her robes and the spiky corona of her crown. Bagatti took the shot just hours after she had finished running the New York City Marathon. A landscape shot shows Cape Town, South Africa, emerging like a silver mirage between the sea and Tabletop Mountain. A close up shows the hair-raising rows of teeth in the mouth of a barking Tasmanian Devil – a shot she waited about 20 minutes to capture.

One image of a giant peace sign painted like an American flag hung along winding path of trees and delightfully ramshackle furniture takes a moment to snap into recognition: Gulfport’s own Blueberry Patch. “I had to include it in the show!” Bagatti says with a grin.

One Last Look

If you’re noticing a theme of peregrination – what Bagatti would call “being adventuresome” – then you’re starting to tune in to this photographer’s artistic philosophy. Capturing the perfect image is just part of her larger avocation of seeking out the many shades of beauty and strangeness cast by the world. Whether it’s the deep-lined smile on the face of a Greenland seal hunter or the dance-like motion of two Greek soldiers at mid-salute, Bagatti’s work captures more than amazing sights. It captures a whole way of seeing.

And what more fitting emblem could there be than the image which greets visitors to the show: a profile of an Egyptian pyramid with a gauzy eye of Horus formed in clouds beside its peak. “I had taken pictures for hours and was about to leave,” she recounts. “Then I turned back for one last photograph, and there it was!”

“Patience, curiosity, a sense of adventure – I think that’s what good photography requires,” she says. “And just a little bit of luck!”

Power Places, Sacred Spaces, and Unforgettable Faces Catherine Hickman Theater lobby, 5501 27th Ave. S., Gulfport. Through Mar. 31: Mon.Thurs., 8 a.m.-4 p.m. mygulfport.us, 727-322-6211, or heyjudebagatti@ gmail.com

Pineapple Belongs on Pizza

Slice of Gulfport: Try the Pineapple Express

By Cameron Healy

Slice of Gulfport officially opened Feb. 22, serving a menu of specialty pizzas, salads, subs, wings, and dessert. With all of those fantastic options, I took a trip to taste what the pizzeria has to offer.

Owner John McLachlan said their two most popular pizzas share popularity: The Boca Ciega ultimate (pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black olives) tied with the white out pizza (alfredo sauce, topped with Wisconsin mozzarella, ricotta, and spinach) for “most ordered.”

McLachlan continued by stating the “build your pizza” placed second, which is followed by the pineapple express (ham, pineapple, Wisconsin mozzarella, and ricotta). Fourth place goes to the cauliflower gluten-free pizza.

Now, what I’m about to say may cause distress, but I ordered the pineapple express.

I know! I know! You might call me an animal, but I beg to differ.

This pizza had a mix of sweet but savory flavors from the combination of sliced pineapples and creamy ricotta cheese with small chunks of ham and red sauce. I say

“don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” My 10-inch pizza which was a perfect size for a small lunch. I enjoyed the thin, crunchy crust.

The pizza was ready in less than 20 minutes. As I waited, I tried one of their dessert options, the salted caramel brownie with pretzel crust. It was absolutely amazing. The brownie had a crumbly pretzel bottom with a sticky caramel and smooth chocolate fudge drizzle on the top.

I loved my little pineapple pizza for one and the brownie and definitely will continue to order from this family-owned pizzeria.

Slice of Gulfport, 1414 58th St. S, Gulfport. Tues.-Thurs., 1:30 p.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 727-329-8697, slicegulfport.com