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Tag: VOD

  • Cedar Key business owners, residents trying to get back to normal

    Cedar Key business owners, residents trying to get back to normal

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    TAMPA, Fla. — As Benjamin Iversen cleaned up the mud caked on the floor of his Cedar Key coffee shop, he said he’s trying to stay optimistic.

    Even though he mounted his refrigerators on milk cartons before the storm, that wasn’t enough to protect them from the three feet of water that flooded inside 1842 Daily Grind.

    What You Need To Know

    • Cedar Key residents are starting to return to the island to see the damage from Hurricane Idalia. 

    • Community members are helping each other clean up their businesses and homes.

    • Starting Friday, FEMA crews will be going door-to-door to help enroll people in assistance programs. 

    “With each piece of equipment I keep testing, it turns out I’m going to be needing to replace it,” Iversen said. “But in some way, shape or form, this weekend we’ll be back open for coffee and for some breakfast and lunch.”

    Iversen’s coffee shop is on 2nd Street, about two blocks from the water.

    There are many homes and businesses on the street, which saw a lot of flooding during the storm. Iversen stayed put in Cedar Key to ride out the storm. He didn’t want to risk not being able to get back on the island to fix his shop, but also to help his neighbors get back on their feet.

    “It’s just unbelievable,” Iversen said. “You see storms on the news and hear about these big hurricanes and stuff happening but living through it and experiencing one is just, it’s very humbling and also overwhelming.”

    Even though Iversen has to replace a few refrigerators, he’s confident his business – and the whole island – will make it through the storm.

    As residents return home to the damage Hurricane Idalia left behind, Iversen and his staff are welcoming them with free coffee, water and pastries – because that’s the Cedar Key way, Iversen said.

    “Friends, the community, family – you just have to lean on that and trust that everything will be OK,” he said.

    On Friday, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance crews will begin going door-to-door in Cedar Key and Yankeetown to help register people for assistance programs.

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    Brian Rea

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  • Citrus sheriff: ‘Never seen a dumpster floating down Highway 19’

    Citrus sheriff: ‘Never seen a dumpster floating down Highway 19’

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    CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — Air boats were used Wednesday to rescue dozens of people from high waters, as Citrus County continues to clean up after Hurricane Idalia.

    Sheriff Mike Prendergast said he saw things during the storm that he had never seen happen in Crystal River.

    “I’ve never seen a dumpster floating down Highway 19, but I saw two of those today,” he said.

    Angel Lockley and her family watched as the boats came in, one after another, rescuing stranded residents.

    “I’m glad that they’re safe now and hopefully their homes are not damaged,” Lockley said.

    Use the video player above to watch Fallon Silcox’s full report.

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • Braving the roads, helping others in Palm Harbor

    Braving the roads, helping others in Palm Harbor

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    PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A number of Pinellas County residents spent their day driving around flooded neighborhoods and checking on people who stuck around for Idalia.

    Frank Furman was one of those on a mission Wednesday, and he allowed Spectrum Bay News 9 to join him for a ride-along.

    Use the video above to watch Jeff Van Sant’s report.

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    Jeff Van Sant

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  • Idalia lashes Citrus County with winds and heavy rain

    Idalia lashes Citrus County with winds and heavy rain

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    CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — It started with a blast of wind-driven rain at 6 a.m.

    An inner rain band of Hurricane Idalia lashed Kings Bay in Crystal River late Tuesday, pushing the first of feet of storm surge toward land.

    What You Need To Know

    • Citrus County residents and business owners dealt with pounding winds and rising rain levels from Idalia

    • Idalia lashed Kings Bay in Crystal River late Tuesday and into Wednesday

    • LIVE UPDATES: Aftermath of Idalia in Tampa Bay

    That surge continued to rise Wednesday, knocking on the door of neighborhoods and dozens of small town businesses.

    “This water has risen in an hour from walking back there to up to your waste,” said Marty Hoffman, whose son works on commercial fishing boats in Crystal River. He came to try and help workers from losing the boats as the surge quickly pushed in.

    “There’s four commercial fishing boats back there that they are trying to keep from floating into buildings,” he said.

    Away from the docks, there’s water where it’s not supposed to be.

    Meanwhile, along the North Citrus Avenue shopping district, businesses owners threatened by rising water could only watch Wednesday afternoon, waiting to see how long the inshore winds will push water in.

    Aside from the storm surge, more than 3,000 power outages are being reported.

    And at least one fire was reported, an electrical fire, potentially due to storm surge.

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    Jason Lanning

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  • Largo designer uses unique raw materials for corsets in Dunedin runway show

    Largo designer uses unique raw materials for corsets in Dunedin runway show

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    DUNEDIN, Fla. — They stand behind a low, wide table filled with fanciful pieces of honeycombed wood, dyed leather, cork and copper leaf, all for corsets.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Kelli-Lynn Luckey makes corsets

    •  They will show off their wares at the Wearable Art 17 show on Saturday, August 26 at the Dunedin Fine Art Center

    •  Luckey enjoys playing with color schemes

    Kelli-Lynn Luckey is a corset maker under the name Artemis and Aphrodite.

    “I think I made my first one when I was 12 with my grandma,” Luckey said..

    Since then, Luckey pushed the boundaries of this article of clothing right into Wearable Art 17, the annual all-out art fashion show at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center. The theme for their look: “Enchanted Forest.”

    “I started all these in January, so it’s been a long process to get here,” said Luckey.

    That’s because they costume down to eye color — the models are wearing white contacts.

    “It’s beautiful, but it’s like, haunting,” said Luckey.

    And if the wigs match the aesthetic and the model perfectly, it’s because Luckey made those too.

    “I am a hairstylist and barber by trade,” they said.

    So of course, it only makes sense they would dye their own clothes. They tell us this while showing us a rack of clothing that will accent their corsets. It’s filled with the gauzy, delicate tops modeled on the photo shoot.

    “I just had such a specific color scheme in mind,” said Luckey of their green and soft pinkish hues. “And I really like the distressed look that comes with hand dying as well.”

    Luckey will complete a dozen corsets, using various mediums, like wood, leather and cork. And they’ll finish up a few ornamental exoskeletons as well.

    Luckey says they can create these supportive garments because of the support they’ve received from other artists and crafts persons, especially people at MakerSpace Pinellas, Tandy Leather, Whole Aveda and Del Favero Oasis.

    “So there’s really a whole team, behind me, helping me and inspiring me along the way,” said Luckey.

    And they’’ll be taking them all down the runway with them to Wearable Art 17.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • One last hurrah for Legoland Florida’s Flight School coaster

    One last hurrah for Legoland Florida’s Flight School coaster

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Wednesday is National Roller Coaster Day, or — as we like to think of it in theme park-laden Florida — every day.

    What You Need To Know

    • Wednesday is National Roller Coaster Day — and the last day anyone will be able to ride the Flying School coaster at Legoland Florida
    • The coaster was the first opened at the park when it opened 11 years ago

    • Legoland Florida President Frank Idris did not released any details about what will come next for the park, other than to say it may be one of the  biggest investments in its history

    The year will be a bittersweet celebration at Legoland Florida, though, as the 11 year-old park is retiring one of its oldest rides — The Flying School Coaster — at the end of National Rollercoaster Day.

    Legoland Florida President Frank Idris has been pretty tight-lipped about what will come next for the park, but did tease at the scope of it.

    “I can’t tell you specifically what we will be doing, but (it is) probably the biggest investment this part has made since its inception, since we opened,” he said.

    So far, Legoland has added rides, hotels and a water park since opening in late 2011 — in addition to the Peppa Pig Theme Park, which opened next door in February of 2022.

    Back at the Flying School Coaster, Bella Deonandan — a queen from Queens who was at the park celebrating her 10th birthday — is waiting to ride.

    Like a lot of kids who show up at Legoland, Deonandan says she’s a creator.

    “I like to build a lot of different things like cars,” she said. “A bunch of Lego cars and a couple engines.”

    She says she doesn’t mind switching vehicles and taking flight — it’s the unknown that Deonandan likes.

    “You don’t know what’s coming, so that’s why it’s really, really fun,” she said.

    Deonandan and her family will be some of the last people learning to fly on the Flying School coaster.

    The coaster flight time is just over a minute with twisty fun and no upside-down fear, and a top speed of 26 mph.

    “It’s like when you start it’s really slow, but when you get up there, it’s really, really fast.,” Deonandan said, pointing to the first hill the coaster climbs.

    Deonandan said this is good practice for next step in her coaster career — which she says will include the faster, bigger, flippier ones.

    “The smaller ones were the start and the big ones are the ending,” she said.

    According to patriarch and coaster enthusiast Kevin Sookra, this is a family goal.

    “I grew up on roller coasters so it’s pretty fun,” he said. “It was my smallest daughter’s (Riya’s) first time, so you guys actually got that on video, so it’s pretty cool. She’s not like her mom — she likes to go on all the rides, and so I love it.”

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Summer Circus Spectacular in final week of 18th annual show

    Summer Circus Spectacular in final week of 18th annual show

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    SARASOTA, Fla. — Before the lights. Before the cheers. Before the performance — it’s a quiet stage and an empty house.

    What You Need To Know

    • Summer Circus Spectacular continues through Saturday, Aug. 12

    • One-hour show filled with circus arts

    • 18th year at the Historical Asolo Theater at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota 

    • Created by Pedro Reis, founder and CEO of the Circus Arts Conservatory

    Tersit Dersu is the opening act for the Summer Circus Spectacular at the Historic Asolo Theater at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota.

    Dersu warms up by softly bouncing balls off a clear apparatus that she and the crew wheeled on stage.

    “Juggling is practice and patience,” she said.

    Dersu adds more balls to the flow, creating a double two-bounce roundabout of a circle whirring of white.

    She said she knew at 15 that she was destined to perform.

    “It’s been like 10 years of practicing,” she said.

    “Circus makes the impossible possible,” said Pedro Reis, the founder and CEO of the Circus Arts Conservatory. “They’re juggling. There’s aerial, there’s grace. It’s a combination of movement and dance.”

    Reis started the show after retiring from his own international adventures on the high wire.

    Dersu’s performance skills have taken her from her native Ethiopia to stages around the world.

    “You do what you love, you travel,” she said.

    Dersu said meeting and working with people from different countries and cultures has been amazing.

    “I love my job,” she said.

    And when she does her job, the crowd — they love it too. 

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • OCM director talks marijuana market – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    OCM director talks marijuana market – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    Last week, the state’s Cannabis Control Board issued 212 operating licenses for adult use cannabis dispensaries.

    While New York has issued 463 legal licenses across the state, there are only a handful of brick-and-mortar operations up and running.

    Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to strengthen the emerging legal market by cracking down on unlicensed vendors through harsher fines and even store closures for repeat offenders.

    Chris Alexander, executive director of the State Office of Cannabis Management, joined NY1 political reporter Bobby Cuza on “Inside City Hall” Friday to discuss more.

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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    MMP News Author

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  • Fairgrounds St. Pete introduces new monthly ‘Art After Dark’ event

    Fairgrounds St. Pete introduces new monthly ‘Art After Dark’ event

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When you step inside Fairgrounds St. Pete, Florida’s culture and history comes to life through art, soundscapes and even smells. The immersive art and technology museum has started a new monthly event to showcase the work of local artists and give visitors a whole new experience.

    What You Need To Know

    • Fairgrounds St. Pete is starting a new monthly event to give visitors a whole new experience. 

    • “Art After Dark” will feature immersive art, live music, drink specials and an artist talk.

    • The event will take place on the third Friday of every month.

    On the third Friday of every month, Fairgrounds will host “Art After Dark.” The event invites guests to socialize and learn more about the artists’ work and process.

    “We want them to feel as immersed as possible, and just bringing different sources of art to this central hub with music, with the artist talk, with just a little party vibe,” said Sarah Hardin, digital marketing and content manager for Fairgrounds St. Pete.

    The museum kicked off its new event while unveiling a new piece of art by local artist Paul LeRoy Gehres.

    “I just want to bring joy,” Gehres said. “I want to bring joy and teach art history, really. You know, teach people about artists of the past and generate interest.”

    Gehres goes by many pseduonyms. At “Art After Dark” he’s Lucky LeRoy, dressed up as Andy Warhol to show off his new installation. 

    “The story is that Andy Warhol came to Florida in the seventies to save art deco,” LeRoy said. “They were going to tear down the art deco hotels in Miami and they brought Andy Warhol to bring attention to the cause.”

    LeRoy’s installation is part of the Floridarama exhibit. Each diorama tells a different story about Florida’s culture and history. It’s easy to pick out LeRoy’s piece because it’s different than the others — but you’ll have to take a peek inside to get the full picture. 

    “It sort of flashes at you, so it’s like ‘What’s that flashing light over there?,’” LeRoy said. “To me, that’s the paparazzi. And then you run over to look in the Floridarama and then Andy Warhol is taking a picture of you.”

    LeRoy said his goal is to make everyone feel like a celebrity for just a moment, all while teaching them about one of his own artistic heroes. 

    The next “Art After Dark” will take place on Aug. 18 from 7-9 p.m. Click here for more information and to purcahse tickets. 

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    Brian Rea

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  • Some businesses struggling to obtain legal marijuana license – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Some businesses struggling to obtain legal marijuana license – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    After the long battle for businesses in the Finger Lakes region to be able to apply for marijuana licenses, some are still waiting for their time to come.

    FingerLakes Cannabis Company co-owners Mark Byassee and Tim Hay decided to get into the cannabis industry more than two years ago.

    “I had an illness. He went through an accident. It was during the COVID time period and we were both in sales jobs,” Byassee said.

    They saw it as an opportunity to do something they enjoyed, but getting into the industry has been harder than they first imagined.

    “Cannabis became legal and Mark and I thought that this would be relatively pretty quick,” Hay said. “They would issue licenses. We’d put an application in. They’d issue licenses and we’d be able to start selling recreational cannabis. It hasn’t been like that.”

    Business owners like Byassee and Hay had to go through the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, which made sure applicants for a card license followed protocols like securing a location, getting approval from local municipalities and that the dispensary is at least 30% owned by a justice-involved individual or someone with a marijuana conviction.

    “We checked off all those boxes and are currently still waiting for a license,” Hay said.

    Despite every effort, they say they were not granted a license. Then the process was delayed because of a lawsuit filed by another company also denied approval by the state.

    Byassee claims “because he wanted a…

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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    MMP News Author

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  • 5 things to know about Escapology

    5 things to know about Escapology

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    Escapology is touted as the fastest-growing escape room company in the world and Central Florida just got a brand new one.

    1. Escapology — founded in 2014 — has nearly 75 locations, including internationally.  
    2. Locally, there’s already one on International Drive in Orlando. But the newest one is at the Promenade at Sunset Walk in Kissimmee.
    3. This Escapology (3259 Margaritaville Blvd., Kissimmee) has eight themed rooms, including one licensed from the Agatha Christie Estate back in the United Kingdom.
    4. The new game is Batman-themed. The control room is described as super slick and hi-tech. It looks like a television station control room with monitors everywhere.
    5. The Promenade at Sunset Walk has more than two dozen unique restaurants and retails shops (including a brand new Friday night dueling piano show at The Wharf). You park for free, including for your gaming experience at Escapology.  

     

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    Allison Walker

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  • Come face to face with dinosaurs at Jurassic Quest in Tampa

    Come face to face with dinosaurs at Jurassic Quest in Tampa

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    TAMPA, Fla. — If you’ve ever wanted to get up and close and personal with a dinosaur, now is your chance. The creatures that once roamed the Earth millions of years ago are finding home in Tampa this weekend and next – in animatronic form, of course. 

    What You Need To Know

    •  Jurassic Quest will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds this weekend and July 28-30

    •  The traveling exhibit features dozens of true-to-size, animatronic dinosaurs

    •  There are activities for kids of all ages, including a fossil dig, bounce houses and an interactive challenge

    As a kid, Brianna Broussard loved dinosaurs, so when she saw an opportunity to work with her favorite creature, there was no question. 

    Broussard has been traveling with Jurassic Quest for the last year. As a dino trainer, she spends her days wrangling the baby dinosaurs at the exhibit. 

    “I feed them, I take care of them,” Broussard said. “I teach them new tricks, of course with the help of the kiddos my new certified dinosaur trainers. I make sure that they are transported OK — these are live dinosaurs, so we’ve got to make sure that they’re transported, safe and nice.”

    Baby dinos are just the start of what you’ll find at Jurassic Quest. As you walk through the exhibit, dozens of lifelike, animoatronic dinosaurs tower over you, documenting millions of years of history. You can also ride a dino, dig for fossils and participate in an interactive challenge.

    Dinosaur expert Park Ranger Marty Hoffman said the goal of the exhibit is to entertain and educate.

    “I always call dinosaurs the ‘gateway science’ because if your kid is into dinosaurs, all of a sudden they’re learning about biology, astronomy and geology,” Hoffman said. “They’re learning all these different things just because they think dinosaurs are cool.”

    The experience is meant for the whole family. Broussard said she hopes everyone leaves with a new appreciation for the prehistoric creatures. 

    “I want them to walk away of course with memories,” she said. “Here at Jurassic Quest we’re enriching, we’re immersive, this is an environment where kids can really blossom and explore all their creative sides with dinosaurs. I just want everyone to walk away with fun, long-lasting memories of course.”

    Jurassic Quest will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds this weekend and July 28-30. Organizers recommend buying tickets ahead of time online, but they can also be purchased at the door. Admission is free for children under 2.

    For more information, visit the Jurassic Quest website.

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    Brian Rea

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  • Dunedin artists to give live arts show demos in pastel on black paper

    Dunedin artists to give live arts show demos in pastel on black paper

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    The 34th Professional Association of Visual Artists Cool Art Show offers live art demonstrations at St. Pete Coliseum Art as an act of fun.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Working women dignified by Riverview photographer

    Working women dignified by Riverview photographer

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Angelika Kollin is standing barefoot in front of a residential building, adjusting the angle of Elliot Kingsley’s head as she stands in the bright sunshine in a wedding dress.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida Museum of Photographic Art’s latest exhibition is at Tampa International Airport through August 18

    • Angelika Kollin is the Winner of 12th International Photography Competition

    • Kollin photographs domestic workers with golden halo-like circles behind them

    • FMOPA plans a new home in Ybor City to open this summer

    Kingsley was a person Kollin met while they were at work as a Riverview barista. Kollin takes pictures of the people she meets at work.

    The Estonian native and Riverview resident won the 12th International Photography Competition at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa.

    Kollin took the award-winning picture in Cape Town, South Africa, of an immigrant day laborer named Lucy, with the look of a halo behind her and a broom in her hands. It’s part of a series where she adds a painted, gold, halo-like circle behind domestic workers.

    She says their demeanor changes as they recognized the worth in themselves. They stand up taller.

    She’s photographed people on three continents.

    “We are all participants in every story. We can all find some points in it that either resonate or bring something up in us,” she said.

    All this is thanks to the collapse of communism. Her family emigrated to Germany from Estonia in 1991. She was 15 when she got her first camera, and she tried to keep her gear simple.

    “In my opinion, it’s really, truly not about the camera,” said Kollin.

    It’s about the bond between the photographer and her subject. A bond has a bride-to-be happily posing in 90-degree weather on the side of a townhome. That’s what produces the art.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Bay Area Youth Wind Band Alumni reunite for Summer Breeze concert

    Bay Area Youth Wind Band Alumni reunite for Summer Breeze concert

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    TAMPA, Fla. — It’s the last rehearsal for Francisco Quixtan and his fellow alumni from the Bay Area Youth Wind Band before their annual reunion concert.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida Wind Band and Summer Breeze concert: July 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Carrollwood Village Park, Tampa
    • Florida Wind Band concert: July 2, 6 p.m. at Palma Cela Presbyterian Church, Tampa
    • Francisco Quixtan is among the Bay Area Youth Wind Band alumni that will be performing in the Summer Breeze concert

    “I was one of the first to join this group in 2012. I was a senior in high school,” said Quixtan.

    The band welcomes back the best middle and high school wind musicians in the Tampa Bay area as Summer Breeze, under conductor and founder Dr. Matthew McCutchen, who is also the University of South Florida’s Director of Bands.

    And there is another concert that involves a flow of different instruments.

    “So the wind band is made of all woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, so we don’t involve any string instruments,” said Tony Negron, executive director of the Florida Wind Band. “And so they are going to see two different ensembles — the first is going to be the Summer Breeze group, which is the Alumni for Bay Area Youth Winds, and then the second group that they’re going to see is the Florida Wind Band, which is the professional ensemble.”

    While some of these musicians only pick up their instruments once a year for this ongoing tradition, others never let it go.

    “I play the clarinet. I’ve been playing since fifth grade, then went to college, got a degree in Music Education and Performance. I love music so much,” Quixtan said.

    As for his current work?

    “I’m an orchestra high school director,” Quixtan said. “I’m also a conductor, a community band conductor and a professional musician.”

    With such a full plate, why come back every year? To be surrounded by people from different walks of life, in different stages of life, brought together by the music of life.

    “People that just want to do this because they love it,” he said.

    The Florida Wind Band and Summer Breeze concert will be held on July 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Carrollwood Village Park in Tampa.

    And the Florida Wind Band will have another concert that will be held on July 2 at 6 p.m. at Palma Cela Presbyterian Church in Tampa.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Saxophonist offers training, advice for teen musicians

    Saxophonist offers training, advice for teen musicians

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    TAMPA, Fla. — It’s Day one of a Jazz Intensive Workshop at the Patel Conservatory. There are trombones, a piano player named Zion, trumpets and laughter.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Jazz Intensive Workshop will end in a Jazz Intensive Showcase at the Straz Center

    • It will take place on Saturday, June 10 at 7 p.m. and cost $18.75

    • The teacher has been playing for years, and enjoys sharing his expertise

    By week’s end, this group of teens plan to perform at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, under the ear of Matthew Weihmuller.

    “Evan, don’t be afraid to play out, man,” said Weihmuller to one student. “You sound great on the keys, man,” to another.

    The professional saxophone player has been teaching students at the Pate about a decade.

    “It’s really always been my passion that I think the way to really continue the art of playing jazz is through the youth of today and student,” said Weihmuller.

    Blind from birth, it’s Weihmuller’s literacy in Braille Music that connects his world and his pupils.

    “I’ve had to teach how to read music to sighted individuals, which would be impossible without the Braille Music,” said Weihmuller.

    It basically levels the playing field for Weihmuller as an instructor. When he himself is performing—it’s not the same.

    “The only difference is I have to memorize everything,” said Weihmuller. Something he’s been doing since middle school.

    “Well, I have to say, where there’s a will, there’s a way,” said Weihmuller about his advice for others dreaming of life as a musician.

    Weihmuller encourages the next generation to surround themselves with the professionals of the trade.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Inaugural ASL Festival Saturday at St. Pete’s Coastal Creative

    Inaugural ASL Festival Saturday at St. Pete’s Coastal Creative

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    WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Stella Jimenez Castro of Stella’s Jewelry and Embroidery leads with love, literally. It’s on her shirt — surrounded by a heart.

    What You Need To Know

    •  The American Sign Language Festival in St. Pete will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

    • The free event will take place at Coastal Creative, 2201 1st Ave. S

    • Organizers say it will feature art, advocacy groups, and an evening poetry slam

    Her just-finished dangling earrings are the American Sign Language sign for “I love you.”

    “People ask me all the time and they learn something new,” she said.

    Jimenez Castro told Spectrum News through bi-lingual volunteer interpreter James Maucere that she grew up deaf in Columbia and she had to learn things by seeing them through designs, painting, and making jewelry. She says that’s how she saw the world.

    She will be participating in the American Sign Language Festival in St. Pete Saturday. The free event is being held from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

    “It’s great to show hearing people about deaf culture,” said Jimenez Castro. “It tells hearing people that deaf people can do it too.”

    Organizer Tony Maucere says he hopes that hearing people won’t be afraid to attend.

    He said the festival will have vendors, deaf advocacy groups and entertainment.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • USF Botanical Gardens host to Summer Plant Festival

    USF Botanical Gardens host to Summer Plant Festival

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Plant parents, heads up — we’ve got an upcoming event you might dig.


    It’s the University of South Florida Botanical Gardens Summer Plant Festival in Tampa. The festival is one of the Botanical Gardens’ three major fundraisers each year.

    And it’s where Spectrum News met their director Craig Huegel, planting in the fern area of the garden.

    Huegel says he has always loved plants.

    “My very first memory is messing around with some black raspberries in the back yard,” he said, explaining that his parents always gave him part of their Wisconsin garden plot for his own plants.

    So it makes sense he’s the boss of all 18 acres on the corner of the USF campus off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and East Fowler Avenue.

    To help with the evolving green space, the USF Botanical Gardens offers their Summer Festival.

    There is an outside area, as well as two greenhouses filled with plants — some grown from seed and others propagated.

    There are native plants, loved by pollinators, as well as unique ones.

    “Mostly what we’ve been trying to do is grow things, collect things for sale that aren’t available in most — if any — nurseries in the area,” said Huegel.

    And the commonly known plants like a monstera adansonii — the climbing Swiss cheese plant — are handsomely priced.

    (This plant weirdo has seen similarly sized plants for more than twice the USF Botanical Gardens prices.)

    So people can come for the prices and plant species, and then hang out with some of their own.

    “Well, plant people gravitate towards plant people,” said Heugel, with a chuckle. “So you’ll have somebody you can talk to about your passion or disease whatever it is it just makes it a lot more fun.”

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • AKC All Breeds Dog show brings obscure canines

    AKC All Breeds Dog show brings obscure canines

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    TAMPA, Fla. — “Now is the time people start to get nervous — now is the time the anxiety starts building up,” said Aaron Wilkerson as he explains the walk to the show ring at a dog show.

    What You Need To Know

    •  The AKC All Breed Dog Show will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday

    •  Officials say about 1,000 dogs are showing a day, and they expect 2,000 on Saturday

    • Handler Aaron Wilkerson recalls Best in Show moment

    Wilkerson, a veteran dog handler, says he doesn’t really get nervous anymore.

    “Now it’s just the fun, now it’s just the fun part,” said Wilkerson, lining up a golden retriever into the competition zone at the AKC All Breed Dog at the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The show started on Wednesday and runs through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    For the golden girl he’s leading, preps started more than an hour ago with her hair. Her name is Sassy and she is competing as an open bitch golden retriever.

    Wilkerson said that the flatter the hairdo, the better Sassy’s body structure shows for the judges.

    “She shows every weekend, so her hair is pretty trained,” he said.

    Wilkerson usually uses chicken meat to treat his dogs in the ring, but now it’s beef heart, thanks to a vendor buddy at the show.

    Hair and treats down, Wilkerson is getting the dog into her show time routine, just as he has his own routine down pat.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Unique architecture helped hotel transform Tampa skyline

    Unique architecture helped hotel transform Tampa skyline

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Richard Ellis has been studying Orientalist Architecture for as long as he’s lived in Tampa.

    What You Need To Know

    • “Imagined East—Decorative Art and the Imperial Gaze”

    • Plant Museum’s look at Orientalism from minarets to table service in the Tampa Bay Hotel

    • Henry B. Plant traveled world and filled hotel with global furnishings on display through August 20th

    • The Henry B. Plant Museum resides inside Plant Hall, the former Tampa Bay Hotel, now part of the University of Tampa

    “I’ve been in the city for a decade and so looking around at these familiar places from a vantage point is really refreshing,” said Ellis.

    This is his first time he’s been inside a minaret at the former Tampa Bay Hotel, which is now Plant Hall at the University of Tampa. It’s 10 stories off the ground.

    “It was built in the style of Islamic architecture because that style was associated with supreme luxury,” said Ellis.

    The hotel was completed in 1891.

    A teacher of Art History, Ellis helped interpret the Henry B. Plant Museum’s latest exhibition– “Imagined East—Decorative Art and the Imperial Gaze.

    Railroad magnate Henry B. Plant traveled the world and brought back international treasures for the hotel. One of the pieces on display is a painting of the Alcazar of Seville in Spain.

    “Alcazar is Arabic– it means the castle,” said Ellis, explaining how the building bears similarities to Plant Hall. “We might see some elements in the kind of gingerbread trimming on the veranda out here that are trying to evoke the very intricately carved stucco arches and soffits here in this courtyard.”

    The table service depicted places like Taj Mahal in India and was all for imperialistic bragging rights.

    “And of course, that was property of the British Empire at that point in the 19th Century so sort of a way a causally displaying the realms,” said Ellis.

    The realm of the minarets is 10 stories off the ground. They’re wood covered with metal structure, which is a convention from mosque architecture also seen in Europe, but something Ellis has only seen in books. Now he is sitting inside one- a cool breeze blowing, the water in view.

    “It’s very surreal and of course being an educator at the university it’s a wonderful moment,” said Ellis.

    The minarets have watched all in its sight grow up around them. They are how the Tampa skyline began. Enjoy the exhibition on Orientalism through August 20th.

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    Virginia Johnson

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