Green Bench Monthly - Vol 2, Issue 2, February 2017

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Cristina Juska Nadine Maas Pam Sica

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Paying Tribute To community leader Vyrle Davis

Amy Beeman Nicole Brand Luke Cross Jadyn Gonzales Jack Spinrad Alan Venable

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St. Pete High School The early years and lasting traditions

Contributors

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MLK Day “A Day On, Not A Day Off”

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Editors

Inside this issue

Photo Credits

Cover and photos for Black Crow and Strategic Tax

by Kelly Nash Photography

Publishers

Ashley & Tony Sica

Contact

PO BOX 76095 St. Petersburg, FL 33734 (727) 280-5406 info@greenbenchmonthly.com Direct-mailed to 15,500 homes in zip codes 33701, 33704 and 33713.

Neighborhoods included in our mailing:

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Strategic Tax Helps you keep more 14 of your money

Black Crow Community, art and coffee

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PB & Jelly Deli Spreading love & community, one sandwich at a time

Local Artist Spotlight Featuring Perry deVick:

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Allendale Park, Allendale Terrace, Crescent Heights, Crescent Lake, Downtown, Euclid-St. Paul, Five Points, Greater Woodlawn, Historic Kenwood, Historic Old Northeast, Magnolia Heights, North East Park, Snell Isle, & Woodlawn

Proud member of:

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Community Events & Local Happenings

Pictured below: Rough Around The Edges, Oil on Canvas 30”x24”

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Paying Tribute to Vyrle Davis In Honor of Black History Month Mr. Vyrle Davis was the kind of man teachers learned from. The kind of man who told his students to sit up straight; and everyone listened. The kind of man who told racists, “Bring it on. I’ll be there.” With an undying commitment to enriching the experience of African American students, he did just all this and then some. He touched the lives of everyone he met.

Born in Tampa, he began his career as a public-school teacher. Moving up the ranks, he became Assistant Principal at Gibbs High School, and later the first African American appointed to lead what had once been an all-white school— ”Old St. Pete High”. Davis later became Operations Director for Pinellas County Schools and was subsequently promoted to serve as the First African American Area School Superintendent in 1986, a position he held until his retirement in 1995.

In addition to the monumental steps

he took to improve the education system, he co-founded the African-American Voters Registration Education Committee and the Concerned Organization for Quality Education for Black Students.

Davis also championed single-member political districts for both the Pinellas County School Board and the County Commission. In 2011, he was honored with The Regional Chancellor’s Award for Civic Leadership.

The community as a whole, has a lot to thank Mr. Davis for. In the Tampa Bay Times, Deputy Mayor, Dr. Kanika Tomalin was quoted as saying, “Vyrle Davis reached out, and Vyrle Davis made a difference”.

I think it’s safe to say we all aspire to be more like Vyrle Davis.

See more examples of people reaching out and making a difference on pg. 9 Spreading Love & Community and MLK Day by Nicole Brand on pg. 10.

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In 2013, St. Petersburg High School dedicated the Media Building to Mr. Davis and hung this commemorative plaque in his honor.

After Ralph Reed yelled, “Go, you green devil, go!” at a player clad in green and white, the school’s mascot was born. location near Central Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets.

As St. Pete’s population grew and grew, the school needed to expand, as well. In December of 1894, a new $7,000 facility debuted. The facility, initially called the Graded School, was a two-story building with seven rooms. It officially became St. Petersburg High School in 1898; and by 1901, the school had graduated its first student, Annie Bradshaw.

Her graduation spurred St. Pete High’s lasting school spirit.

The school soon adopted its colors of green and white in 1908, and began to offer more sports to athletes in the following years. Additionally, the school’s football team SPHS Photo Credit: Ebyabe, Wikimedia Commons (formerly the Saints) adopted today’s name of the Green Devils. After Executive Director of the Pinellas County Historical Commission Ralph Reed yelled, “Go, you green devil, go!” at a player clad in green and white, the school’s mascot was born.

Stories like this have helped to cultivate St. Pete High’s lively personality from the early

by Jadyn Gonzales days of the school. Even The Palmetto and Pine, the school’s student newspaper, often Today, St. Petersburg High by a railroad stop, with small a featured quirky jokes, such as, School is a bustling campus of fishing industry. nearly 2,300 students. It is well The school humbly began in “Save your pity, I have a dog that known for its stately building, 1888 with 29 students in a rural, growls, a parrot that swears, a its many peculiar traditions, one-room schoolhouse referred lamp that smokes, and a cat that stays out late at night. So, what and the students’ fierce pride to only as School Number 83. do I need a husband for?” and school spirit. The school’s Through increased use of the The student body loved to extensive history began with railroad and the growth of the promote its sense of community the history of St. Petersburg fishing industry, St. Petersburg as well. Students even created itself. Though today the city of became an official town. By the Bobbed Hair Club and the St. Pete is large and diverse, it 1892, the tiny school taught Lard Head Club in the early was once just a little settlement a student body of 74 in its

St. Pete High School The Early Years and Lasting Traditions

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1920s to show off their favorite trends of the era. The ‘20s also brought about a physical expansion of the school. In 1926, a one-million dollar school facility, designed by William B. Ittner, was opened and dedicated, thanks to the efforts of the Superintendent of St. Petersburg Public Schools George M. Lynch. The Palmetto and Pine stated after the building’s opening, “It is an inspiration to walk toward it...to see the sun on the redtiled roof. Inside, one is almost lost at first.” The now-famous Green Devil pride continues to thrive in this beautiful, Mediterranean-style structure on Fifth Avenue North and 27th Street today.

The new facility opened up many opportunities for students. The tennis courts, baseball field and football field created official homes for the athletic programs. The “enormous auditorium with a stage as large as those in the greatest theaters in the world” hosted productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the Public Speaking Club and Successful Calamity from the Drama Club. By 1928, the school’s musicians had composed the Alma Mater. The lyrics were written by a former teacher, Margaret Sue Burney, and speak to the school building itself and its generations of students in the words, “Time will not change you; your spirit will never die.”

The Alma Mater’s words remain true to 2017’s St. Pete

greenbenchmonthly.com Photo Credit: Florida Memory State Library and Archives of Florida

Photo Credit: James G. Howes, Wikimedia Commons

High. Students still avoid stepping on the image of their Green Devil mascot on the floor of the main hallway. The student body still proudly sports its colors of green and white at football games. Many enjoy lunch in the Junior and Senior Courtyards, with underclassmen traditionally remaining in the Junior Courtyard and upperclassmen in the Senior. Students’ birthdays are celebrated with laundry baskets of junk food that they carry through the halls. Teachers, with the help of upperclassmen, pass along infamous ghost stories of the building.

From its humble beginnings as a one-room schoolhouse to the large campus it encompasses in 2017, St. Pete High’s history lives on through tradition and pride in the school that was born with its city.

Jadyn Gonzales is currently a sophomore in the St. Petersburg High School International Baccalaureate program.

Photo credit: Ebyabe, Wikimedia Commons

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Keep More of Your Money with the Help of Strategic Tax and Finance Services

by Amy Beeman

Middle-income folks can benefit, as well. If they take children to child care while they work, we can show them how to get the greatest benefit from daycare expenses. Retirement contributions come into play here, as well.”

Alternately, he says, “Higher income taxpayers have more ways to drive down their tax liability. This is because they may be paying alternative minimum tax, net investment income tax or the ACA Medicare tax. If we can get someone into a lower marginal tax bracket, then their tax savings will be large.”

Butt says that a big difference between working with a tax professional versus doing David Butt, EA taxes through something like Lately people are divided on so many issues, but one thing we TurboTax is that a software can surely all agree on is that we like to hang on to our money. package isn’t going to conduct With tax season in full swing, David Butt, EA, owner of Strategic a thorough interview and learn Tax and Financial Services, can help people from all types of tax about all the factors in anyone’s brackets find deductions and create sound strategies that will lower unique situation. Just filling in their tax liability, saving them money when April rolls around. the blanks is not a proactive way For the last three years, Butt has served clients out of his to save the most money.

Kenwood office, but he’s been working with people in the Tampa Bay Strategic Tax and Financial Area on their tax-related needs for 17 years, becoming a licensed Services offers several other Enrolled Agent (EA) in 2007. services to ensure their clients “Enrolled Agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards,” get the most out of different according to IRS.gov. Enrolled Agents have “earned the privilege of types of financial scenarios, representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by either not just at tax time. Whether a client needs assistance with bookkeeping, payroll or business “Everyone’s tax situation is different. It’s not just consulting; IRS representation people who make a lot of money who benefit from tax in the case of an audit; or if they planning. Middle-income folks can benefit, as well.” want to plan their retirement or need help with Estate and Trust - David Butt, EA tax preparation, among many other services, Butt and his team create long-term plans for passing a three-part, comprehensive IRS test covering individual maximum results. and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS “If the taxpayer is inheriting employee. Individuals who obtain this elite status must adhere to a home or other assets, we can ethical standards and complete 72 hours of continuing education go over how their taxes will be courses every three years.” Butt’s extensive expertise means that he affected when they sell these understands the ins and outs of what, to many, is a daunting and confusing task. assets,” says Butt. “If someone “Everyone’s tax situation is different,” he says. “It’s not just is purchasing a home for the people who make a lot of money who benefit from tax planning. first time or going to college 8

(taxpayer or children), then there are ways to lower their taxes. Someone getting a tax break in the middle class will save a larger percentage of their income than someone making a larger income. If the taxpayer is in a lower marginal tax bracket and they have an IRA, we can talk about converting some of it to a Roth IRA and how that will affect their taxes.”

TurboTax probably isn’t going to tell you all that, but David Butt will. He will also guide his clients through the following scenarios: “If the taxpayer is selfemployed, then we can see if they need to delay or accelerate income based on the current year income projections,” he says. “The same thing can be done with expenses. We can see if hiring a family member in the business is a good idea, either a spouse or children. Hiring children and starting retirement accounts is a great way for kids to learn about investing and the idea of money. If they are starting to make a lot of money then they need to figure out what type of retirement account is right for them.”

What’s more, Butt’s company even offers complimentary tax return review for clients’ past filings up to three years. By law taxpayers have that long to collect a refund, and often deductions and credits are missed. It’s kind of like finding forgotten money in a jacket pocket—and everybody loves that.

Strategic Tax and Financial Services, LLC, is located at 2961 1st Ave. N. For more information visit strategictaxfinancial.com or call (727) 744-7938.

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Spreading Love & Community, One Sandwich At A Time

by Alan Venable

Sandwiches taste better when they’re made with love, right? If that’s the case, you won’t find a tastier PB&J sandwich in Saint Petersburg than PB & Jelly Deli’s. The crew of Radius Church partnered with Meg, a local dietitian, and premiered their new food truck at Localtopia this month, taking their vision and delectable sandwiches to the community.

There’s a message behind their sandwich making: share some love. Jelly Deli’s PB&J sandwiches are made with scratch and local ingredients (such as homemade peanut butter and Mazzaro’s bread) and come in brown paper bags, like Mom would make for school. Maybe the best part of it all is the uplifting note inside each sandwich bag, just a little something extra to spread some happiness.

Tangible love in the community is what Radius Church is all about. They aim to build relationships and encourage others to participate by giving back. Radius Church believes in authentic relationships and positive growth. Their goal is to give to the local Saint Pete community by being the agent for the community to love itself.

At the end of Radius services, attendees are provided ingredients to build sandwiches to give to others who need a kind, helpful gesture. When it became clear the sandwiches were making an impact on the

congregation they thought, How can we make this dream bigger?

The answer was to take their vision to the community with the PB & Jelly Deli food truck at Localtopia. Radius has a model: for every sandwich they sell, they’ll donate another sandwich back to the community, keeping the love going.

And there’s a lot to love about the not-your-average PB&J sandwiches they bring to the table. With recipes headed up by Meg (RootForFood.net), the PB & Jelly Deli truck offered sweet and savory options at Localtopia in addition to the build-your-own sandwich route.

Their Happy Apple sandwich featured salted caramel peanut butter, green apple slices and apple butter. The Cherry Bomb hit the spot with chocolate almond butter, cherry spread and marshmallow fluff. And for those that craved something not so sweet, PB & Jelly Deli created the Saint Pete Savory: savory cashew butter, fig jelly, sprouts, avocado, and a little Frank’s RedHot sauce.

These tasty sandwiches proved to be an unbelievable success. They managed to sell more than 200 of them at Localtopia! Radius says some of the proceeds will go to local food organizations, but the team has plans to hand out sandwiches directly to those in need as well.

If you’d like to get to know Radius Church, you can visit their website at RadChurch.com.

Blake Clark, Lead Pastor for Radius Church

The Saint Pete Savory is Blake’s favorite sandwich There you can find service times and read more about the church, its message, and how they give back to the community. You can find PB & Jelly Deli on Instagram and Twitter (pbjellydeli), and now 9

you can keep an eye out for their food truck at community events! When you see it, don’t skip out on the chance to support the community while enjoying the best PB&J sandwich around town.

Volunteers working together to build a food forest to train veteran farmers

MLK Day - A Day On, Not A Day Off

By Nicole Brand

For many, Martin Luther King Day is a day free from the worries of work. It is celebrated on a second Sunday, and featured as a day of rest. However, for others, it is a day of service. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Day of Service Project inspires “A Day On, Not A Day Off,” and this is what it has been for much of my life. I must confess that I am not a native of St. Pete. I grew up in Atlanta where MLK Jr. raised a family and leveraged and launched his civil rights platform and movement. In school, we meticulously arranged our day weeks in advance to honor his message of service to community. In high school, we had the privilege of hearing MLK III speak to our student body. In fact, my first published article in the school newspaper recounted an interview I conducted with MLK III. This inspired my love for volunteerism and my dedication to promoting social justice.

I began my day of service with The Local Food Project, a local non-profit organization. We work to create greater access to locally grown healthy food for disadvantaged communities. We do this by working with community members to install gardens and food

forests in neighborhoods and schools, and provide on-going garden support and classes that teach nature stewardship, organic gardening, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture. We subsequently implement perfectly paired programming that fosters individual empowerment and more resilient communities. Our mission makes the MLK Day of Service a fitting platform for our work.

Benefiting from an award from The Local Food Project--a program administered by St Petersburg College, our sponsors honored Dr. King through an environmental project that funded installing seamless rain gutters to capture, transfer, and redirect rainwater through an underground system and nurture the gardens nestled in the children’s play areas at Mt Zion Children’s Center. The project also funded the installation of an automatic irrigation system to assure quality food crops and provide tasty food for students who attend the Center’s pre-kindergarten, daycare, and aftercare programs. The project taught children the values of volunteerism and community service and supported the nature stewardship concept that Dr. King favored.

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Contributor Nicole spreading mulch over the newly installed seamless irrigation lines that now drench the garden in reclaimed rainwater.

The Imagine and Awesome Edibles Gardens served as the MLK project site. It also provided an outdoor learning environment for STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math), a program developed

by The Local Food Project’s team that fostered collaboration of many local partners who are dedicated to introducing children to the wonders of nature and teaching them to grow and eat their own food.

This day also brought us together with others committed to actively helping improve St. Pete. Pinellas Ex-Offender ReEntry Coalition (PERC) reached out to The Local Food Project to design their garden space, so we helped the organization to design and install their own organic garden. As gardener Nic explains, some vegetables have extensive root systems that benefit from deep garden boxes, For example, a beet’s taproot can go several feet deep. Thus a small army of high school volunteers and ladies from the Red Tent Women’s Initiative at PERC, installed a 4-foot pallet structure in the garden, and soon delicious vegetables will grow where at-risk youths and ex-offenders can learn wholesome gardening practices and cultivate healthier lifestyles.

Next, we raced over to local Imam Askia Aquil’s food forest project in partnership with the wonderful Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition (SUAC).

Under the direction of Askia and the illustrious Bill Bilodeau of

SUAC, we built a food forest to train veteran farmers.

We wrapped up the workday at Askia’s with Ray Milton at Ray’s Vegan Soul, and received a bounty of juices donated by a local organic fresh pressed juice company, Squeeze Juice Works.

Ray has developed a positive cult that follows his vegan foods, and people come from all over the Tampa Bay area to feast on his famous vegan mac and cheese.

Squeeze Juice Works is just as delightfully addictive. Both Squeeze Juice Works and Ray’s Vegan Soul began by responding to the national health crisis with a local hands-on solution. In addition, Squeeze Juice Works makes a point of giving back to the community by regularly supporting community events and local initiatives.

All were perfect and wonderful extensions of the work that The Local Food Project and SUAC initiated. The veteran food forest will serve as a refuge for the mind and a personal empowerment forum to encourage veteran healing.

The Local Food Project wrapped the day up at St. Pete’s new ecovillage. The Eco Hostel hosted a meeting of great minds with a bountiful dinner and many foods sourced from their own garden. My MLK Day of Service came full circle and brought me on an awesome journey from farm to table.

For more information on The Local Food Project or to contact them, visit their website at www.localfoodpark.com.

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“We’ve seen that a lot of the neighbors have found each other. Life gets busy, but stepping in Black Crow lets you get to know those around you better.”

- Greg Bauman

Pictured above and on the cover: Musicians Eena Christopher and Jake Kents jamming together outside of the coffee shop by Kelly Nash Photography

Black Crow Coffee: Community, Art and Damn Good Coffee

By Luke Cross

From the street, anybody but a local might miss the unassuming coffee joint that sits alongside the other local businesses on 2nd Street North. Those in the know, however, recognize the cafe for the local treasure that it is. Nestled away amongst the brick roads of historic Old Northeast is Black Crow Coffee, an eclectic shop offering locally roasted coffee, fresh baked goods and a welcoming atmosphere.

Greg Bauman and Deana Hawk, Founded by Greg owners of Black Crow Coffee Bauman and Deanna

by Kelly Nash Photography Hawk in 2015, Black Crow Coffee aims to fill a different niche than the typical coffee shop. Artisanal teas and pastries fill a menu bustling with options, ranging from traditional pour-over coffee to ginger, molasses and

rosemary cookies.

The varieties of coffee offered

by Black Crow come backed with experience. Bauman also owns Indian Shores Coffee, providing him with the experience needed to provide Black Crow Coffee with uncompromising quality.

Having a passion for the craft also lead Bauman to roast Black Crow’s coffee locally, and provide customers with roasts to match their tastes perfectly.

The cafe’s character, however, extends far beyond the menu. Its uniqueness is obvious as soon as you step foot through the door. Every piece of furniture is individual, with its own story; locally created art lines the walls, and music hand-picked by the staff fills the air.

Accompanying the homegrown style is an immediate sense of community. Baristas get

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to know the clientele as friends instead of customers, and the coffee enthusiasts and artists who fill Black Crow Coffee are equally sociable. Such an organic, friendly environment lends itself to the cafe being more than a simple coffee shop, but instead a social hub for the whole of Old Northeast. “We’ve seen that a lot of the neighbors have found each other. Life gets busy, but stepping in Black Crow lets you get to know those around you better,” explained Bauman.

The quaint nature of Black Crow Coffee also allows it to be a vanguard of local art and culture. Bauman and Hawk are passionate about the grassroots art movement in St. Pete, and their actions speak for it. Black Crow hosts an art show the first week of the month, putting a handful of local artists on display with a backing of live music. The cafe also hosts poetry events, an open mic night, and performances from an improv group, all on a monthly basis.

A dedication to creativity is also apparent, day to day, as the shop doubles as a space for independent artists to produce and share their work. According to Bauman, “Pretty much any day you come in here, you’ll see someone illustrating, writing, playing music. It’s a comfortable environment for art.”

greenbenchmonthly.com Edward the Pug by Kelly Nash Photography The pair also play an active part in St. Pete’s art scene outside of Black Crow by participating in a number of community markets and events. The shop’s engagement with artists and visionaries throughout the city is best displayed in their newest location, which serves as a roastery for Black Crow, a recording studio for up-andcoming musicians, and a venue for live events. Hawk said that the location serves as the perfect way to explain Black Crow Coffee, “A combination of everything we love—community, music and roasting coffee.”

On its surface, Bauman and Hawk simply established a successful coffee shop. The true impact of Black Crow, however, is far greater. The cafe is a pillar of its community, fosters grassroots art as an informal venue and gallery, and contributes to the thriving local markets of St. Pete. The future of Black Crow Coffee is one and the same as the future of city, and Hawk is excited to see what it holds: “The next few years, there’s going to be a lot going on throughout the city. We’re excited to be involved in St. Pete’s coffee movement, both the roasting and the community.”

Black Crow Coffee is located at 722 2nd Street North and is open 7 days a week from 7am-9pm. For more information, visit blackcrowcoffeeco.com or follow them on Facebook.

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Community Events & Local Happenings Storytime for Families @ Dali Museum

Happy Hour with the Historian: Cocktail When: Thursday, March 2nd, Lecture Series from 11:15am - 12:15pm Where: Dali Museum, 1 Dali Blvd. (Bayshore Drive SE and Fifth Avenue SE), 33701 in The Stavros Classroom Storytime for Families. Join museum staff every Thursday in the Education Classroom for storytime featuring a selected book from the museum’s library or store.

Cost: Free

Be A Friend to Bees!

When: Saturday, March 4th 10:30am Where: Sunken Gardens, 1825 4th St N, 33704 Bees need our help, and you can make a difference! Create a “bee bath” for your yard or patio, take home wildflower seeds to provide nectar, sample local honey, and more!

Recommended for all ages. For more information, visit stpete. org/sunken Cost: $6. Pre-registration required. INCLUDES Garden admission!

Crafty Fest

When: Saturday, March 4th – Sunday March 5th from 11am - 5pm Where: 2030 Central Ave, 33701 Buy local, handmade & fabulous vintage items! Hosted at ARTpool in St. Pete, this market is a ton of fun and features the best artisans in Tampa Bay including lots of ETSY folks, too. Stop by the cafe for a bite to eat before or after. All ages welcome & free to attend 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days of the festival.

Cost: Free to attend

When: March 9th, 2017 Doors open at 6:30pm, program begins at 7pm Where: 335 2nd Ave NE (on the Pier Approach), 33701 The St. Petersburg Museum of History’s popular lecture series that features an evening of wine, words and wisdom.

This month’s guest is Craig Pittman author of Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country.

Presented by Green, Henwood & Hough Investment, an RBC Wealth Management group, each Happy Hour installment features a full cocktail cash bar, culinary offerings and an opportunity to meet the author/speaker.

Cost: $5 suggested donation. Seating is limited and can be reserved by going to www.spmoh.org. Doors open at 6:30pm and the program begins at 7pm.

Mastry. The event’s theme ties to WCC’s mission to provide charitable and volunteer assistance to local charities in St. Petersburg. Proceeds will benefit two organizations: Project Prosper (www. projectprosper.org) and Shepherd’s Village (www.shepherdsvillage.org).

For information, please contact one of the event’s two co-chairs: Gretta Paige Bellas, 727-272-8514, gbellas510@aol. com, Roseanna Costa 727410-4176, cos55tarr@aol.com.

Please also visit WCC’s website at www.wccstpete.com, and consider membership, too!

Cost: Tickets are $50 per person. Group ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities are available.

JamFest: Battle of the Bands

When: Friday, March 17th from 10am - 9pm Where: Williams Park, 330 2nd Ave N, 33701 Hear ambitious artists from around the U.S. as they come together for this three-round, St. Petersburg Women’s live music competition. Hosted Chamber of Commerce in Williams Park in St. Pete from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., JamFest Annual Fundraiser, is an annual one-day battle of “Bridging the Gap the bands where 25 finalists will between Business rock out for bragging rights and and Philanthropy.” a slice of $10,000. The mission of JamFest is to bring awareness When: Thursday, March to the plight of Veteran 16th, from 11 am - 1:30 pm Where: The Club at Treasure homelessness.

Cost: Free Island, 400 Treasure Island Causeway, 33706.

Tour de SHINE Bike Tours This luncheon event When: Saturday, March 25th, showcases 6 outstanding “Doors” Open at 9:30 AM! women who use their talents, accomplishments & resources to Arrive early to get signed support local nonprofit groups. in and pump up those tires!

Ride starts at 10am.

Honorees are Jenn Where: 559 Mirror Lake Dr Holloway, Kristin Smith, Katy North, St. Petersburg, FL Churchwell, Angele Rouson, Join SHINE MURAL, the Julie Wientraub, and Julie 14

official Bike Tour of the SHINE Mural Festival, for a lively, two-wheeled tour of St. Pete’s murals! Bike Tour Dates: March 25, April 23, May 21.

You are responsible for your own safety on the ride. You are riding at your own risk. We recommend you wear proper safety equipment (helmets!), follow proper cycling behavior and follow all rules of the road.

Safety first!

There will lots of videos and photographs being shot before, during and after the ride including a group shot. This means you may be videotaped and photographed. The necessary disclaimer: “if you attend the event you are also complying to be on the video and in the photos.”

Cost: $20 per person -- or purchase a $40 ticket to receive a commemorative Tour de SHINE t-shirt designed by artist Chad Mize.

Light And Design with Neal Hughes: Workshop Hosted by Robert Simone

When: March 16 - March 18th Where: 1310 13th St N, 33705 This workshop’s official title is “Light and Design for the Plein Air Painter” with Neal Hughes…. Neal Hughes makes masterful use of light in his paintings. Neal is a former illustrator who makes his living as a fine artist. He is Managing Fellow with the American Society of Marine Artists and a fixture on the national plein air circuit. In fact, Neal Hughes won 11 awards in 12 competitions in 2016. Neal is extremely adept at all facets of painting.

Cost: $450 workshop also includes meet and greet dinner with Neil (4 of 12 spots remain)

When: March 30th, from 6:30pm - 9pm Where: Soft Water Studio, 515 22nd st S. 33712 Tickets on sale now to raise awareness and funding for Saving Our Seniors (S.O.S.).

Event includes a beer tasting provided by Thirsty First and Wine Pour by Wine Madonna.

There will be food and deserts as well as a silent auction supported by local businesses for fitness, a two pass for a winery in Napa with a hotel, local art and dining.

Cost: Tickets are $30.00.

For more information, call (727) 537-6753.

Saving our Seniors is a locally based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports and promotes the utilization of gently used

Local Artist Spotlight:

durable medical equipment that Medicare/Medicaid does not cover. S.O.S. will also purchase new equipment for seniors if the equipment is not available in our inventory.

If you know a senior that could benefit from our services or if you would like to donate items to S.O.S, please contact founder, Kelli Casto (727) 537-6753 or visit www.savingourseniors.care

Perry deVick

Guagains Repose

Oil on canvas, 24”x36”

Nether

Oil on canvas, 24”x36”

Perry has been an artist since she first picked up a crayon. She strengthened her desire to be a working artist in a high school Arts magnet program, before getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota. She then ran a gallery, Studio 1411, in Village of the Arts, Bradenton.

When it was time to go back to get her Master’s degree, she chose to go to Savannah College of Art and Design to get an MA in Teaching. She teaches in a public elementary school, Tampa Museum of Art, and does private tutoring. She has a home studio in Historic Kenwood’s Artist Enclave, which she shares with her husband (a fellow artist), three sassy cats, and a doofy dog. She loves living in Historic Kenwood and is very excited about it’s new Artist Enclave designation. She is an active member, frequently participating in studio tours and AEHK exhibitions.

For more information visit perrydevick.com, facebook.com/ pdevart/ or email pdevick@gmail.com.

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Saving Our Seniors Hosts “Eat Drink and be Giving”

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