Green Bench Monthly Vol. 6, Issue 9, September 2021

VOL. 6, ISSUE 9, SEPTEMBER 2021

Green Bench Monthly* The Ambassadors Club: Leading the Way pg. 6

St. Pete’s Community Magazine

People of St. Pete

Lauryn Latimer pg. 9

Stewards of Our Urban Lakes

Looking Into the Future pg.10

Downtown Developments

St. Pete Rising pg. 20

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Publishers Ashley & Tony Sica

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Editor Mary Jane Park

Contributors Angelica, Baybes Who Brunch Tina Stewart Brakebill Suzanne Driscoll Brian Zucker

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Photographers Brian Brakebill Kristina Holman

Cover Photo

Festival of States, 1954 Parade.

Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of History

Contact PO BOX 76095 St. Petersburg, FL 33734 (727) 280-5406 hello@greenbenchmonthly.com

IN THIS ISSUE 4

From the Bench

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The Ambassadors Club: Leading the Way

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People of St. Pete: Lauryn Latimer

10 Stewards of Our Urban Lakes: Looking to the Future

18 Baybes Who Brunch: Find Your Center 20 Downtown Developments

by St. Pete Rising 22 Events: Good With Me Festival

14 The SIMMS Team

17 Vitale Bros. Painting Pinellas County’s First Large-Scale Residential Mural

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Sunset Park. Photo by City of St. Petersburg

From the Bench

After the last few years, it's especially important to check in with your family, friends, and be kind to yourself.

As always, thanks for reading GBM, and even more if you share this issue with a friend. We love you, St. Pete!

A note from the Publishers Five years! Can you believe it?! September 16th, 2016 the inaugural issue of Green Bench Monthly hit mailboxes. It seems like just yesterday. We've met so many people and learned so much along the way. Tony and I aren't typically the sentimental types, but we have saved every email, letter, and book that readers have sent in over the years. It makes us smile thinking of all the connections this little magazine has made. GBM is what it is today because of our readers, contributors, and not to mention our advertisers — many of which have been with us since the very beginning. It truly is a community magazine. We're grateful for the opportunity to share stories with you and look forward to what the next five years will bring.

This month we've got your usual lineup: history (pg. 6), local businesses (all the pages), food (bagels! pg. 18), downtown developments (pg. 20), and events (pg. 22). Make sure to check out the Good With Me Festival. The festival shines a light on mental health.

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Tony and Ashley Sica Publishers / Owners

Till next time,

hello@greenbenchmonthly.com

*All are welcome on this bench.

The history of the green benches is layered. For some, it is a reminder of a painful period of racism and segregation. To others, it is a symbol of welcomeness and hospitality. We carry this name to shine a light on our city’s history and in celebration of those who work tirelessly towards a more inclusive St. Pete. To read more about our story and the history of the green benches visit greenbenchmonthly.com/about.

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Ambassador Club Food Fund drive, L-R: Clara Ponder, George Baker, Ernest Ponder, Gwen Wade, c1955. Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of History

The Ambassadors Club: Leading the Way

By Tina Stewart Brakebill In 1953, St. Petersburg physician Dr. Ralph M. Wimbish invited a small group of Black professionals, educators, and business leaders to his home to discuss how they might help improve the lives of the city’s African American community. The Ambassadors Club, a men’s civic association, was the result of this meeting, and its members would be on the forefront of efforts to change entrenched systemic inequities and offer meaningful cultural opportunities and support for the greater community.

neighborhoods. Nearly every facet of life reflected strict segregation, including beaches, pools, golf courses, downtown’s green benches, lunch counters, hotels, movie theaters, schools, and a wide variety of jobs. African Americans made up about 14 percent of the city’s population but were overrepresented in St. Pete’s pool of economically disadvantaged citizens. This reality was the backdrop for Dr. Wimbish’s call for action: “Gentlemen, let us wake and do something to help our community.”

“Gentlemen, let us wake up and do something to help our community.”

Festival Floats, Milk Funds, and Using Power for Good

The 1950s are often glorified as a boom era in St. Petersburg. The city’s population exploded, its footprint expanded, and industry and tourism flourished. While truthful, this glowing description certainly isn’t the whole story. In particular, St. Pete’s Black population struggled to gain access to the resources helping make the boom a reality for others. Despite priding itself on being a “progressive” southern city, St. Petersburg held to its Jim Crow-era policies and attitudes. In 1950, most of St. Pete’s 14,000 African Americans still lived in segregated

One of the Ambassador Club’s first efforts is also one of its best known. In 1954, the Club sponsored the “first Negro float” to be invited to participate in the annual Festival of States Parade. The all-Black Gibbs High School and the Sixteenth Street Junior High bands had marched in the parade in past years but always had been relegated to the end. The Ambassadors negotiated an agreement in which they were assured that “the float will not be entered near the end of the parade as most Negro units are.” Its success ensured it also was not the last parade

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Dr. Ralph M. Wimbish, founder of the Ambassador’s Club.

Fair use image.

Emmanuel Stewart, Ralph James, Sam Robinson, seated, looking at notes. These men were active in Ambassador Club, Community Alliance, and other civic activities. c1955. Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg Museum of History

featuring an Ambassador Club entry. In succeeding years, the popular club’s Sunshine Festival Float contest awarded lucky kids premier seats on the float as well as a chance at winning savings bonds and other prizes. The club’s efforts to help children didn’t end with parade floats.

Along with their sister organization, the Ambas, the Ambassadors also sponsored annual “Milk Tea” events to raise funds to distribute milk and free lunches. As the St. Petersburg Times described in 1959, the Ambassadors always “distributed the milk indiscriminately,” which meant that year’s 16,000 cartoons of milk went to needy kids, regardless of race, at four nurseries and five elementary schools. Citing the club’s Milk Fund, along with its various cultural and civic activities, the Citizens Cooperative Committee honored the Ambassadors Club in April 1961 for its “meritorious community service” and efforts to provide “uplift.” The efforts extended to cultural events for adults, including an annual program that brought in nationally known inspirational speakers. Among them was educator and diplomat Dr. John W. Davis, who spoke in 1961 about the “need to recognize and use their power for good.”

Beaches, Buses, and Golf Courses Sunshine floats, Milk Teas, and inspirational speakers were symbolically and pragmatically important, but the club’s impact didn’t end there; its members also directly challenged deeply entrenched systems of separation. The Ambassadors participated in boycotts and direct-action efforts such as sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. In

addition, they took advantage of the legal decision to end segregation decided by the landmark 1953 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v.

Board of Education. In early 1954, Dr. Wimbish spearheaded an effort to gain access to a local municipal golf course, citing both legal precedent and fairness: “We want to play on a course which our taxes aid in keeping up.” By mid-1955, desegregation efforts expanded to Spa Beach and pool, when Dr. Wimbish and another charter Ambassador Club member, Dr. Fred Alsup, headed a list of plaintiffs filing suit against the city. The two doctors were also front and center during the 1956 request for the city to integrate buses on two of the city routes and hire Black drivers for routes in predominantly Black neighborhoods. They emphasized that they were not planning a bus boycott; rather they sought “understanding and redress” as they waited for the time when “whites and Negroes are made ready (for integration) by religious and social agencies.” Their patience was continually tested. In 1961, the Ambassador Club was still petitioning the city for equal access to civil-service jobs and policymaking positions. Plus, sometimes change was indefinitely stalled, as when the golf course was sold to a private company to avoid integration.

As Dr. Wimbish noted in 1960, “We are not angry … we are not violent … [but] I have waited 30 years in this town and nothing has happened yet.” Sixty years later,” it is important to remember that the struggle for equity continues.

Complete sources available on request. The Tampa Bay Times archives and research by Jon Wilson and Rosalie Peck were invaluable resources.

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Finding Her Path Latimer’s Sunshine City roots were planted by her great grandfather, the Rev. Frank Cubby, who organized the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in 1940. Her parents were aware that Latimer might face undeserved obstacles because of the color of her skin. Knowing education could play an important role in overcoming those challenges, they sought a spot for her in Pinellas County’s magnet school program.

Her successful application and subsequent early education (and good grades) at Bay Point Elementary and Middle magnet schools led her to the Advanced Technologies STEM-based program at Lakewood High School. Her outstanding performance opened college doors, and she worked and applied for scholarships to help finance her college dreams.

Now, thanks to financial help from the Woodson Warrior Scholarship Fund and her salary as a licensed pharmacy technician at Publix, she’s on track to finish her undergraduate program in communication science and disorders a year early (spring 2022), then enter a graduate school program for speech pathology.

Giving Back

Photo by Brian Brakebill

People of St. Pete: Lauryn Latimer

By Tina Stewart Brakebill St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people who make St. Pete unique.

This month we celebrate University of South Florida student and St. Petersburg native Lauryn Latimer.

In addition to time devoted to work, school, and family, Latimer has directed energy toward community involvement. As a first-generation African-American college student who spent years in predominantly white institutions and programs, she understands the challenges of being a minority. While still in high school, Latimer noticed that some of her fellow students and their families lacked basic necessities. In collaboration with another student and a faculty member, she organized a campus food pantry sponsored by Feeding Tampa Bay that is still operating today. She also served as mentor for Campbell Park Elementary School girls and volunteered every week in the children’s play center for patients and their families at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

When she returned to campus in August, she took on a new role as an on-campus housing Resident Advisor (RA).

Looking Forward As part of her application for the Woodson Warrior Scholarship, she wrote about role models. For Latimer, Georgia politician, voting rights activist and author Stacey Abrams offers an example of persevering “no matter what obstacles are placed in our way.” Like Abrams, she is determined to be a positive role model and demonstrate that even if the “odds are against you, you have to keep fighting for what you believe in.” She wants to help people, especially children, to overcome obstacles.

She knows through personal experience and observation that kids don’t always feel as though they are understood. She’s also aware that minority children, in particular, don’t always receive the attention or treatment they deserve or need. Her goal as a speech pathologist is to be a bridge for those children and help them move past that disconnect so they believe, as she does, that “all things are possible.”

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Stewards of Our Urban Lakes: Looking to the Future

By Tina Stewart Brakebill

Volunteers in a kayak pickup trash Crescent Lake Photos by Brian Brakebill

The Beginnings of a Big Idea Incorporated in January 2021, the Florida-based nonprofit Stewards of Our Urban Lakes (SOUL) can trace its beginnings back to Crescent Lake. Algae blooms had left the area mostly void of plants and wildlife, reducing its status to “a bowl of water in the middle of a lawn.” Wanting to improve the water quality and see the lake come alive again, concerned community members organized the Friends of Crescent Lake (FOCL) in 2007. Thanks to the continued hard work of those volunteers and a partnership with the City of St. Petersburg, the natural beauty and habitat of Crescent Lake are being protected and preserved.

Why Not Just Stay Friends?

The rebirth of Crescent Lake inspired other concerned community members to contact FOCL about issues with their own neighborhood waterways. These inquiries, coupled with hopeful ideas about the future of Crescent Lake, motivated FOCL to ask the question: Could more be done, not just for Crescent Lake, but also for other urban lakes? Members thought that was possible, but the group lacked formal legal status. To mature into an effective advocacy group and qualify for grants and other sources of funding, they needed to make a change. That began the transition into something new: SOUL.

Something New: SOUL One of SOUL’s ultimate goals is to provide guidance and outreach

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A volunteer cleans out the watergoat at Crescent Lake

beyond Crescent Lake to other communities striving to improve their urban lakes. Crescent Lake remains crucial to the mission, however, because SOUL understands Crescent Lake provides a successful case study for the public value of improving urban water systems.

Saving Crescent Lake didn’t just renew the natural beauty of the lake; it evolved into an invigorated wetland that helps to clean its own water while also providing a strengthened habitat for renewed flora and fauna. The park and the neighborhood around the lake also are thriving, but it’s not just the immediate surroundings that benefit. As part of the Tampa Bay Estuary system as well as a shared watershed, a regenerated Crescent Lake can have extended long-term effects on water quality as well as unique ecosystems. The same is true for all urban lakes, which is why SOUL is looking to preserve and rejuvenate other urban waterways to help protect the future.

Know More, Do More Under the immediate guidance of a board of directors with a wide range of skills and an executive team that comprises an ecologist, an environmental scientist, and a birder/management consultant, SOUL’s objectives are evolving as the group blends their talents and include cultivating partnerships that enable further research while also providing immediate action. For example, the organization received a Citgo grant that helped finance litter pickup from the watershed adjacent to both Crescent and Round lakes. In addition to the immediate cleanup, the collected debris will be analyzed to determine its origins. SOUL also plans to expand its community outreach to help build support for protecting our urban lake environments. The possibilities are boundless. Eco-scavenger hunts may inspire futurescientist grade-schoolers. An internship could inspire a college student to pursue a new line of research. For more information, visit www.soulinc.org or send email to info@soulinc.org.

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Brooke and Josh Anderson, owners of Big Man’s Moving Company recognized as #1 Mover in Tampa Bay by readers of the Tampa Bay Times

Big Man’s Wins #1 Best Mover Annually readers of the Tampa Bay Times vote on the best businesses in Tampa Bay. Big Man’s Moving Company has won the #1 Best Mover in Tampa Bay 2-consecutive years! “Customers and neighbors have given us a chance, had a great experience, and told their friends. Their word of mouth and recommendations have been instrumental in the success of our business. We are grateful to have over 400 5-star reviews. Honestly, this award is dedicated entirely to our team. They are good, honest people who genuinely care and work very hard,” says Josh Anderson, owner (and mascot). “The greatest challenge and reward in business ownership has been finding the right people with a positive attitude and mindset.” Big Man’s movers are all full-time, W2 employees covered by workers compensation.

Owners, Josh and Brooke, experienced a terrible local move themselves which fueled their desire to start a moving company. Using wedding gifts to purchase their first truck in January 2017, the fleet has now grown to 7 trucks. “Reinvesting into our business has always been a top priority. 5 of our 7 trucks are brand new, and this offers reliability for our customers.” Big Man’s Moving has completed 3800 successful local, state-wide, and out-of-state moves and offers packing services.

BIG MAN’S MOVING COMPANY; Bigmansmoving.com; 727772-3458; info@bigmansmoving.com.

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Giving Chronic Pain Sufferers Hope Patients find relief with fewer pills in breakthrough new clinic in St. Petersburg.

For those battling with pain, but unable or unwilling to alleviate their condition with potentially addictive pills it can feel as if they are on pins and needles waiting for a solution.

However, for some suffering from pain, pins and needles ARE the solution.

Dr. Matthew Mann, DAOM, who trained internationally with some of the leading practitioners in China, practices acupuncture and other advanced procedures at St. Petersburg Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine. He says that because of the opioid epidemic, many in the pain management field are skittish about prescribing pain medication. Prior to opening his doors in St. Petersburg, Dr. Mann practiced in Texas working in high volume clinics. He currently consults with practitioners all across the country and helps guide their cases in addition to treating and overseeing cases here in St. Pete. His new facility, St. Petersburg Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine (St. Pete AIM), will also serve as a training facility and be used to conduct clinical research.

Dr. Mann said almost all of his patients cannot or prefer not to take medications to relieve their conditions.

“I’ve been maxed out on pain meds for my migraines, and the pain was still so bad I couldn’t work,” said Harold W. from Clearwater. “The doctors just told me I was going to have to live like that. Acupuncture was my last hope and it gave me the best results.”

Harold began to see Dr. Mann in March after migraines that started six months prior became so severe that he was going to the ER multiple times a week. “He’s changed my life, before I started coming here I couldn’t work, I had trouble sleeping. I didn’t know anything about acupuncture, but I was desperate”, Harold said. “I’m so glad I gave it a chance after the pain meds failed to help me.”

Dr. Ralph Becker, pain management physician for the Mayo Clinic recommends acupuncture and said Harold’s comments are common.

“Patients today realize that there are non-invasive options out there and want to avoid surgery if possible.”

Becker, who has been practicing 20 years, said he learned about acupuncture during his fellowship and has enthusiastically recommended it to his patients for years.

If people ask me, I encourage them to try it. Our saying is, can’t hurt, often helps.”

Becker says he has found acupuncture helps with many of his patients who have chronic pain and neurological conditions. “You give them less medication, there are less uncomfortable side effects,” Becker said. “They become more active.”

For others struggling with pain management and staying independent, such as Lily T, pills are not an option.

“I have nerve damage in my hands and feet from my chemo treatments for colon cancer,” Lily said. “While the cancer is gone, the burning needle sensation keeps me from driving and doing the hobbies I love. When the medications the doctors prescribed me didn’t help, they all told me that there was nothing else they could do for me.”

“Sometimes I’d be up all night because of the hurting,” Lily said.

Dr. Mann said initially he had told Lily that she could not be accepted as a patient, because he was skeptical that acupuncture could help Lily’s neuropathy (nerve damage) because it was so severe.

Lily said her pain is mostly resolved and now she is able to resume the hobbies she was unable to perform prior to seeing Dr. Mann.

She said she did not expect the treatments to work, but is delighted it has. Dr. Mann says, “while we see these seemingly miraculous results day in and day out, Lily turned out to be an unusually fast responder.

Typically, I expect patients to take a few more weeks to report these kinds of changes, I’m very happy for her, and all of us here at St. Pete AIM are excited to see this look of amazement on our patients’ faces.”

“I tell all my friends. I don’t have the pain anymore and I’ve stopped using my cane,” Lily said. “My family doesn’t have to drive me to the store anymore, I’ve gained back my independence.”

To see if you are a candidate for the procedures used by Dr. Mann, call 727-235-0435 to schedule a consultation today. You don’t have to live in pain.

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The SIMMS Team

by Suzanne Driscoll There are many real estate agencies to choose from these days. The SIMMS Team at Coastal Properties Group sets themselves apart by providing personalized services and being active in the community.

Whether you are buying your first home or investing in a multimillion dollar property, the mother-daughter duo Sharon and Tami Simms work hard to make sure you find the home that is right for you. Amy Dinovo provides transaction management services, and Sharon’s son Rob Johnson recently retired from the business to make a move to Finland.

Helping Buyers Relocate to St. Pete “Back in the day, someone from out of town wanting to move to St. Pete would come to visit for a weekend and we’d show them about a dozen homes,” Tami Simms reports. “Today, with the shortage of inventory, I take the time to drive them around to all the different neighborhoods.

When a new listing comes on the market, I can contact them via Zoom or FaceTime to show them the property and then act quickly to make an offer. This requires a huge level of trust between me and the buyer.”

Advice for First-Time Buyers In this competitive real estate market, Tami Simms suggests that preparation is the key for all buyers. “Be fully pre-approved with a wellregarded, local lender. If you plan to spend up to $400,000, for example, don’t look at homes over $375,000, because you will probably end up in a competitive situation. These days it doesn’t matter if you have $1 million cash in your pocket as you still might lose out in the current market.”

Help for the Seller “Anyone can sell a home (even the owner), but it’s a good real estate professional that will bring the deal to closing,” Tami Simms says. “It can

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The Simms Team from left to right: Sharon Simms, Tami Simms, and Amy Dinovo.

Photo by Kristina Holman

be very overwhelming for a seller to receive 24 offers the first day, but we can help sort through them and identify the most promising one.”

Whether you have just moved in or are getting your home ready to sell, the SIMMS Team has a complete list of quality repair people who are readily available.

Getting Involved in the Community and the Industry The number of community groups that the Simms family is involved with are almost too numerous to mention. Tami was recently appointed to the City of St. Petersburg Charter Review Commission that will present items for the November ballot, and she is president of the Downtown Business Association. In addition, she holds leadership positions with the Central Avenue Council and the Downtown Waterfront Parks Foundation. Tami is also a trainer for the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing and enjoys speaking at various events for other real-estate professionals. She also serves on the Public Policy Committee for the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization that screens candidates running for public office.

“Half of our business comes from our community involvement, and the other half is from referrals and repeat clients,” she says. “It is very rewarding to give back to our community and help make it a better place in which to live and work.”

“Things are always changing, and you can’t rely on what’s always been done in the past. You have to pay attention, build relationships and embrace the future.”

If you’re looking for a local family team that will help you find what’s right for YOU, then give the SIMMS Team a call at (727) 8982582 or visit them at 238 Beach Drive NE. Listings and past sales are available at www.SimmsTeam.com.

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View the new mural from the back of 2214 2nd Ave. N. Photo by Kristina Holman

Vitale Bros. Painting Pinellas County’s First Large-Scale Residential Mural

By Suzanne Driscoll Johnny and Paul Vitale are certainly doing their part to help make St. Pete a world class arts destination. Since 1992, they have been installing signs and murals for local businesses including the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Today they travel throughout the country doing work for L’Oréal’s SalonCentric locations and the Ciccio restaurant group that also owns CAMP fitness centers in Los Angeles and Tampa.

Together with business partner and artist Tes One, the Vitale brothers and their crew recently installed the first large-scale residential mural in Pinellas County. Kelly and Cole Brantley had wanted a mural on their modern home for several years, but they were never selected by the SHINE Mural Festival since they are outside of the downtown area in Historic Kenwood. They approached the Vitale brothers, who with Tes One happened to have a design just about ready. “Triumph” features the Greek god Zeus holding a chalice. It covers an entire wall of the house plus the surrounding concrete walls.

“Since Cole is a pilot and also into motorcycles, we thought the mural’s triumphant/win feel to it would be perfect for this family,” says Johnny Vitale. “And Kelly is excited that the next mural on the

stairwell will include imagery of a woman.”

Depending upon the amount of detail required, prices start at about $2,000 for a mural. Their next venture will be creating threedimensional murals and special lighting, “which could be the next big thing,” Vitale says. “And no job is too weird for us.”

All will be pleased to know the SHINE Mural Festival is back on this year for October 15-24. Involved with the festival since Day 1, the Vitales will be busy preparing about 10 walls in the downtown area for mural artists who come from all over the country.

“In a city that celebrates the arts, we were overjoyed to partner with Tes One and the Vitale brothers as they created a stunning installation that integrates modern architecture into a historic neighborhood,” Kelly Brantley says. “We are thrilled with ‘Triumph,’ as it complements all the different angles and dimensions of our home. We are happy to help support the arts here in St. Pete, and look forward to participating in this year’s SHINE Festival tour.”

You can view the Brantleys’ new mural from the back of 2214 2nd Ave. N in St. Pete. For more information about having a mural done for your home or business, contact the Vitale Brothers at (727) 6439280 or visit www.vitalebrothers.com.

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St. Pete Bagel Co. ; Lox Sandwich on Toasted Onion

Find Your Center

By Angelica, @Baybeswhobrunch As we roll into the season of the back-to-school swing and hopefully some cooler weather, (a girl can wish, right?), it’s all about finding your center. Whether that’s a new yoga routine or a daily after work walk at Crescent Lake, you do you! I won’t judge, if like me, you seem to be finding yours lately in the form of bagel perfection. This month, I bring to you three stops that will satisfy your bagel cravings, all of which are piled high with salmon to help you just keep swimming through this year. I

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Pete’s General; The Original Pete

mean, abs are great, but bagels are better!

First stop, is a tried and true staple of the Burg- St. Pete Bagel Co. on 4th Street. This place definitely holds the nostalgia value for me. I can remember bagels and cream cheese at Grandma’s house after Church as a kid. Let me tell y’all, they are still as delicious as I remember. Try the Lox Sandwich on a toasted onion bagel with chive cream cheese, tomato, and sprouts. Brownie points if you can take a bite of a double stack!

Our next stop, Pete’s General, is now rocking two locations: the original in Uptown and the newer Grand Central stop. Pop in early on weekends because they will sell out! I’m not going to lie, it’s difficult to stray from the Original Pete with lox, capers, dill, cucumbers, and pickled onions. I mean, it’s the OG, but the weekend breakfast specials look heavenly as well. I also have my eye on the sweet goodness from Le

Bella’s Bakes, Cakes, and Bagels; Nova Sandwich on Asiago

Clementine Bakeshop in the window. Revolving flavors have included Blackberry Mango Mint Croissant, Peaches and Vanilla Brioche, and Pain au Chocolat.

The final stop rounding off our list I had originally come across due to their delectable cheesecakes, but y’all their bagels are where it’s at too! Bella’s Bakes, Cakes, and Bagels is dangerous since it’s on my way to work. I love the Nova Sandwich on an asiago bagel with tomatoes, onions, and capers.

If you can’t wait until October to see what I’m eating, then check more content out on Instagram or Facebook @baybeswhobrunch or contact me at baybeswhobrunch@gmail.com . In the meantime, if you need me you can find me standing on a barstool or holding my food up to a pretty wall with a camera in my hand around the Bay and beyond!

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Halloween on Central is happening Sunday, October 31st 22 blocks of Central Ave will be closed to traffic

Black Radish Grocer is coming soon to 246 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St N. next to Coney Island Sandwich Shop

Downtown Developments

By Brian Zucker, Owner of St. Pete Rising

It seems like each time we take a stroll through downtown there are new restaurants and galleries opening and more apartment complexes and condo towers being built. We realize it’s difficult to keep track of everything. Luckily, we’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. Each month we will feature a few of the most exciting new downtown developments that are on the horizon for the Sunshine City.

This Halloween, 22 blocks of Central Avenue, Dr. MLK Jr. Street to 31st Street, will close to car traffic. The event, Halloween on Central, will showcase a vision for what a car-free Central Avenue could look like for locals, businesses, and visitors to enjoy. There will be fun Halloweenthemed activities fit for the whole family, such as trick-or-treating, costume contests, entertainment, local business vendors, and more. Pets are welcome, too. The event takes place on Sunday, October 31st from 12pm to 5pm.

Moffitt Cancer Center and UPC Insurance have submitted an offer to the City of St. Pete to purchase a 4.59-acre site at 800 2nd Avenue South in downtown St. Pete. The group would develop a mixed-use project which would include a cancer care center, a future headquarters building

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for UPC, a residential building, and a public parking garage. As a result of unsolicited offer, the city must invite additional alternative proposals from private developers, or anyone interested in the lease or purchase of the site. All proposals are due no later than 10am on September 15, 2021.

Black Radish Grocer, an all-vegan market, is coming this fall to 246 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North in downtown St. Pete (in the space next to Coney Island Sandwich Shop). Black Radish will feature over 1,000 different products, ranging from boutique items not available through traditional grocers as well as a large selection of well-known brands. In addition to selling grocery items, Black Radish will have a small deli serving made-to-order meals.

Popular vegan restaurant Cider Press Café will be closing their

Cider Press Vegan Gastropub and Patio Bar is moving to 3118 3rd Ave N

Tagliere Misto, a house specialty at Bonu’ Taverna coming soon to 601 Central Ave (formerly Cide Press Cafe)

Gateway Subs coming soon to 3112 3rd Ave N in Historic Kenwood

Central Avenue location and opening the Cider Press Vegan Gastropub and Patio Bar at 3118 3rd Avenue North in Historic Kenwood. For all the Cider Press regulars, don’t worry, many of the popular menu items from Central Avenue will be making the move to Kenwood. Cider Press hopes to open their new location by the end of the year.

Bonu’ Taverna is coming soon to 601 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete, which is currently occupied by The Cider Press Café. Heavily influenced by Sicilian cuisine, the menu will be filled with shareable items, like arancini and tagliere misto, as well as larger plates such as zuppa di pesce and fresh home-made pasta. However, the house specialty will be pinsa. Like pizza, pinsa is thinner and lighter in texture and served in an oval shape. Pinsa also has fewer calories, lower fat, and

less sodium than pizza.

Gateway Subs is coming soon to 3112 3rd Avenue North in Historic Kenwood. Keep it simple with the Plain Jane, which is your choice of meat (ham, turkey, or roast beef), provolone, and mayo. Or kick it up a notch by ordering the Spice Mélange, which starts with a heaping pile of sliced buffalo chicken breast paired with hot capicola, and is then topped with mayo, tomato, onion, hot peppers, and banana peppers as well as kettlecooked jalapeño chips. The sub shop will also be roasting their own coffee.

St. Pete Rising is an urban development blog covering future retail, restaurants, and real estate in Downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Stay up-todate, visit StPeteRising.com.

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EVENTS fine crafts where artists express ideas about the environment, the impending effects of climate When: Through September 30th change, and human relationships Where: St. Petersburg with the natural world. For hours Cost: $20 & up and special programming, visit Participants can run at their FloridaCraftArt.org leisure to help raise funds for the children of Johns Hopkins All Sensory Saturdays Children’s Hospital. hopkinsallchildrens.org/Giving/ at MFA When: Saturday, September 11th Events/Run-for-All-Children from 10am - 2pm Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Florida CraftArt 255 Beach Dr NE Presents Cost: Adults $20; children 7 to 17 “Environmentally $10; 6 and younger Free Engaged” The MFA welcomes families with When: Friday, September 10th - children with sensory sensitivities Saturday, October 23rd to explore the galleries each Where: Florida CraftArt, month, from 10 am to 12 pm.

501 Central Ave During this time, all rotating Cost: Free Admission audio components will be turned “Environmentally Engaged” is a down or muted to ensure a calm juried exhibition of handmade environment. mfastpete.org

Virtual Run For All Children

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Fall 2021 CareFest When: Saturday, September 11th - Sunday, October 17th Where: St. Petersburg Cost: N/A - Volunteer CareFest is back! The celebration of volunteering and giving back to the community has returned for Fall 2021. Community members are invited to participate in local projects. Find more information and how to participate at stpete. org/CareFest.

Drag Queen Bingo for Pet Pal Animal Shelter When: Tuesday, September 14th from 7pm - 9pm Where: Punky’s Bar & Grill, 3063 Central Ave Cost: A donation of $10; 100% will benefit Pet Pal Animal Shelter Reservations for seating must be made in advance. Call Punky’s at (727) 201-4712.

Friday Nights at the World Premiere: The People Downstairs Shuffleboard Club When: Fridays from 7pm - 10pm Where: Shuffleboard Club, 559 Mirror Lake Dr N Cost: Free for members and their guests. $10 per person for nonmembers, kids are free.

A St. Pete tradition. Weather permitting. Volunteers and staff will help you get set up on a court and show you how to play. First come, first serve. Food and drinks are permitted. stpeteshuffle.com

When: Wednesday, September 15th – Sunday, October 3rd (see website for showtimes) Where: American Stage Theatre Company, 163 3rd St N Cost: GA $20 - $54 (see website) An endearing comedy about love, loss & healing by St Pete playwright Natalie Symons. Age Recommendation: 12+. americanstage.org/ peopledownstairs greenbenchmonthly.com/events

Good With Me Festival is Live Again

by Suzanne Driscoll You won’t want to miss the 4th annual Good With Me Festival, a day of fun to celebrate YOU! Co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg and the Good With Me Foundation, it will be held outdoors at the Historic Williams Park from 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturday, September 18.

The day begins with a resounding call to fun by the Police Athletic Youth Drum Corps, and will continue with activities for all ages throughout the day. Johanna Zenobia’s Hip Expressions belly dancers will perform at 11:30 AM, and continuous hands-on activities will be going on with something for everyone. They include the NOMAD Art Bus, belly dancing lessons, skateboarding lessons, relay and obstacle races, rock climbing, yoga, fishing lessons and rock painting. There will be several Make & Takes such as a “Good With Me” Essential Oil Blend, a Henna Tattoo or a peace flag. You can even make your own drum or play along in a drum circle with Steve Turner of Giving Tree Music.

The festival will also feature local favorite musical acts such as the rocking sounds of Urban Gypsies of Florida, The Banyan Bunch and

The Good With Me Festival features the Police Athletic League Youth Drum Corps, a rock climbing wall, and more activities for the whole family.

Photos courtesy of Good With Me Festival

more. Attendees can perform during the “Good With Me” Theme Song contest and dancers can perform during the “Good With Me” dance contest. All activities are FREE. The festival is the brainchild of Patricia Noll, a licensed mental health counselor, certified addictions counselor, acupuncture physician and author of Good With Me: A Simple Approach to Real Happiness From the Inside Out. After 30 years of experience in private practice, she realized there was one theme in common with her clients: they didn’t feel good about themselves since society had taught them to be “other-dependent” on things such as the right relationship partner, plenty of money, and being the best. “If we get our self-esteem from others, we don’t own it,” Noll believes. “Each of us needs to learn how to experience real happiness from the inside out.”

Today the Good With Me Foundation in St. Petersburg offers community leader training and corporate programs, as well as continuing education for counselors and addiction recovery professionals.

For more information about the festival or any of the Good With Me Foundation programs, please visit www.GoodWithMeFoundation. org or call 727-424-1270. Sponsorship and vendor activity opportunities are still available for the festival.

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