The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club dates back to January 24, 1924, and was known as “The World’s Largest Shuffleboard Club” with over 5000 members in its heyday. Though much diminished in size it is still a cherished St. Petersburg institution. In addition to providing a physical home for various local cultural activities such as SPIFFS , the Shuffleboard Club still hosts international shuffleboard tournaments. The season for these tournaments is October through March. Visitors of all ages are welcome throughout the year. There is a $1.00 daily membership fee for visitors. (That’s not a typo. That’s ONE DOLLAR…can’t find a better deal anywhere.) For information on the tournaments click here and, for an aerial photo of the facility, click here.
However, for me, the primary significance of the Shuffleboard Club is that it is home to something that our world really needs these days: a family-friendly, gentle environment where, every Friday night from 7 to 11pm, entirely free, people of all ages can gather to have simple fun by playing shuffleboard.
According to the St. Pete Shuffle’s website, “The Shuffle is a joint effort of The Artillery, Pinellas Heritage and the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, and was designed to generate civic activity and reintroduce the Mirror Lake Recreation Complex to the community. Our goal is to build a broad constituency of advocates for this generation’s equivalent of the Million Dollar Pier.”
The primary way the St. Pete Shuffle does this is through their regular Friday night events where folks play shuffleboard to the accompaniment of some very hip tunes from an iPod connected to a small speaker system. People are invited to bring their own coolers, but cold drinks are available for free. If this scene sounds a little odd to you, you should try it. I think you’ll be surprised how laid back and relaxing the experience is. It is very mellow.
It is also charming to discover the mix of generations who interact so naturally. I counted at least four generations playing shuffleboard together at the Holiday Craft Shuffle this past week (the pictures in this post are from that event). From a few oldsters my age down through middle aged couples, plus young adults with their kids setting up their shuffleboard pieces in careful imitation of their parents, it was testament to the shared humanity that awaits when the televisions and video games are turned off.
In October, a Shuffle special events was the Bike Night. Last week was the Holiday Crafts event. Coming up, January 9th, will be Tonga Night, when the Shuffle will partner with SPIFFS. (I was the guest of honor at a Tonga banquet in Hawaii once and it was a wonderful event. I’m not sure if Tonga Night will have food, but my guess is they will. You’re in a for a treat, regardless.) February 13th will be India Night. This is the second time the Shuffle has had an India night. I missed the last one, which I hear was a real hit. I won’t miss it this time.
Go to the main Shuffle website to sign up for the mailing list, or stay in touch via their MySpace page or blog.
There’s an outstanding and important article on issues facing the Shuffle and the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club here. It details the efforts to keep this historical facility alive and well.
The visual highlight of the Shuffle’s Holiday Crafts event this past Friday was a projected installation by artist David Meek, who is a designer with Phillip Gary Design (622 1st Avenue South Suite 2, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701; 727-895-4092) which is located on the floor directly above Studio@620, another important St. Pete fine arts center. Above is a short YouTube video of just a fraction of David’s light installation from the Shuffle’s Holiday Crafts event.
I first met David when I was helping out with the St. Petersburg Opera (Inkwatu St. Pete Opera post). Phillip Gary Design, under David’s direction, did the posters for at least six of SPO’s operas that I know of. There’s a slideshow of those six, very powerful posters at the Inkwatu Flickr set, “SPO Posters.” I hope you also go to the Phillip Gary website to check out their extended and colorful presentation of their other projects.
Pictured above are Christine Page and Chris Kelly, two of the many people who make the St. Pete Shuffle happen. According To Kelly, “Friday nights are ‘open to the public’ events: never a charge to play, for equipment, beverages or snacks, freeze-pops, ice cream, spam sushi, etc. The board of governors feels very strongly that Shuffle should remain free, with a goodwill donation. We encourage membership however. Membership is $21.40 a year (including tax). There is also a Tuesday night League that includes membership and a T-shirt for $40. All members can get a key to the equipment shed, which features enough gear for 8 courts (32 people), chalk, erasers, keys to the bathrooms, etc.” For more information on memberships, download this PDF. Through this secure link, it is possible to join online. However, it is important to remember that membership is not required for the totally free, Friday night events.
The St. Pete Shuffle board is Jen Thompson, Mary Eldridge, Sue Stanczyk, Joey Norton, Dan Hahn, Christa Fairbrother, Joyce Linna, John Dudley, Sara Hoeber, Christine Page, and Chris Kelly.
Above is a short video of some folks having fun shuffleboarding this past Friday night. Below is a court and barrel of sticks ready and waiting for YOU. See you on the courts.
(Remember how to play and score shuffleboard? If not, here’s the rules at mastergames.com)
Most images link to larger images.
click on larger image for closeup
