Vivid Memories

a mooring cleat on the St. Pete Pier
(perhaps from an earlier pier?)

It’s not just that “the best things in life are free,” but maybe also that the best things in life—or at least the most rewarding and memorable–are arduous. This is as true for family vacations and outings as well as the obvious clichéd things such as professional accomplishments. Isn’t it true that many, if not most, of the fondest times from our childhood, the scenes that are most firmly moored in our memories, our most cherished times, all involve a lot of sweat (both literal and metaphorical).

The St. Pete Pier provides ample opportunity for both (lots of fun in the sun, at no charge). If you haven’t been in a while (or ever), I suggest you plan an outing there. You won’t be disappointed.

Parking and the Trolley

St. Petersburg panorama as seen from the top of The Pier

BUT WEAR A HAT (and your sunscreen)! It gets really hot out there and it’s a long walk out the pier from the parking lots at the beginning of the approach ($3; $5 for special events). I tend to use the valet parking right at the doorway of The Pier building which is only $4 plus tip. (Yes, you can actually drive out on The Pier.)

The most fun way to get there, however, is the 25¢ Looper. I keep several printouts handy of the St. Petersburg city Looper page PDF map and brochure for myself and visitors. The “Discover Downtown, Official Guide for Downtown St. Petersburg” is an extremely useful map that I keep handy at home and in my car—it also has some good coupons. Discover Downtown has their own Looper map and schedule. The Looper is the best deal in town in my opinion. (I love trolleys!)

It’s also worth checking out the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership which gives more information on downtown parking and getting around town including the Looper and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) which has the “Beach Trolley^SM that runs every 20 – 30 minutes from 5:05 a.m. to 10:10 p.m., Monday through Sunday, including holidays, with service until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Look for special trolley bus stop signs located frequently along the route. In addition to the services along Gulf Boulevard, connector routes run between the coast and downtown St. Petersburg. Click here for the trolley schedule.”

With walking, the Downtown Looper, the Beach Trolley, the regular PSTA bus system, and St. Petersburg’s abundant bicycle lanes and many bicycle rental establishments, it is very possible to enjoy yourself without a car in St. Petersburg as either a resident or visitor.

St. Petersburg Marina

St. Petersburg Marina panorama

Clustered along the north side of the approach to The Pier are the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of History, and Spa Beach. Along the south side of the approach is the South Straub Park and the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina on the Central Yacht Basin. A bit south of that is the South Yacht Basin with Demens Landing Park and Pioneer Park on the shore. North of the Museums and Spa Beach are North Straub Park, the North Yact Basin, the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, and Vinoy Park. While you are exploring downtown St. Pete and The Pier area, be sure to leave a day or two for the Vinoy, these museums, and the various waterfront parks. And, those parks are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to parks; St. Petersburg really is a city of parks.

Even though I’m not a boat person, I do have a fondness for marinas, especially those that have live-aboards, as does the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. I highly recommend you take a look at the marina…maybe dream a little. Listen to the sounds of the water and the boats creaking as they softly shift with the waves. Can’t you easily imagine being lulled to sleep with that every night?

Feeding the Pelicans

pier pelicans

The Pier Bait House is one of the original 1926 pier buildings and one of the first structures you’ll encounter when you reach the end of The Pier. For $5 they sell a bucket of fish to feed the pelicans who make The Pier home. Their PDF describes how feeding the pelicans these whole fish help to preserve their health since scraps left over from fishing are primarily bones and a diet of only bony parts has ill effects on their health in the long term. The Bait House has rods and reels available for adults and kids to fish off the pier.  They also book full fishing charters. If you happen to be there when someone is feeding the pelicans I think you’ll discover that it’s a lot more fun to watch that you might guess. I get a real kick out of it.

Fishing from The Pier

panorama from the north side of pier

Non-Florida residents 16 years old and older DO need a fishing license to fish off the pier. I called The Pier Bait House to be sure of my understanding and this is what they told me: any child under the age of 16, whether or not they are a Florida resident, and all Florida residents, of any age, do NOT need a fishing license to fish off the pier. However, non-Florida resident 16 and older DO need a license unless they are fishing on a charter boat.

I trust their information and it coincides with my own reading of the relevant pages, but I would strongly recommend you read them for yourself since both the Bait Shop and I could be in error and, anyway, regulations might change.

Here are the current rates for 16 and older Non-resident Saltwater Recreational Fishing Licenses:

• Nonresident 3-Day Saltwater Fishing = $17.00
• Nonresident 7-Day Saltwater Fishing = $30.00
• Nonresident Annual Saltwater Fishing = $47.00

Restaurants on The Pier

Captain Al’s

There’s no shortage of food out on The Pier (for humans as well as pelicans), what with Cha Cha Coconuts and a food court called the Dockside Eatery, but my absolute favorites are Captain Al’s (for the ambiance) and the Columbia Restaurant (for the food).

The Columbia (here and here) is owned and operated by the 5th generation of the Gonzmart family. Most people are more familiar with the original restaurant down in Ybor City, over in Tampa. But, I’m partial, honestly, to the one out on The Pier. My favorite dish there is the “1905 Salad”—a signature salad that’s not exactly a diet salad, but is very delicious. The ingredients, texture, dressing, all a perfect blend.

Captain Al’s (here and here) has OK food, but the main attractions there, for me, are the beer and the bands. It’s an outdoor bar on the end of The Pier immediately adjacent to the area (Waterside Courtyard) where the bands play on the weekends. A great spot to sit, in the shade, have a brew, and listen to music.

Entertainment

side view of pier main building

Most events at The Pier, as well as The Pier itself, are absolutely free, such as the musical events every Saturday and Sunday at the Waterside Courtyard (outside on the ground floor at the very end of the pier next to Captain Al’s). Be sure to check The Pier Events link on their website for last minute information, but here are the musical groups featured this month: Blinky & Fritz (Saturday, August 02); the Big Daddy Band (Sunday, August 03); Bus Stop (Saturday, August 09); Giving Tree Music Drum Circle (second Saturday of every month from 5:00-7:00 pm); Saxophonist B.K. Jackson (Sunday, August 10); Charlie Hotel (Saturday, August 16); Tropigroove (August 17); Salsa En St Pete (Saturday, August 23); Lionheart (Sunday, August 24); and, the Mark Anthony Band (Sunday, August 31).

More free events are the free caricatures the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month and free face painting for the kids from 1:00-4:00 pm Saturdays and Sundays. Also free is The Pier light show: light emitting diode lighting system projects off the building Sundays through Thursdays from sundown until midnight. “…Friday and Saturday evenings at the top of every hour- PM, 8PM, 9PM, 10PM and 11PM-the building will have ‘Enhanced Lighting Displays’ with more rapid changes and lighting techniques…”

Be sure to check out the Suncoast 15th Annual “Vettes at The Pier” Corvette Show (Labor Day weekend, Saturday, August 30). The 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month the “Oldies But Goodies Dance” in the Dockside Activity Room is free and open to everyone.

Not free, but definitely worth considering is the “All You Can Eat Fish Fry” at Captain Al’s every Friday. Same for the “Carriage Rides at The Pier,” 1:00-9:00 pm daily, weather permitting (except Wednesdays when closed), a twenty-minute horse and carriage ride through downtown St. Pete. The carriage ride is found at the start of The Pier near the monument signs at Spa Beach. It’s $30 for two people, each additional child $5, each additional adult $10, seats six.

A very special event coming up is the Wednesday, September 3, breakfast at the Columbia Restaurant to kick off the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk.

Aquarium and Shops

first floor columnar water sculpture

The Pier website has a group of attractions on a page called Adventure which includes Boating at The Pier, the Dolphin Queen, Wheel Fun Rentals, Electric Marina Boat Rentals, and Weddings on Water. But foremost among those is The Pier Aquarium. At only 2,000 square feet, it’s obviously not a large aquarium like you might find at the Atlanta Aquarium or the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay–their website’s flash intro is terrific. (That’s one gorgeous website.) But, The Pier Aquarium is a legitimate, albeit modest, educational effort. I do wish, though, that we had a large aquarium like Atlanta or San Francisco. Walking with the fish is very restful and puts one’s head in a very good place.

As of the writing of this article, the current exhibit at The Pier Aquarium is “Counting on Fish” about “the importance of sport and commercial fish and how research ensures the sustainability and stability of this industry.” Has “kid-friendly mini-lessons about fishing. Time: 10AM-8PM – Weekdays and Saturday – 12AM-6PM Sundays Cost: Admission to The Pier Aquarium $5 Adults; $4 Students (7+)and Seniors (65+); free to Children 6 and under. For more information please call: 727.895.7437.” Friday, August 01, 2008 through Sunday, August 31, 2008.

The Pier is also home to a number of commercial shops for Men & Women’s Clothing (Bay Breeze, Just Hats, Sunwatchers, The Hide Out), Specialty Food (Cafe Morrow Morrow’s, Peppers on the Pier, Pier Winery) and Specialty Shops (Lost in Time, Corner Cottage, Crystal Mirage Gallery, DD Collectibles, MJ Toons, Rainforest Gifts, St. Petersburg Candle Gallery). My own favorites are DD Collectibles and the Candle Gallery. Actually, all the shops out on The Pier are pretty good and when visitors want to buy a tchotchke to take home to family or friends, I always take them out to these shops.

The Best Things in Life…

We’ve had a rewarding, tiring day at The Pier that was lots of fun and didn’t cost even a fraction of what a day at a theme park might have. Could it be that the heat, the sun, the exhaustion, the walking, the messy fingers, getting tired, frayed patience are actually what makes the experience fun, memorable (in a good way)?! Probably. We seldom remember times of extreme relaxation unless they are on the heels of extreme exertion. So…glowing from our day, we now we take the trolley home (or to our motel) for a well earned nap, because the best things in life are free…and usually sweaty.

the trolley heads for home

(Captain Al’s)
(Columbia)

By the light of stone-age campfires, our ancestors dramatized stories that spoke directly to the heart of their listeners about society’s deepest myths. Always, from those primeval origins, through the earliest recorded histories in China, India, and Greece, right up to the present day, live drama has always been more than entertainment (although it has definitely been that as well); at its best, it has always been an uncompromising examination of what it means to be human. (See Theater History for a concise history of theater.)

Karaoke, hootenanny sing-a-longs, and tribal dancing, not withstanding, music is pretty much something that can only be appreciated within the isolation of one’s own mind. Reading a book is even more isolated. Art can be discussed, but the ideas involved are always a bit rarified. But, theater has the power to move masses, to start revolutions, to change the social order. One might think that movies were the same way, but somehow they’re not. They seem as interior an experience as music. Live theater, however, is more immediate, more visceral, with an impact that seems to reach right into the audience and involve it in the production itself. I’m not sure why this is so–it may be that it is the simple fact that it’s real flesh and blood actors in the same physical space as the audience–but that is my own personal experience and when I look around at the faces of fellow members of the audience I think it is theirs as well. ^(NOTE)

For that reason, we’re so fortunate to have a large number of small, amateur theater groups–as well professional theater groups–in the Tampabay area. In addition to the professional, actor’s equity theater, American Stage, in downtown St. Pete, groups that perform at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and the various local university and college drama departments, there is the Suncoast Theater Alliance comprised of the Gulfport Community Players, the Island Community Theatre, the City Players, the West Coast Players , the St. Petersburg Little Theatre, the Eight O’clock Theatre, and the Francis Wilson Playhouse, whose website has an even more exhaustive list of live theater groups in the area!

Not long after I’d first moved to St. Petersburg, I went to watch a a friend, Andrew Meacham, a writer for the St. Petersburg Times, perform as Chief Bromden in the Island Community Theater’s production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at Gulfport’s Catherine A. Hickman Theater (5501 27th Ave. S., Gulfport, Florida). Please check out this review, these pictures, and this photo of Andrew as Chief Bromden. I enjoyed myself thoroughly (and even managed to win a door prize) and have looked forward to another fun night of theater in Gulfport.

I finally got my chance last weekend when I returned to the Hickman Theater, with friends, to watch the “Summer One Act Festival” presented by the Gulfport Community Players. It was an interesting evening: eight one-act plays, all written by local playwrights and directed and acted by local talent. It was just right! Having eight different plays provided a safety net for various tastes and attention spans. If one play wasn’t one’s cup of tea, the next one was. I was fortunate in that I enjoyed each on its own terms. I’m absolutely thrilled that the playwrights were all local. So much of our artistic experience is “imported” from international corporate art mills.

I love corporate art products as much as anyone, but there was a day, when if you wanted to hear music, the only music you got to hear was within a day’s ride by horse. Guys like Bach, Mozart, Hayden, Beethoven were all just local gigging musicians. If you wanted music you were stuck with your local talent–artists we now think of as the greats. I think the reason there were so many good artists and art produced in those days (in all fields of fine art—theater, music, graphic arts, dance) was exactly because of the local nature of the scene, the lack of competing big-bankroll imports. It’s not even an analogy, it’s literally the same phenomenon: supermarket chains are great, but they destroy local food “creativity” in the same way local performers are made irrelevant by imported talent.

So, it is with real interest that I discovered that the 1st Annual Florida Playwrights Festival is coming soon to the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center with an original full length play, “Money, Money-Who’s Got the Money” by Sharilyn La May; August 15-24, 2008 (727-942-5605). Also, the Theater Florida Playwrights Festival will present “Once More” by Brian Wiggins, at the Back Door Theater directed by Frank Hale, August 22-31, 2008, Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2 pm, and “Shakespeare’s R&J” adapted by Joe Calarco, directed by Bill Rucker, November 21-30, 2008, Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2 pm; auditions September 29 and 30, 2008, 7 pm at the Back Door Theater.

The Back Door Theater (4919 17th Avenue S., Gulfport, Florida) was once only the rehearsal, audition, and set construction space for the Gulfport Players. It is now an additional venue for their performances. They, as well as other theater groups such as the Island Community Theater will continue to perform at the much larger Hickman Theater, but the new Back Door Theater, owned by the Players, will have the capacity for catered dinner theater and will allow the Players to expand their performance schedule.

If you’re not familiar with Gulfport—a small community on the water, adjoining St. Petersburg, and home to the Hickman Theater and the Back Door Theater—I highly recommend your exploring the town before or after taking in a play. They have a large number of activities there of various sorts including sidewalk art shows and street musicians. Check out the Gulfport city website for more information. A much earlier post of mine about Gulfport is available here and a photo tour of Gulfport in a miniaturized version immediately follows this paragraph (a larger version is available at http://inkwatu.com/gulfport.html).

History & Past Productions

St. Petersburg has surprised itself by evolving into a city were fine arts is the focus of its high quality of life. Within walking distance of downtown condos there are well over a dozen galleries, more than four museums, three major performance venues, equity theater, and innumerable small businesses that support the cultural scene.

One important measure of any city’s artistic reach is the breadth of its musical life. Does it extend beyond a symphony orchestra? Does it exist outside of academic institutions? Are there recitals? A lively chamber music scene? Contemporary and even avant-garde presentations? Opera?

St. Petersburg can answer Yes to all of that, especially to opera: the
St. Petersburg Opera!

The creative and motivating force behind the St. Pete Opera is Maestro Mark Sforzini (http://www.marksforzini.com and http://stpeteopera.org/sforzini.html). Sforzini (seen above in a casual promotional presentation at the Saturday Morning Market) has been at the core of the St. Pete Opera since its inception as it grew out of a series of productions at the Palladium Theater. Past seasons of the SPO (St. Petersburg Opera) have, under his baton, included The Barber of Seville, Die Fledermaus, La Bohème, L’Elisir d’Amore, and most recently, Don Giovanni.

In addition to his role as Artistic Director and Conductor of the St. Petersburg Opera, Sforzini is Artistic Director of FloriMezzo, Artistic Director of the Encore Series at the Palladium, and was Principal Bassoon of the Florida Orchestra for 15 years (1992 – 2007). Also a composer, he is currently completing a major commission to compose a full length opera to be premiered in the near future.

Emerging Artists Program

Maestro Sforzini has brought outstanding performers from New York and Europe to fill the principal roles: Richard Cassell, Alisa Cassola, Elizabeth Claxton, Kevin Courtemanche, Todd Donovan (a St. Petersburg native), Michelle Giglio, Jonathan Hodel, Michael Wade Lee, Kathy Pyeatt, Jacqueline Quirk, Nathan Resika, Jennifer Sanchez, Wade Thomas, Jon Truitt, and Bryce Westervelt, to name but a few.

However, even more remarkable has been St. Pete Opera’s Emerging Artist Program in which newer singers serve as understudies for all the principal roles. As part of the program, they take master classes from Maestro Sforzini and various guest artists and directors. Pictured above is Maestro Sforzini coaching Emerging Artists at such a workshop.

The Emerging Artist Program provides a very unique opportunity in that these understudies (called “covers” in opera lingo) have the chance to sing with full orchestra during the orchestra rehearsals! This is a very rare experience, more valuable, perhaps, than any amount of verbal instruction.

In addition to their duties as covers, the Emerging Artists perform in the opera chorus alongside local singers who have successfully passed a rigorous audition, usually involving at least one aria in Italian (or the language of the current production). For more information on the Chorus, the Emerging Artist Program, and future audition dates and requirements, see the opera’s website.

The FloriMezzo Orchestra

The orchestra which performs for the St. Petersburg Opera productions is the FloriMezzo Orchestra. FloriMezzo is the creation of co-founders, Jessica Calandra and Mark Sforzini. (Ms. Calandra’s photo is the insert in the above picture of members of the FloriMezzo Orchestra performing my bassoon concerto with Mark Sforzini as bassoon soloist and John Bannon, Principal Timpanist of the Florida Orchestra, conducting.)

The FloriMezzo website describes their mission well: “FloriMezzo provides educational and performance opportunities to students, music educators and community musicians. Members of the Florida Orchestra and other professional musicians serve as mentors (clinicians/coaches) by leading rehearsals and playing in the ensembles that perform in FloriMezzo concerts.”

I have often seen nationally recognized professionals from the Florida Orchestra playing in the FloriMezzo, with their sons or daughters playing right along side them. An unforgettable experience for both. When you put an advanced student next to a seasoned professional, the student rises to the occasion. It’s educational magic.

Featured Artists & Directors

Large production companies such as the St. Petersburg Opera aren’t born through the efforts of one person alone. The single most important midwife to the birthing of the St. Pete Opera is Dar Webb. Originally the founder of a software company and now, with her husband Clint Page, a prominent supporter of the arts in St. Petersburg, Webb was for a time interim Executive Director of the Palladium (pictured above), an historical restoration project that has become an important music venue in the city. It was during her tenure as director of the Palladium, and through her professional advice and marketing savvy, that the St. Petersburg opera became established as the first-class operation that it is.

An early presence at the St. Pete Opera was the stage director for several of the first productions, Jon Truitt, Director of Opera at the University of Evansville. Truitt has also sung several roles with the SPO, including the title role in this season’s production of Don Giovanni.

The Sets

The famous musicologist, Eugene Selhorst once said something that has really stuck with me: [paraphrasing] Effective opera is primarily visual—good opera will “work,” even if the sound is turned off! Think about it: when you think of opera you see, in your mind’s eye, heroines dramatically dying in the arms of matinee idols, swashbuckling sword fights, troupes of marching soldiers with rifles and plumed hats, dramatic lighting, and comic love triangle participants hiding behind pillars. And, we understand the plot even though the words are completely unintelligible!

Visually cradling all that action and theatrics is the set. It’s the thing that makes audiences go (quite literally), “Oooooo!”

The special vision of the Set Designer for La Bohème and Don Giovanni, Allen Loyd, has, I believe, contributed to the St. Petersburg Opera’s reputation for originality. Loyd’s style has a quirky, imaginative quality that is unmistakable. Mr. Loyd has designed many sets for American Stage (professional equity theater), Live Arts Peninsula Foundation, Banyan Theater, and the Gorilla Theater. As well as a set designer, he is an artist with exhibits at area venues. The unusually high proscenium at the Palladium Theater has given Mr. Loyd the opportunity to build very striking, “skyscraper” sets that tower above the audience, creating spectacularly emotional scenes (see Don Giovanni picture at top of article). At his page on the opera website, you can view photos of his sets and artwork. Pictured immediately above this paragraph is a portion of his set for La Bohème, complete with falling snow special effect.

Graphic Designs

The montage above displays the posters for the past St. Petersburg Opera productions. They have been worthy souvenir items. All were done by Phillip Gary Design (475 Central Ave Ste 305, St Petersburg; 727-895-4092). Starting with Elixir of Love, the SPO began featuring the artwork on t-shirts and other marketing items. For more information on the St. Petersburg Opera, past, present, and future artists and productions, please visit http://stpeteopera.org.

Please note: the St. Petersburg Opera phone number has changed since this article was published and is now (727) 823-2040.