It’s no secret that St. Petersburg is quickly solidifying its reputation as an arts destination and an arts community. We have world-class museums, statues, and other visual art in our parks; professional musicians from The Florida Orchestra working with students in schools; colorful murals brightening the sides of buildings; and dozens of cultural centers with full event calendars serving our community.

While this is the product of so many people and organizations, the work of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA) helped pave the way.  Founded seven years ago, the SPAA is a local 501c3 with the highest Guidestar rating (platinum – to put this into context, only 8 of over 1,000 St.… Read More

Tom C. Harris joined the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times) as a copyboy in 1923 at the age of 14. His mother had taken him to the paper asking the manager if they had a job for “my son.” At the time, Tom was still in high school and wearing short pants, or what was known at the time as knickers. The manager introduced Tom to the staff as the new copyboy and then deadpanned, “He says he wants to be editor of the Times.”

Tom Harris’ big break at the Times came two years later. He was the only one available to cover a gruesome murder in which an 18-year-old killed both his parents.… Read More

Symphony orchestras don’t grow by chance. Their presence in a community is indicative of thoughtful management, patron and donor support, as well as the ability to attract and maintain quality musicians. How did we get so lucky to have The Florida Orchestra right on our doorstep? It all starts with the musicians, each dedicated to mastering and passing on the gift of music. I recently met with Florida Orchestra violist, Barbara Rizzo, at her Snell Isle home, to gain a better understanding of what it takes to be a symphony musician.

Fertile Soil

Barbara Rizzo and her viola

Barbara was born into music in Brooklyn, New York.… Read More

Immersing yourself in another culture can be life changing, as student ambassadors for the St. Pete Sister Cities Program quickly find out. Since 1984, more than 50 local high school students have been selected to travel to Takamatsu, Japan for a two-week stay with local families. The students serve as ‘the voice and face’ of St. Petersburg in a unique cultural exchange program.

Chloe Johnson, a recent graduate of St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, was with a group of three students chosen to travel to Takamatsu last summer. “It was an amazing opportunity,” says Chloe, who grew up in Crescent Lake and Venetian Isles.… Read More

Each person who calls St. Petersburg home does so for their own reasons. For me, it has always been an unquenchable fascination with the history of our city, especially its beautiful buildings and historical landmarks.

In fact, my passion for Florida history largely stemmed from living in the Sunshine City. I found an endless supply of historical oddities, landmarks, and monuments that helped define the city I now called home.

Monuments themselves don’t necessarily have to be stone obelisks, plaques, or statues; buildings themselves are monuments to the people who built them, their ideals, and society as it was during the time they were built.… Read More

Within five minutes of their first meeting, Chris Steinocher, president of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, knew immediately that Chad Nuss and his new tech company, InsideOut, would be huge wins for St. Petersburg. Chad and his team are exactly the kind of young, creative entrepreneurs the city is focused on attracting. For Chad, coming to St. Pete felt like the perfect fit, too.

I met Chad recently for coffee at the Black Crow coffee shop in the Old Northeast where we both live. I wanted to learn more about what attracted his family and his business to St. Petersburg, and how they are settling in.… Read More

Invest in your happiness, declares Old Northeast artist, Anna Ayres. For Anna – a watercolor, oil and acrylic painter – creating art answers the call to be happy.  Her work, “reflects what she sees in nature and doesn’t try to make it one thing or another, but just lets it be.”

“I have always been an artist,” says Anna. “From the moment I could hold a crayon, I have thoroughly enjoyed putting color to surface, although it hasn’t always been something that was encouraged or supported. It’s taken many years of yoga, meditation, and self-discovery to understand what it means to be an artist and to take action toward becoming one.”  Anna’s artwork can be found at www.artbyannaayres.com, as well as St.… Read More

The day started with an early morning assembly in the central patio courtyard of Canterbury’s Lower School on Snell Isle. Moms and dads stood patiently with grade-schoolers in uniforms. First came the Pledge of Allegiance and achievement awards, then the highlight of the morning – a student-run farmer’s market with bright red radishes, kale, lettuces, herbs, and cherry tomatoes for sale. It was a bounty from the school’s new STEAM garden.

Canterbury students eagerly sell produce from their STEAM garden

The inspiration of Breck Moorefield, Canterbury’s art teacher, the garden is a several-year project that came together late last year, thanks to a big helping hand from Nic Weathersbee of Urban Micro Farms who provided professional advice on just about everything: organic garden design, tools, hauling tree stumps and branches, digging out the beds and filling them with soil, ordering seeds and picking out plants and seeds, planting them, and teaching the students all necessary garden know-how.… Read More

If a teleporter existed, where would you go first?
Platform 9 ¾. (If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you know that Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station is where you depart for Hogwarts.)

A gadget you can’t live without:
Air Conditioning

Favorite childhood book:
Amelia Bedelia

What is something funny that has happened to you?
We recently bought some baby chickens for our backyard. They were all supposed to be hens, but we quickly realized that one of the ‘hens’ was actually a rooster when it started crowing every morning. We were a big hit with our neighbors for a few days until we were able to find a farm that would take him.… Read More

Lariana Forsythe: CASA’s New CEO

While many neighbors in our community are aware of the tremendous work done by CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse), a new CEO at the helm hopes to take the organization to the next level through good management and smart decisions.

Lariana Forsythe, CASA’s new CEO, is young, vibrant, and full of ideas to improve the nonprofit organization which has been providing support to victims of domestic violence since 1977.  She comes to CASA from Phoenix, where she was the chief development officer and vice president for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix.

CASA CEO Lariana Forsythe

Lariana grew up in Arizona but summered on Long Boat Key and Sarasota as a child.… Read More