Six years ago, I heard about the Sunscreen Film Festival, and as an aspiring animated children’s filmmaker who lives in the Old Northeast, I decided to find out more. I purchased the VIP pass so that I could attend as many workshops and discussions as possible. I wanted to learn more about how to write a proper screenplay and the process filmmakers had to go through to get their dreams on the big screen.

At one of the Sunscreen Film Festival cocktail parties, I happened to meet an Oscar-nominated successful screen writer and subsequently went home with great tips and a determination to write the next big animated children’s film.… Read More

In 1956, Mickey Mantle reported to spring training just after having his tonsils removed. In late February he played in the Tampa Palma Ceia Golf Club annual baseball-players-and-sports-writers golf tournament. Mickey was a late comer to the game of golf, and the Yanks were only allowed to play golf during spring training. Mantle was paired with pitcher Whitey Ford.

Perhaps Mickey’s most notable exhibition game that season occurred in mid-March against the Cardinals at Al Lang Stadium. Times sports writer Red Marston reported “The village blacksmith from Commerce, Okla., Mickey Mantle, muscled a hanging curve over the left field fence and on into Tampa Bay to give the New York Yankees three runs in the eighth inning.”… Read More

St. Petersburg’s Dali Museum might be the only museum in the country where a Southeastern Guide Dog helps out during docent tours. Patricia Allen is a docent at the Dali, and since Dave, her guide dog, goes everywhere Patricia goes, he’s part of the tour every Tuesday afternoon at 12:30pm. “When I ask if there are any questions, Dave knows to stand up and get ready to move on to the next painting,” says Patricia. “He knows the routine. If I make a mistake and go the wrong way, he’ll bark.”

A retired risk manager for a national insurance company, Patricia had already been a docent at the Dali for many years when her eyesight began to fail, a result of diabetic retinopathy.… Read More

When Kyle Taylor moved into a house on our block in the Old Northeast neighborhood, I figured he must be the college-age son of the new owners. He was that youthful looking, full of energy, friendly, and engaging. I soon learned it was not his parents who were the new homeowners, but it was Kyle himself, and he was building his business in St. Petersburg.

The Penny Hoarder began as Kyle’s hobby of finding different ways to earn money, and it has since grown to employ more than 100 people (and still growing) in a lively, fun-filled, sophisticated workspace in downtown St.… Read More