Featured image: Giant, public menorah lighting ceremonies have become newer tradition for celebrating Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, which will take place December 14 to 22 this year, is the eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt. It is celebrated as a Festival of Lights by lighting a menorah, with a new candle for each of the eight nights to remember the miracle of a small amount of oil that lasted for the entire period. The holiday also involves traditions like playing the dreidel game, and eating foods like latkes and sufganiyot (donuts) – preferably on my patio where my menorah is lit and chocolate gelt (coins) are shared.… Read More

Featured image: The St. Petersburg Community Band has approximately 75 musicians of all ages playing a variety of musical “from blues to big band, classical to Sousa, and just about everything in between.” Photo courtesy of the SPCB.

“Keeping a band playing for 50 years is quite an accomplishment,” said Matt Blaine, president of the St. Petersburg Community Band. “But that is exactly what this band of volunteer musicians has done.”

Since its start in 1975, the band has had many talented directors and is now under the direction of Dr. John Bannon, former Principal Timpanist with The Florida Orchestra until his retirement this year.… Read More

Featured image: Prescribed burning has myriad benefits for the landscape and ecology, but also helps to mitigate larger, unplanned fires.

Smokey Bear famously taught us that we can prevent forest fires. But what if your forest needs fire to survive? 

Many of Florida’s natural communities, including scrub and pine flatwoods, are fire-dependent, meaning they rely on periodic fires to stay healthy. Our state’s long, wet summers produce heavy vegetation growth – ample fire fuel – and our spectacular thunderstorms supply the igniting spark. The result, for much of Florida’s post-Pleistocene history, has been regular, low-intensity fires across much of the region.… Read More

The motto of The Salvation Army is “Doing the Most Good,” which is ever-apparent during the holiday season – perhaps the iconic organization’s busiest time. 

The Salvation Army of Greater St. Petersburg (SAGSP) has an on-site food pantry stocked through donations and community partnerships that operate throughout the year. In the fall, a major food drive helps secure more donations for the winter holidays in addition to its usual stock of non-perishables, plus fresh, seasonal produce and vegetables.

“Our holiday season kicks off with the Holiday Food Drive, which helps families throughout Southern Pinellas County,” says Kim Duncan, development coordinator for The Salvation Army’s Florida Division, St.… Read More

It’s Saturday night. Dozens of things are vying for your attention, your leisure time, and your money. But you want to cut through the noise – get beyond the influencers and the biggest advertising budgets – to find the most up-to-date offerings that align with you: your vibes, your companions, and your budget. Where can you access all this for an arts and culture scene as dense as St. Pete’s?

The Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA), led by Executive Director Markus Gottschlich, is launching a vanguard technological solution: an interactive map and unified events calendar. This free-to-use, community-oriented guide is accessible and always live – aimed to help residents and visitors alike explore places they may not know about.     … Read More

Featured image: Florida Native Landscape and Design won the Home of the Year Award for a project on an historic home in the Historic Old Northeast.

City leaders, community members, and local visionaries joined the City Beautiful Commission for their 58th annual City Beautification Awards ceremony on October 23. Held at Sunken Gardens, the ceremony honored the projects that make St. Petersburg shine, including unique and remarkable work to improve our community and make our city greener. 

Projects included an initiative to develop a community pollinator corridor; an urban farming initiative that transforms empty lots into garden spaces; a volunteer community garden that focuses on sustainable regenerative farming practices to produce free fruits and vegetables for the community; as well as a local business’s preservation of the beautiful and established large oak trees on its property. … Read More