As a local swimmer, I often find myself bragging about our amazing pool at the Northshore Aquatic Complex. I regale out-of-towners with tales of the incredible talent our beautiful pool attracts, the international meets, the collegiate teams visiting each winter, and – my personal favorite – “I’m serious… Michael Phelps even swam in our pool!”

The Olympic-sized swimming pool has indeed accommodated training (and reigning) Olympians. Across from the front entrance are two bronze plaques honoring Brad Snyder and Nicole Haislett respectively, two prior champions.

Nicole Haislett won Olympic gold in Barcelona in the 1992 Summer Olympics (she is a three-time Olympic gold medalist) and is a former world record-holder with a historied past of collegiate and national championships.… Read More

Elton John has one of the ‘Heeling Soles’ artistic shoes created by Robin Roth-Murphy in his Woodside Estate in England! Now that is quite a story, just one of many, about Robin and her specialized art that is created from found objects (mementos, keepsakes, souvenirs, relics, or “stuff” as Robin puts it). Old Northeast residents may know her better as The Alley Recycle Artist or The Little Free Library Lady. Whatever she is called or does, it just provides more stories to tell.

This spring, Robin, a mixed-media artist, decided to decorate part of her alley wall with recyclables: plastic bottle caps!… Read More

St. Petersburg cannot be called a ‘one-horse town.’ In fact, in addition to the quaint horse-drawn carriages along Beach Drive, the city has a Mounted Police Unit that patrols the downtown waterfront parks and entertainment district. The Mounted Unit, which consists of two officers and two horses, is part of the Traffic Division of the St. Petersburg Police Department as an enhancement to the police presence downtown, particularly during weekends and special events.

In July, 2009 when the Boston Police Department was in the process of disbanding their historic mounted units, they donated two of their trained, Percheron/Thoroughbred-cross horses to the St.… Read More

Granada Terrace resident Tom Davis is a true craftsman – even an artist. Craftsmen work with their hands and heads, but artists also work with their hearts according to St. Francis of Assisi. Well, Tom certainly has heart – he spends 4-6 hours per day at the Morean Center for Clay totally immersed in pottery. He even sometimes helps with the firing of ceramic creations. Imagine that in Florida’s summer heat.

Tom first embraced pottery in South Korea in 1971-72 where he was stationed as a captain in the US Air Force. His teacher was a famous potter named Angelo Garzio specializing in Raku ware, a type of Japanese pottery customarily used in tea ceremonies since the 16th century.… Read More

Soon, the last issue of the Neighborhood News will be arriving in our mailboxes! In its absence, what will we talk about? How will we know what’s going on in the Old Northeast?

No, this is not an obituary for Rick Carson (as he says tongue-in-cheek). Rather, this is a standing ovation, a Pulitzer Prize if you will, for the long-time editor of the HONNA (Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association) newsletter. There just isn’t a name for the honors he deserves for being the best, most patient, faithful, and longest-serving newsletter editor and photographer in the world of newsletter editors.

Who does a stress-filled, time-consuming, under-appreciated job for 14 years for free?… Read More

Local residents often see a neighbor’s yard filled with plastic flamingos for a day and accept it as a fun, crazy, ‘Florida’ way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, birth, or other event. But, in fantastic style, Sunken Gardens has just received a flock of 20 young Chilean flamingos, and they are here for good. These youngsters join 60-year old George and Lucy, the only remaining flamingos out of an original flock of 17. In 1956, the flamingo flock was the most iconic feature of Sunken Gardens.

The public was invited to ‘meet and greet’ the youngsters on Sunday, May 1 and anyone wearing pink received $1 off their admission price.… Read More

How would you celebrate an 85th anniversary? Have a party, of course! And no one throws a party better than the Junior League!

Lest you think this is a Junior League of pearls, white gloves, and sterling tea service –  think again. Since 1931, the Junior League of St. Petersburg (JLSP ) has been a driving force in improving our community for families and especially children. Members of the Junior League are accomplished collaborators who build coalitions, identify community needs, and develop effective and responsive programs to serve those needs. For 85 years, members of the Junior League have focused their energies on school readiness and literacy, improved health care and nutrition, support for the arts, and advocacy for environmental responsibility through effective action and trained leadership.… Read More

From Ocean, to Gulf, to Bayou, and Swamps and Rivers, too… George Can Do, Can You?

Snell Isle resident, Dr. George Stovall, can canoe. In fact, he is locally famous for his adventures, large and medium – no small ones. Key Largo to Bimini; from Fort Clinch on Fernandina Beach, up the St. Mary’s into the Okefenokee Swamp, into the Suwanee River, and down to Cedar Key; coastlines in Florida to Georgia to both Carolinas; George has done it, alone and with companions. He likes to paddle; he loves to experiment. He has kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards – but he loves his dugouts the most.… Read More

Judy Prime-Sayles absolutely loves being a nurse.  It’s who she is, and that comes through in everything she does. A teacher at Pinellas Technical College, Judy teaches more than skills, she teaches nursing! “I love nursing because you can make things better for someone else,” she told me.

Nursing isn’t just about procedures and medications; it is about taking care of a person, both physically and psychologically. It’s about calming fears, listening to concerns, and helping the entire person to feel better. As a nurse myself, I know what she is talking about. Sometimes it seems that other fields of medicine focus on one aspect of the patient, but the nurse pulls them all together.… Read More

Almost Everywhere You Turn These Days, There’s Another Magnificent Mural

In most cities, the alleys are the last place you’d expect to find world-class art. In St. Petersburg, however, home-grown and internationally imported muralists have thoroughly staked their claim to the backs of our urban buildings, raising the bar and completely redefining the very notion of street art.

A phenomenon in play since 2010 – dovetailing with the refurbishment of the Crislip Arcade and the re-branding of the 600 block of Central Avenue as the Central Arts District – the mural scene here has been on a steady upward trajectory for the past five years.… Read More