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

‘When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing – just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park?” –Ralph Marston

As I’ve said many times before, beauty is everywhere; all you have to do is open your eyes. Flora Wylie Park is one of St. Pete’s true treasures. Nestled along the waterfront from the Sundial at 18th Avenue and North Shore Drive NE, and extending past the Aquatic Center, the park is truly remarkable.… Read More

St. Petersburg hosts more than 1,000 annual downtown events. Many of the events feature a shuttle service provided by the St. Petersburg Trolley between designated parking locations and event locations. The Looper shuttle service has operated with a regular daily schedule.

City Invited Public Input to Discuss Downtown Parking Issues

Back in July, 2015, the City began a study of the parking challenges in the downtown area. Two public, interactive workshops were held. Residents were also invited to take an online opinion survey regarding the city’s parking challenges.

City Initiated a Six-Month Pilot Program to Provide a Free Shuttle Service on Friday and Saturday Nights

On November 6, a six-month pilot program was introduced.… Read More

Grown men in nothing but tighty whities and tube socks. Lovely ladies braving the Valentine’s Day chill in lingerie and knit beanies. Trotting along the waterfront, down to the Dali and back up to the raucous bars on Central Avenue, the first annual St. Petersburg Cupid’s Undie Run was truly a sight to behold.

And thanks to a charmingly persuasive race director – Eden Isle resident Katherine Zehr – the fun and  festive event raised a whopping $65,000 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for NF (neurofibromatosis). Though still relatively low profile, the tumor-generating genetic disorder is more common than muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis combined.… 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

A Look Behind The Scenes With John Collins

John Collins, the executive director of the St. Petersburg Arts Council, and his wife Mary Ellen, a writer, met at Tufts University in Boston where he was the associate director of Alumni Relations and she was hired as one of several assistant directors. It was a definite match from the start. “We knew we were in trouble right away,” jokes John.

Another little known fact about John.  When he lived in Boston, he was a street mime at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  “I loved it,” says Collins.  “I studied mime with private instructors for two years, did some teaching, and then ventured out into street performing.… Read More

One Woman’s Mission to Raise Awareness in Our Community

When Beth Vivio thinks about people in our community going to bed hungry each night it makes her sad. “We see food everywhere we look: restaurants, specialty food stores, advertisements and TV food shows.” Yet as many as 17% of residents in the Tampa Bay area go to sleep with empty stomachs.

Beth and her husband are originally from Ohio, but moved here in 2011 from Texas with their two sons. Beth works as a full-time volunteer and got involved at the boys’ new school, Shorecrest Preparatory, right away.  Beth is on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, the All Children’s Hospital Foundation board, as well as the Shorecrest board of trustees.… Read More

They are the greatest generation. No doubt about that. They came out of the worst of the Great Depression of the 1930s, then went to war to defeat two totalitarian regimes in World War II. After that, they went on to build a great America in the 1950s and beyond.

We still commemorate Veteran’s Day on November 11. Among local heroes are names like Bill Priest, subject of the November/December 2005 issue of the Northeast Journal, and Charles O’Neil, brother of Judge David O’Neil who served in the Korean war, subjects of the August/September 2015 issue. For this November/December issue, another hero is commemorated: Andrew H.… Read More

Listed as one of the top 52 places to visit in 2014 by the New York Times, our once sleepy little city is waking up and turning heads. While the natural beauty of white sandy beaches, dramatic splashes of purple, red, and orange sunrises and sunsets in our tropical paradise clearly warrant attention and attract tourists, the revitalization of our downtown area, growing culture, art, and food scenes, are opening eyes everywhere.

The dance community has a new champion in Helen Hansen French, an Old Northeast native. Her simplest movements are graceful, seemingly choreographed to flow delicately with her melodic voice which is replete with crescendos and diminuendos.… Read More