Category Archives: CLICK HERE for Dishing with “Mark & Carrie”
Caught @ Steam Friday’s
Balance Tampa Bay
The annual toy drive was a hug success again this year. 100’s of gifts were collected during the party.
You Just Can Not make This Up
Our good friends Dan & Vanessa have twin boys. The boys are 6 years old, very smart, extremely polite and just so darn cute!!! The family just returned home from a long stay in London, England.
The boys brought us home a variety bag of English candies that they secured from a variety of London stores. We asked them how they liked England? They said it was very nice and the treats there were very good.
Then we asked if they got the chance to meet the Queen? With a very serious voice they both said, “No, she was not home!”
We smiled and asked how did they know she wasn’t home, respecting them to say the flag was not flying over her castle….
The boys said, “Mom rang her door bell and she didn’t answer.” LMAO LMAO !!!
From The MC Film News Bag
Join METRO for an evening of celebration and update on Capital Campaign fundraising progress featuring a beer and wine bar, light hors d’oeuvre, and more to celebrate Metro’s Capital Campaign and silent auction. The silent auction will close at 7:45pm, with all proceeds benefiting the Capital Campaign fund.
The Capital Campaign is a fundraiser aiming to reach a target of one million dollars in order to proceed with extensive renovation, updates, and expansion of clinical and community center space for the LGBTQ community at the St. Petersburg location, 3251 3rd Ave N., St. Petersburg.
Metro’s Capital Campaign runs now through early 2017. Currently, a variety of silent auction items are available to view and bid on in-person at Metro St. Petersburg. Tours of the facility prior to the start of construction, including viewing plans for renovations, are currently available and encouraged for all interested supporters to fully understand the scope and need of this project. The silent auction runs through Thursday, December 8th, when Metro will host a reception at the St. Petersburg Metro location, 3251 3rd Ave N., St. Petersburg.
Contact jamesk@metrotampabay.org for more information, including naming sponsorship opportunities or to schedule a tour
Photos of the Week 11-28-16
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Dishing with Mark and Carrie
11-30-16
WORLD AIDS DAY Dec 1, 2017
SPECIAL: Cuba and Ybor City
Explain Cuba to Us
Several years ago we asked a friend of ours, who had left Cuba at 5 years old, “Please explain to us what the Cuba mess is all about?” Here is what he told us by his family version.
It all started back when the USA had prohibition law and ban on alcohol in the 1920’s. America and Cuba’s government were very close. The American mobsters-crime family’s, took advantage and went to Cuba to make alcohol or secure alcohol for illegal shipping back into the US. The government was very corrupt at the time and money could buy anything. The crime family’s (modern day pirates) made huge money and unbelievable profits. They re-invested some back into Cuba’s economy and bought land, built hotels, Casinos, took over prostitution rings and started to deal drugs. It was out of control.
Fidel Castro in the late 1950’s lead the peoples fight against the radical corrupt government leadership and incubators safety nets of mob family’s and over threw the unscrupulous government. Both America and Russia helped Fidel. Fidel was known to have flown to Tampa a number of times and landed his plane at Davis Island’s airport and had meetings of local supporters in Tampa & Ybor City which our friend knew. It is also told and was alleged that US Attorney General Bobby Kennedy arranged for supplies to be sent to Cuba in return for one major American crime boss.
When that boss landed in Tampa early 1960’s at the airport he was released on a technicality. Russia had already gotten to Fidel and were supporting Cuba’s revolution with billions of dollars in aid. Fidel started out as a democratic leader but became a hard core communist and ruled as a dictator on the southern island.
When the Russian economy collapsed so did the aid to Cuba. Life became unbearable in Cuba. Fidel emptied out his prisons and asylums with the Mariel Boatlift in April 15 to October 31st in 1980. 125,000+ Cuban left Cuba that year. Fidel then OK’d the use of the US dollars in Cuba. The dislocated people who left now poured billions back to their families. Our friend went on to say… So basically it was good for the Cuban people to get rid of the crime ridded government leaders and mob family operatives. Cleaning out the jails and mental hospitals and having them now at the expense of the US government!
What came next in Cuba turned very bad. Beatings, mass executions, imprisonment for dissenters, protesters & college professors rounded up and country wide starvation.
America was both good and bad for Cuba.
Fidel Castro’s Love of Ybor City.
At the passing this week of the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro at age 90. Fidel had a hatred to America but had a deep love for Tampa. As late as the early 1960’s Fidel would fly his small plane under the radar to The Davis Island (downtown Tampa) airport to visit his friends. Tampa to Havana is only 331 air miles and the flight would take about 90 minutes.
There was one very special building in Ybor City that Fidel had a passion for. It was the Hotel El Pasaje (Cherokee Club) located on the Republica de Cuba Ave (14th ST) and 8th Ave. Fidel said that was the one thing he would miss most about Ybor. A few years later he had the exact copy of the hotel built in Havana. Located behind El Pasaje is the Cuban Club. If you were to stand on the front steps of the Cuban Club and face the sun rising, drop your right hand down and point to the El Pasaje Hotel. That was the Official Cuban Embassy. In the early 1960’s it was set on fire.
Today when you look at the building you can see the new bricks that re built the burned out section. On a newer fun note in the 1990’s a Famous Lesbian Bar The Cherokee Club opened on the second floor. There is also a secret garden in the center of the building. It hosted many lesbian weddings there.
Today the building is an office building.
The Hotel Havana
The larger shell of a building located on the corner of 7th Ave & 15th in Ybor City originally was called the Havana Hotel. It was here that Teddy Roosevelt & the Rough Riders staged the 1898 Spanish American War invasion in Cuba. Next the building became the home of Las Novedades Restaurant. In the late 1970’s it was the El Goya. A world class Gay Bar. https://myspace.com/elgoyashowbar/photos .
It then became Tampa’s biggest gay venue –Tracks, then Pleasure Dome and recently closed Czar.
Today the building is a shell awaiting re-development.
Go to Cuba Today
In Cuba Jose Marti is as famous as President Abraham Lincoln is in American. He was the great liberator of Cuban. In Ybor City on 8th Ave & 13th street is the Jose Marti Park. This is a very special park.
In an act of congress the land the park sits on was given back to the people of Cuban. When you enter the park you are walking on Cuban soil! The park is about 50ft wide & 100 FT deep. It is along the TECO streetcar line. There is a statute to Jose Marti here and also one in front of the Cuban Club. Now notice how many things in Cuba are named after Jose Marti like the international airport and sports arenas.
Jose Marti
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jose-Marti-Park/275357115813551?fref=ts
Tunnels of Ybor
During the US Prohibition Years Tunnels were dug under the street of Ybor to transport alcohol. This alcohol was produced in Cuba and other islands and brought to Tampa on the banana boats. Some of the tunnels lead to cigar warehouses. Here the alcohol was packed into coffins and transported.
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TAMPA PRIDE Art Festival at HCC Ybor
The Brew Bus / Florida Ave Brewing Joins team TAMPA PRIDE
Aliens @ The Brew Bus
DJ CK is in TOWN!!!!
SATURDAY DEC 3RD: The Mix at Liquid Tampa Presents – DjCK
You’ll recognize this international DJ from places like Tel Aviv , Provincetown, LIMELIGHT plus local venues like The Ritz Ybor, the Tampa Equality Gala and EL Gancho Tampa with DJ Abel! Come check him out spinning the hottest dance music LIVE on the Liquid stage Saturday December 3rd ALL NIGHT from 9pm ‘til 3am. Early evening drink specials plus Happy Hour from 2pm ‘til 9pm with 50% OFF All Drinks for your pre-party and then stay all night to party with us and DjCK at Liquid ‘til 3am! We’ll see you there 😉
Happy 10 Year Anniversary- The Crowbar
https://www.facebook.com/events/1755894767982537/
Tampa in 60 Seconds
This is why we all LOVE Tampa so much!!!
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You Just Can Not Make This Up
In 1980 when we moved to Tampa there was a popular Gay Bar called The Old Plantation. We all called it “OP” Yes I was young and naive back in those day. We were living next to USF. There was a 7-11 on the corner of Fowler Ave & 30th Street. There was a big hot muscle guy working there. He was wearing an OP muscle shirt… One time after cocktails at the OP on the way home we stopped for gas. I said to him “So I see that you like the OP. Do you go there for the Sunday T-Dance?”… He had a look on his face like WTF???? Carrie poke me and said “OP is Ocean Pacific a line of shirts not Old Plantation Bar.” O well his loss. He would have had a lot of fun at the Gay bar!!!!
Tampa AIDS Memorial Park
Tampa AIDS Memorial Park
Two years ago the park was closed. There are now huge condo’s around the park. keeping their promise to rebuild the park. The front walls were saved and the inside is all new and fresh. Located at 102 Hyde Park Place facing Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa. The park looks out over Tampa Bay where the Gasparilla Ship sails past. Visit the Park and think how lucky we are to here today and our many friends who passed.
Wall of Love
From Jayme Kosar….
The COMMUNITY of YBOR CITY took back it’s streets on Friday Night for the FIRST TIME in 4 YEARS with an amazing DANCE PARTY on 7th Avenue. For the first time the Street Preachers were QUIET and CONFINED to only ONE street corner! They were NOT in front of all of our businesses, harassing our guests, employees, or our LGBTQA Community! Some people were afraid and said that it could not be done! But the power of LOVE, HOPE and FAITH prevailed and we are just getting started! It is going to be a long road to City Counsel but this PROVES that it can be done one Friday night at a time! YBOR STRONG! Keep the faith!
JOIN THE WALL OF LOVE THIS FRIDAY, DEC 3 9:30PM
