Dishing with Mark & Carrie 12-17-14

??? Days of Christmas Shopping Left
City Gift to LGBT Community
    TAMPA PRIDE is moving forward with the new sping time pride event and the Tampa Bay GLBTA community received a huge Holiday gift from Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the City of Tampa Staff.  The mayor gave a thumbs up for co sponsoring TAMPA PRIDE upcoming March 26-27th. City of Tampa is being a co-sponsor and gave the Pride committee $35,000 credit in city services support. The original cost to the city was $64,000 for city services for the festival event. The surprise afternoon call came to Mark & I as we were at a doctor appt in south Tampa.
    “I am totally elated for all of the Tampa Bay Gay Community in sharing the vision of diversity in the city’s co-sponsorship.” said Carrie West, TAMPA PRIDE President.
    Kurt King, TAMPA PRIDE Corp Sponsorship Chair commented, ” I just don’t have words for such a great gift to our community.”
    There still is a lot of work to accomplish in making the March 26-28th Festival & Parade happen. The budget is $128,000 and we have had a lot of corporations step up to the plate in sponsorships, donations and underwriting some event costs. We still need to get the commitments offered validated. Volunteers and other personnel are needed to help share the workload and fun activities.
    Some of the corporate partners include Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fifth /Third Bank, Bud Light, PROMO Printing, Tribecca Salon, Cristino’s Italian Restaurant, MC FILM, City Side, Express Printing, Florida Entertainment, Liquid Lounge, Grow Financial, Hamburger Mary’s and Trader Joe’s.
    Hampton Inn & Suites Ybor is the TAMPA PRIDE Headquarters Hotel. Other TAMPA PRIDE hosting hotels include Sheraton Riverwalk, Westshore Marriott and couple more soon to come on board that are giving great rates for the March Pride weekend.
    For more information  on Corp, Sponsorships, Individual Donations, Festival Sign-up and Parade entry forms go to www.TAMPAPRIDE.org or call MC FILM at 813-247-6233.
 
Small Business Shopping at Ybor Saturday Market
    Ybor City Saturday Market is on a roll with a large variety of artisans and handmade crafts, paintings and homemade products. Located in historic Ybor City’s Centennial Park the small venturing individuals have  gifts large and  small handmade waiting for you to select for that someone special.
    From small coffee roasters, hand knit products, sculptures, farm produce, potions and lotions a large choice of individualized products to ponder. A lot of these small start up businesses grow into brick & mortar stores or online specialties.
    The market is open Saturdays from 9 am until 3 pm.
    American Express Financial started “Small Business Saturday” across the country to counter big box stores and large malls. It says something that a large financial company invests in the many small companies that make up a huge portion of commerce in small towns and cities across the United States.
MC FILM Gift Giving
    New Holiday Handmade Glycerin Soaps have arrived and On SALE at MC FILM. Great luxurious enriched gifts for yourself and for anyone’s stocking stuffers. Always appreciated with a large variety of Beautiful Designs & Natural Scents!

Santa Speedo Run

    ASAP’s  5th Annual Santa Speedo Run had a all time record of entrants running and participating. In addition ‘Mrs Claus in Bras’ was an added incentive for all runners to partake. The 1 mile run on Sunday had over 180 runners starting and ending at Centennial Park in historic GaYBOR/ Ybor City. A new women’s profile medal award was distributed to all runners.
    A lot of people were wondering on this low 60 degree weather day in Ybor, how come so many guys and girls in red speedo’s?
    Promoter Jay Allar was most pleased with the runners committed to run but also of the very large attendees to watch and cheer on friends and family members for the benefit run that went down Palm Ave.
    “There is a change in the number of HIV/AIDS cases and Florida is number 3. That is mostly made up now of children and women,” he told the large outside audience.
    Next year an added race is said to be announced in early part of the year.

Holiday Parade

    The area high school bands were practicing on 8th before marching down the famed 7th Ave. The colorful floats including an Ybor Diversity float and the Tampa antique fire truck with the Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Thomas Forward were all aligned for the Snow on 7th Parade. City officials including Mayor Bob Buckhorn and family, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, Tampa City Council members Mike Suarez, Charlie Miranda, Yolie Capin, Harry Cohen and Lisa Montelione were all sitting in colorful convertibles. And of course the evenings star celebrities, Santa & Mrs Claus.
    The streets were aligned with families and visiting friends to enjoy the cool clear night and the snow that was being made all along 7th Ave. A great time for memorable Holiday cheer.

Holiday/ Anniversary Party at City Side

The new owner of City Side Lounge, James Encke, had a great 1st Anniversary Holiday Party for the customers and a surprise showing of the new City Side Logo and outdoor sign. The Italian catered holiday gathering dishes were excellent and for the tummy too! Packaged presents were given out to winning ticket holders. All in making and sharing the meaning of the holidays. 
     City Side Lounge is totally decked out with Holiday decorations, beautiful 5′ gold lit wreaths behind the bar and Christmas Trees that were reflected by the many floor length mirrors.

GaYBOR Holiday Party

    The 8th Annual GaYBOR  Community Holiday Storefront Contest & Community Party at the Honey Pot was again this year largely attended. The winning Retail Decorating Restaurant was Hamburger Mary’s on 7th Ave. The winning Bar./ Club went to Honey Pot and the Best decorated residential went to 1400 4th Ave Townhouses.
    A super line up of entertainers included, Hostess Ms Amy DeMilllo,  Esme Russell, Miss Joey Brooks and  Divinity Everlasting.   Congratulations to all winners
    The new 2015 slogan for GaYBOR is “I Love GaYBOR”

You Can Not make this Up.

    There is a running joke in GaYBOR that Miss Jayme at the Ybor City Wine Bar sells purses that will hold all your special s*x toys. Actually they are very cool insulated purses that will hold a fine chilled bottle of wine. After the GaYBOR Bar Crawl two local gay resident/celebrities purchased one of these purses. After a lot of Holiday Cheer the two guys started to walk home in Ybor.
    The police noticed two guys walking with a purse and thought it strange & might be stolen. The police turned the spot light on they guys and in a commanding voice said, “STOP PUT YOUR HANDS UP!” Startling guys then put their hands up then 1 tripped and fell down fracturing 2 ribs and breaking the bottle of wine!
    You just can not make this up!!!

From the MC Film Mail Bag

 

The cast of m.a.d. Theatre's production of RENT<br />
The cast of m.a.d. Theatre’s production of RENT

.

Tyla Alexandria Rodrigo and Nicolas Burgos star as 'Mimi' and 'Roger'<br />
Tyla Alexandria Rodrigo and Nicolas Burgos star as ‘Mimi’ and ‘Roger’

m.a.d. Theatre
presents

RENT

Book, Music and Lyrics by
Jonathan LarsonMusical Arrangements

Steve Skinner

Original Concept/Additional Lyrics
Billy Aronson

Direction by
Anthony Paul Gilkinson


Musical Direction by
Peter Belk & Kyle Goyens
February 5 – 22, 2015
Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 7:30 pm
Sunday
– 3:00 pm

Thursday $22.00*
Friday, Saturday & Sunday $25.00*

Buy Tickets
The Straz Center Ticket Office

813.229.STAR (7827) 

Rent, winner of the Tony award for Best Musical and Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is an inspiring rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson and is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera, La bohème. Adapted as a motion picture in 2005, the musical tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling with sexuality, drugs, life, rent, and most of all, love in New York City’s East Village during the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Our production features music direction by Peter Belk and Kyle Goyens and direction by 2014 Broadway World Tampa Best Director nominee, Anthony Paul Gilkinson.


Shimberg Pl
ayhouse

Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Rent was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by
Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre WorkshopRent is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com

*Using a credit card will incur service charges plus an optional donation to the Straz.
Service charges may be reduced by paying with cash at the Straz ticket window.
Book, Music and Lyrics by
Jonathan LarsonMusical Arrangements

Steve Skinner

Original Concept/Additional Lyrics
Billy Aronson

Direction by
Anthony Paul Gilkinson


Musical Direction by
Peter Belk & Kyle Goyens
February 5 – 22, 2015
Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 7:30 pm
Sunday
– 3:00 pm

Thursday $22.00*
Friday, Saturday & Sunday $25.00*

Buy Tickets
The Straz Center Ticket Office

813.229.STAR (7827) 

Rent, winner of the Tony award for Best Musical and Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is an inspiring rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson and is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera, La bohème. Adapted as a motion picture in 2005, the musical tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling with sexuality, drugs, life, rent, and most of all, love in New York City’s East Village during the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Our production features music direction by Peter Belk and Kyle Goyens and direction by 2014 Broadway World Tampa Best Director nominee, Anthony Paul Gilkinson.


Shimberg Pl
ayhouse

Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Rent was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by
Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop
Rent is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com
*Using a credit card will incur service charges plus an optional donation to the Straz.
Service charges may be reduced by paying with cash at the Straz ticket window.