Category Archives: CLICK HERE for Dishing with “Mark & Carrie”

1st Annual Krewe of Italia Bocce Tourny

Posted on by
    The balls on the ends were set. The ‘jack’ (ball) was tossed. The long green playing bordered 90′ regulated lanes were green. The 24 competing ball bowling teams all widened their eyes for the start of the 1st Annual Krewe of Italia Bocce Ball Tournament.
    Bocce ball has grown in activity over the years in Ybor City. The ball game has a pretty constant set of rules to follow. There are a couple of big annual community sponsored Bocce tournaments in the area and especially at Ybor City Italian Festivals. The newly created Krewe of Italia Bocce tournament hopes to increase the game resurgence to younger audiences. This is a game that was known to have started back in the Roman Empire days. A very popular outside bowling competitive game that is played in many European countries and our own Ybor City!
    This years 1st celebrity winning annual Bocce event team was the Outpost Tap House.

Congratulations Watermark Magazine 20th Anniversary

Posted on by
    On a beautiful Wednesday night, a large group of friends gather to celebrate Watermark’s 20th Anniversary. The festive anniversary party was at the downtown Tampa’s Crumb & Cork. Longtime friend and publisher Tom Dyer was in his glory. Tampa Bay resident and Watermark Editor, Steve Blanchard and all the Orlando staff were there greeting all the guests.
    There were favorite magazine covers thru out the room on large poster boards. In the center of the room there was a large screen with 2 projectors showing photos from the past 20 years. 20 years ago MC Film had a video section inside Rainbow City in Orlando. This section was called “The MC Film Neighborhood Video Store. ( There was also one in St. Pete inside Affinity Book Store.)
    The owner at Rainbow City Peter, excitedly told us about a new magazine coming called Watermark!  He said the new publisher Tom Dyer an attorney in Orlando was in the store and introduced us to him.
    Over the next 20 years we have had a great relationship with Watermark. Cheers to a great group of people writing about GLBT issues, acknowledgements and area news.
    We are proud to Congratulate our news writing friends! 

Femmes & Follies: Dreams and Nightmares

Posted on by

Our favorite party in GaYBOR!!! become facebook friends today so you do not miss the next one!!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Femmes-Follies/660943380595256

You Can Not Make This Up.

Posted on by
    In the early 1980’s & 1990’s, the Tampa Police would often raid the area Gay bars for drugs or whatever.  Usually they would raid them all the same night. The year 1994, there was a fall season police raid going down at the Howard Ave Station Club and others. A person was just walking towards the club and saw the police with many police cars raid and with a TV camera crews right behind. He ran to a pay telephone booth (LOL) and called our friend, Jack, a bartender at a different club.
    Jack quickly ran and locked all the doors to the Metropolis Club on Kennedy Blvd. Then…. told all the customers inside to get behind the bar and down on the floor. A raid was possibly going to happen! Then it happened. He was worried that the police might shoot the doors open.
    You can just imagine what a crazy party was going on the floor behind the bar!!! The police arrived and were pounding on the door to open it right now! Everybody remained very quiet the police finally gave up and left after 2 1/2 hours.
    The club was saved. No liquor violations or arrests.  Everybody still laughs this was the “Night the lights went out in Tampa.” LOL