Community families are in need and it truly tugs at our hearts. So when the opportunity arose to lend a helping hand and bring joy to the little ones aged 3 to 5 by providing them with toys, our LGBTQ organization and local businesses rallied together without hesitation.
We are immensely grateful to the incredible support from Gaybor District, Tampa Bay Pride Band, Hillsborough LGBTQ Democrats Caucus, MC Film, City Side Lounge, and Mr. D’z Emporium. Their unwavering dedication and generosity have truly made a difference in the lives of these children.
Moreover, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to City Side Lounge and Mr. D’z Emporium for graciously offering toy collection accepting donations. Their compassionate efforts have made it convenient for anyone willing to contribute to this meaningful cause.
Together, we can create a brighter and more joyful Christmas for our community. Your support and participation in this collective effort are
Congratulations to the Good Sisters!!! The American Legion, in Tampa, was packed again for their fundraiser. Great job Sisters!!! THANK YOU
Ybor City History Lesson
Thank You Richard Gonzmart for sharing this….
A little history lesson as we prepare to celebrate our 119th Anniversary.
The grand chandelier in the historic Don Quixote dining room at the Columbia in Ybor is decorated for the holidays. For five decades, this elaborate chandelier has graced the room.
Purchased at an auction for $3,000 in 1972 from the Eden Roc hotel in Miami Beach, the chandelier’s worth was appraised in 2004 by an antique and lighting expert at $250,000.
The chandelier has five layers of curved brass arms, each holding a candle-shaped light. The chandelier has 360 small prisms and 105 large prisms that hang from 15 arms. Long sparkling prisms dangle from each candle base like icicles. Others, shaped like sea shells, are worth more than $500 each.
After we discovered this magnificent chandeliers worth, research revealed the chandelier’s story: It was crafted in France in the late 1890s. It took a craftsman close to two years to complete. In 1956, it arrived in Florida, where it hung in the Eden Roc. At the time, the hotel was a luxurious destination for celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret.
When the hotel closed for renovations in the 1970s, the Columbia’s my parents, the third-generation owners, Cesar and Adela Gonzmart, purchased the chandelier at an auction for our restaurant.
After the chandelier was brought to Tampa, George Guito, who is like a brother to me, spent nearly four days hanging it in the Don Quixote, which opened as Tampa’s first air-conditioned dining room in 1934.
The chandelier was a natural fit in the Don Quixote room, a large dining room where painted tile artwork dots the walls and flamenco dancers in bright dresses entertain crowds.
In 2005, the chandelier was refurbished in time for the restaurant’s 100th anniversary. Eighty-four of those prisms were replaced at a cost of about $15,000. Six years years ago, the chandelier was removed and cleaned during restoration of the dining room’s ceiling.
HoliGay bar Crwl – GaYbor District in Historic Ybor City
Cookie, John & JB were favorites in Ybor City for many years. Here is the sad new from JB on Facebook this week….
For those in Ybor that knew my friend Cookie, I am sad to inform you that she passed away this morning. Evidently, she suffered a series of mini strokes starting Wed and passed this morning in the hospital in Nashville. We have been best friends for 60 years since high school and she will be missed. Our hearts are broken. RIP my dear friend. 💔😢🫶 Prayers for her family 🙏 My fourth lifelong friend I have lost this year…sad.
This week the Good Sisters performed a Blessing in Ybor City. The rainbow rosary was given to Walter the Pretendent of the GaYbor District Coalition. It will be displayed on the wall of The Reservoir Bar in Ybor City.
This Saturday Night the Sister’s will be at the American Legion on Florida Ave in Tampa. We hope to see you all there,
A good friend of ours was in the Gay Capital of the World, Berlin Germany. As we all know the names of the streets there are very hard to remember. Our friend practiced and practiced the name of the street Infront of his hotel “Ein Weg”. Off to a club and some cocktails. On the way back to his hotel in bewilderment, he notices there were several different streets all with the same name “Ein Weg”. He stopped and ask a Gay guy. The person laughed and said the Ein Weg means One Way. LOL LOL Then the guy offered to walk him back to his hotel. They then had cocktails in the hotel and….. Now 5 years later they are still together and living in Atlanta. What a great story of a 1st date.
Restaurants 10, a renowned food review website, has officially included “Cocktails with Tea Cup” Facebook Page in the top 10 restaurants in Ybor City??? This recognition is a testament to the quality of content that “Dishing with Mark Carrie” and “Tru T” offers to its thousands of weekly readers. Although not owning a restaurant or club, “Cocktails with Tea Cup” has managed to stand out among the numerous news/blogs in the area. Join the readers of “Dishing with Mark & Carrie” and viewers of “Tru T” discover why Cocktails with Tea Cup is a must-visit Facebook destination for enthusiasts in Ybor City & Tampa Bay.
We are excited to announce that Carrie West, President of Tampa Pride, has recently been appointed to the iHeartMedia advisory board. The board works collaboratively with other agencies in the Tampa Bay area to promote diversity and inclusivity in our communities. West’s extensive experience in advocating for LGBTQ rights and his leadership in organizing the annual Tampa Pride celebration make him a valuable addition to the board. We look forward to the positive impact that he and the board will have on creating a more diverse and welcoming community for all.
Tampa mayor discusses proposed Brightline station
Saturday, 11-18-23 @ American Legion – Seminole Post 111
The Celebrated Diversity in Tampa is AMAZING!!!! Where else can the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence PARTY with the American Legion Veterans and have a FABOULOUS time???? See you all there!!!! PS Great reasonable drinks too!!!
Good Bye to Old 97 and Co building.
Making room for affordable housing in Ybor City. YAAAAAA
TAMPA PRIDE 2024 was proud to be a part of InterPride Worldwide Conference in San Diego with over 70 countries and 142 Pride Leaders attending. The conference brings the problems, likes and directions that the LBBAQ+ Community is taking and headed. Though globally, there are differences in the challenges we all face, so many similarities exist amongst us all.
The changes were made while we were at the conference. The former Swaziland, Africa now Eswatini banned LGBTAQ+ rights this past Thursday prior to the conference. A small member group came from Eswatini under human rights protest, though they were permitted 2 months prior. A high school senior from Thailand represented Thailand and proposed an InterPride Conference to be held in Bangkok, 2027 and all the while communicating with their PM. A lot of discussions centered around the dismantling of the LGBTAQ+ Communities in their respective countries. The new changes in the modern PRIDE Parades and Demonstrations globally. Twelve breakout sessions per-day on many topics. Tampa Pride members broke out into different groups to take in as much information and subject matter as possible. All this for making a better TAMPA PRIDE Celebration coming up March 23, 2024. Our First TAMPA PRIDE 5K RUN will be March 9 th in Al Lopez Park, 7AM- Noon with a variety of races and events. Festival, Fun Run, Doggie Jogs, DJ, Sponsorships Available, Vendors needed. www.TampaPride.org for more Info.
This Saturday The Judy B Goode & Paul Thomas Show
National Bearded Empress
Why won’t Tampa Italian Club say if 1,200 graves are in its parking lot?
Ybor City home may hold backyard clues to 30-year-old cold case
Ybor City Yard Sale
Join your friends and neighbors at the great, big Community Yard Sale, Sunday, November 5th from 8am – 2pm at the corner of Columbus Drive and 13th Street!
Historic East Ybor and Gary Neighborhood Association Meeting Nov 7th
