As a great bystander and TP vendor, I noticed colorful metallic streamers being shot out of a dozen rocket canisters along the parade route in the Macy’s group. I recalled the shooting metallic streamers in Tampa Pride Diversity Parade 2015 in Ybor City that shut down transformers and electricity along the parade route.  It was a colorful & beautiful non the less.

    Bands, dignitaries, Rainbow Flags, national & local organizations, half naked people, and major corporations had Orlando on their sleeve one year after the Pulse Night Club massacre. It was very visible and still on everybodies mind.

    Simple Fun and Colorful Excitement was in the air. Pics tell a story of the great economic successful welcoming weekend with over an estimated $55 million in Orlando area economic boost.

     Balance Tampa Bay’s Masquerade Ball Charity Benefit had a packed house at the Ritz on Saturday night. Lively expressions of disguises of all sorts, ornate masks, facial paintings and colorful costumes for a night of glitz and socializing, It was the groups third year for the very successful ‘Balck & White’ event.

    This year the Tampa Bay LGBT philanthropy groups benefit of choice went to EPIC, Empath Partners in Care with locations in Clearwater, St. Pete and Tampa. It is the new face and entity for former Suncoast  Project, ASAP and Tampa’s Francis House.

    The nights special spinning master was international famed VJ/DJ Toy Armanda. And the high energized music and dancing just didn’t stop.

    Congratulations Balance Tampa Bay on an event so supportive to the needs of the LGBT.

Visit www.MCFilmFest.com for more photos.

    The Hillsborough Arts Council had a community field trip and had a great privilege and time at the famed Rustic Steel Creations studios in Seminole Heights. An imaginary studio where concepts turn into fantastic art creations. All the metal glistening dragons, enormous glimmering fish, exotic privacy gates and composed land art pieces all around the Florida and the Tampa Bay area are a  fixation. made out of old parts at the corner of Highlands Ave and MLK, Jr Blvd.

    We were so happy to get invited to see a broader spectrum of the metallic works, the understanding of how the creations were conceived and a chance to meet up with artist and his team.

    Rustic Steel Creations founder Dominique Martinez is a welding artist with a passionate love for making custom sculptures, banisters and gates from steel, aluminum and iron. Dominique and his artist team look at working with the metals as an art form and approach each new project like creating a piece of visionary and imaginative art.

    His fervent humor and description of many pieces starting concepts were truly letting his inner expanding reflection of the rustic materials he has materialized and molded.

    His work is best described by the pieces that you may recognize all around the Tampa Bay area. Metallic shiny dragons on top of buildings, chickens in the lawn at HCC Ybor, to many pieces that are at Busch gardens. Hats off to a great community artisan.