Carrie went home to visit family in Wisconsin. Arriving back home in Ybor City I carried has suitcase into the house. I remarked it was very heavy!!! When I opened it up it was filled with Wisconsin cheese!!!! Then I noticed there were no clothes in the suitcase. I asked where are your clothes Carrie????? With a big smile Carrie said I had the clothes shipped home to make more room for the cheese.
USF LGBTAQ LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTION
Our friend Rex Maniscalco was a famous LGBT photographer in Tampa. Rex had started several large collections of LGBT photos and videos. We all were friends with Bobbie & Kay. They were a popular Lesbian couple. Bobbie was also a photographer but started much earlier, in the 1950’s. Rex had talked Bobbie into donating some of her photos to USF Tampa. After Rex’s death we offered to help his mom clean out his home. His Mom told us to take anything we wanted. Since Rex was a bit of a hoarder there wasn’t much of anything in the home. EXCEPT…. We did manage to put together 16 boxes of photos, flyers, magazines & videos. We then donated all 16 boxes to the “USF LGBTAQ LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTION” Here is a special report on the collection from WTSP 10 NEWS . https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/community/lgbtq-history-tampa-bay-usf-library/67-c90bc62a-c6e2-44e3-81fd-adaace6463d3
Much More about Bobbie & Kay
Source of Acquisition, Mark Bias and Carrie West
https://archives.lib.usf.edu/repositories/2/resources/324
REX Flicker
In Ybor City there is a lot of talk about the new noise ordinance. It reminds us of a time at the SunCoast Resort in St. Petersburg. We owned the Gay Pride Store “MC Film” there. Outside our store faceting the courtyard were 2 outside speakers. To the west was a large parking lot, then the street. Across the street and 300 feet was a small house. The people in this house would always complain about the music being too loud. Sometimes it was us but most of the time it was one of the 5 bars in the complex. One Sunday morning in October we were playing our music. In walked the police. We immanently apologize to the police… Sorry it was too loud. The police started to LAUGH!!!! Said it was not too loud but the people called to complain about the music we were playing it was so bad and asked to make us STOP PLAYING IT!!! It was October and we were playing and dancing to poka music!!! https://youtu.be/l8EoIcG-ZBU
The very BEST Birthday Celebration we have been to in a very long time!!! My work husband Miss April May-June Cooper turned the BIG 50 last week. We all know April loves black, goth culture, rock music, her family and friends!!! The private party was held at The Showbar Ybor City. Karl Piessens spent over 30+hours to build a beautiful coffin with purple lining. He had everyone sign it with a silver pen. We made a huge black funeral wreath and filled it with photos of April. The guest wore black and even painted their fingernails black. John and David were in charge of the food and many other guests helped with the decorations. Aissa Barrie brought a one-of-a-kind Coffin Birthday Cake complete with fireworks candles.
Both of Miss April’s sons are very talented and professional musicians. Denver Cooper was home from a European tour and brought his Spanish girlfriend for us all to meet. Wyatt Cooper also had a new girl friend for all to meet. The brothers both took turns signing to Miss April. The guy’s father was also here. He too is a professional singer and performed several songs. There were so many tears of joy for everyone!!!! (Some of the performances are on my Facebook page Mark Bias West)
Now for a “ONLY IN YBOR STORY” At the end of the party my Carrie went to get our van to take the coffin to Aprils & Sparkles home. Ybor was unusually very busy for a Sunday night. Carrie doubled parked the van and opened the back door. Then went inside and told the guys to bring it out. Back at the van the police were there with lights going. The officer asked Carrie what he was doing? Carrie told him he was here for a pick up. The police said he could not park there!!!! Just then 4 big guys walked out of the bar caring the coffin out with the funeral wreath on top of it. It was very heavy filled with birthday gifts. The officer asked “Is there in a body in that???” Carrie replied “I was just told to come and pick up the coffin.” With that the officer stopped the traffic in both directions and let them load the coffin!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRIL!!!! WE ALL LOVE YOU!
This week I heard a familiar sad story. A Bar/Restaurant owner stealing from staff. Sadly, this has been happening for as long as I can remember.
Years ago there was a popular Gay bar in Tampa. It was a straight topless bar before. The club owners, who in their own minds thought they were Mafi, decided to try a Gay bar. Or F#got bar as they would say. The club was a hit. Two of the club promoters (both Gay) were friends of ours. After a couple of years they told me that the club was going to try a Friday Happy Hour and would I come as a favor and bartend. The shift was 5 to 8. My 1st day should have been a clue. I walked into a huge mess. Even the fruit was still sitting out on the bar top from 4 days before. At the end of the shift I took my cash drawer to the owners office. You opened the door and there was a huge fancy desk with the owners sitting behind it, with his back to the wall. On the desk top was a loaded gun facing the door I just walked in. He would count the money then give me my credit card tips. On week #4 he told me that I was allowing the F#gots to leave with too much money in their pockets. Then went on to tell me I should start over charging – add extra drink to tabs. WTF. The next week #5 I had a OK shift and ring. No padding!!! I take the cash drawer to the office. The desk was covered with take out food next to the gun. The owner and his “whore of the week” were both pigging out on the BBQ Ribs and had food all over their faces. He looked at the register print out. Then counted the drawer very fast. Looked up and said you are $40 short!!! I said that’s not right let’s recount the drawer. He said NO & told me to F off. Then said that I did not tip out the barback. I told him I didn’t have a barback and every week started by cleaning the bar and taking the trash out myself. Then he took $80 out of my credit card tips and handed me the remainder of $3.00. I said Thank You, walked out and never came back.
If you live in Florida then you probably know what FABULOSO is. It’s a cleaner with a strong flower smell. Like Pine Sol but flowers. I was working at a Gay Club where they used fabuloso in the spray bottles to clean everything. One day a new Drag Queen came in to perform. The very 1st thing she said was… “YUCK!!! This place smells just like jail!!” OMG!!! who says something like that??? LMAO One day we heard she was coming back. To be nice, we sprayed some in the dressing room to make her feel at home. LMAO
Our next-door neighbor is a very nice and classy guy. This past weekend he was parking his car at the Armature Works in Tampa. He notices an elderly couple have a hard time trying to figure out how to pay for parking. Jokingly he said to himself, they looked like someone’s favorite grandparents. After a couple of minutes, he told them “Welcome to Tampa and paid for their parking!” The couple said that was one of the nicest things to happen in along time. Then went on to say they had 2 extra box seat tickets to “Frozen at the Straz” that night. Would he and his friend like the tickets. OMG YES!!! He now has new adopted Grandparents. Viva la Ybor!!!
This week our doorbell rang. There was a guy in his 70’s and I Hello he said Hello back. Then I asked him if he was here to see Carrie? He said “Mark don’t you recognize me?” I said of course… CARRIE YOUR FRIEND IS HERE??? I had no idea who he was. Turns out Carrie had received a call from him earlier in the day. He said “Mark, I’m surprised you do not remember me. You were at my home for a BBQ.” I asked when was the BBQ? He thought for a bit then said 40 years ago in 1982. WTF??? He had worked with Carrie back then when we were going to USF. We have not seen him since. We had coffee with him and he told us abought his 2 wives and kids and Grandkids. He had looked us up on Google and tried a phone number that still worked. Then said that walking down the street he would have recognized Carrie right away. Then turned to me and said But Mark you have gotten so old and fat I would have never recognized you. (What do you say to that???) I just smile and said that I was 22 when you last saw me. People do age. We just can not help but wounder why he remembered us & our names & ages, after all those years?
You Just Can Not make this Up
May of you know that we purchased and restored the Judge Leo Stalnaker Plantation, in Ybor City. The home was built with and filled full of love over 100 years ago. In 1922, for Christmas, Judge Leo Stalnaker purchased a grand piano for the family and placed it in music room. Mrs. Stalnaker taught the neighborhood kids how to pay piano in this room. This piano is still here and plays beautifully today. We were very lucky as the 4th owners of the home to make contact with Gianna, the Granddaughter of the Stalnaker’s. Her Mom grew up and was married in this home. One day Gianna brought us an unbelievable, fantastic gift….. She gave us 2 of her Mom’s homemade record collections of 78rpms. They looked like a photo album but there were sleaves to insert 78 records. Her Mom had typed out the names of the songs and even a table of contents. Just imagine these actual records were played in this same room over 70+ years ago!!!! It gives us happy chills just to think about it. Some of the records were missing or broken and a couple had been exchanged but almost all of them were here!!!! There was a Mercury 78 rpm record #5901, titled “Life is a Beautiful Thing” recorded by Sophie Tucker in 1952!!!! Listen to the song and you will see why Sophie was such a Huge Gay Icon. In the words she chooses, you can see, she was actually giving a pep talk to not only her straight fans but the LGBT too.!!! The words are as true today as in 1952. Below is a photo of this record on our Brunswick Phonograph in our music room. Here is the link to the song “Life is a Beautiful Thing” by Sophie Tucker.