The second St. Pete Pride was in 2003. It was an over cast day with storm could all around us. Just as the parade started it started to rain. Cancel the Parade? Absolutely not! Just as the parade turned onto Central Ave the rain stopped. Mark jumped out of our car, “H.R.H. Princess Priscilla” then with ‘ PRIDE WALKED’ down Central Ave.,  10 blocks on his STILTS!!!

 Fast forward to 2013. We were at the Stonewall kick off party at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts for the ST Pete Pride VIP Party.  2 people walked up to Mark & said, “We know you. You were our waiter at Hamburger Mary’s!” Mark smiled and said, “Yes, I was, Good to see you again.” Then they said, “It’s good to see you’re working at our Pride event tonight!” OMG Mark smiles and said, “Meet my better half of 35 years, Carrie. I’m not working here. We are the honored Grand Marshals of St. Pete Pride Parade this year.”

Then and….. YOU CAN NOT MAKE THIS UP!!!! A man reached out to shake our hands saying, “Mark & Carrie I read your ‘Dishing with Mark & Carrie’ column every week! It’s good to meet you!!!” He was the St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster who was at the VIP event!!! Carrie said, “WOW you read our column?”  The mayor nodded and responded, “Of course everybody reads it.”

 Tampa Bay issues on the new high speed ferry service, rapid transit train service for the area and GLBT issues were discussed as well of the economic impact that Pride brings to the city of St. Pete coffers.

 Mark then wanted to personally thank the mayor for hosting St. Pete Pride adding,” St Pete Pride brings millions to GaYBOR District & Tampa too!”

After (r)onda (s)torms & the former Hillsborough County banned PRIDE in 2005 in Hillsborough County a group came up with an idea. Pride in EXILE!!! Jay Allar, Mark & Carrie, Brian Longstreth and several others organized a Tampa Pride in Key West. Jay & friends came together and chartered  buses for the trip to Key West. Mark aka Tea Cup was the bartender onboard. The Hostess onboard one of the buses was Miss Melanie Minyon. The beer was donated by MC Film. The buses were loaded in Channelside packed and followed a group that had driven up from Key West. Tea Cup was pouring the beer and Melanie was keeping everybody in high spirits. The line started to form and Melaine became the bathroom monitor too.

As we started to go down the Fl Keys a RED Light came on the dashboard! The toilet was too full and started to overflow! LOL OMG LOL The bus made an un scheduled stop at a park to drain the tank. Just out side of Key West we were met by the Monroe Sherrif Dept squad cars and Key West Police. They pulled over the buses.

 OMG!!! Out of the police cars popped the Mayors of Monroe County and  Key West. They wanted to ride the bus into town with us. All by police escort. The Mayors had also made a special exception and allowed our bus to drive down Duval Street. We stopped in front of La Tee Da and our weekend of fun started. There even was a huge Gay Pride Parade down Duval Street too. Our honorary Tampa Pride Grand Marshall was resident Key Wester Margaux Hemingway. PRIDE in EXILE  in 2005.

One of the craziest places that I ever bartended at was “The Vault” on Central Ave in St. Pete. On the very first day I asked the owner where the ice machine was. He replied “WHAT!!! You didn’t pick some up on your way in!!!” He wasn’t joking. There was no ice machine. That should have been the first clue to me. I was all set up in the back room. The only light over the bar was from a cheap strand of Christmas lights. I asked the owner for more light so we could see the keys on the register. He actually said “Why???? just open the drawer and put the money in it. Don’t worry about ringing anything up.” Then I asked “What do you charge for drinks?” To which he replied “Charge what ever you think you can get out of them.” LOL LOL Judy B. Goode & Paul Thomas started to play for Happy Hour and we were actually doing very good there. This went on for about 8 or 9 months. Then the night before St. Pete Pride the owner fired everybody except me. The next day we were suppose to be open for St. Pete Pride & Judy was doing a show that day too. I told the owner that I was just going to quit too. He told me that if I quit he would not pay Judy for the Friday show. He went on to say that he was not going to pay her until after the show ended on Saturday. I worked that Saturday and the club was closed after that. Our fun Friday Happy Hour was then moved to the SunCoast Resort.

In the early 1980’s we were living in a up stairs down stairs duplex in Hyde park. We lived on the upper floor and a nice gay guy named Bill lived on the lower level. One week at the local LGBT church Bill meet Michael Atria. He was in his young 20’s with red hair and had just moved to Tampa. Michael didn’t have any money and was looking for a place to stay until he found work. Bill and Michael hit it off right away and soon both were living in the lower unit below us. Since Michael did not have any money everybody was being nice to him and gave him small odd jobs & had him over for drinks & dinner. Then one early morning  Mark was looking out the front window when he said “Ah Carrie get over her your not going to believe  this!!!!” The street in front of the house was full of police. All had their guys pulled and were pointing at our duplex. Just then the doorbell rang OMG!!!! OMG!!! We waited to see if Bill and Michael would open their door first. Then did and the next thing you know Michael Atria is on the ground with guns to his head!!!! It turned out that poor Michael was not poor. He was actual a big bank robber. In the wheel well behind his spare tire was over $200,000 in cash! Last we heard he was given 30 years and is in the federal prison in South Dakota.

In the late 1970’s my Gay Uncle Vern was having back problems. He was what in the business you would call a ladies “Rag Salesman.” He would travel from store to store selling wholesale women clothing. I volunteered to go with him. It was my job to unload the dress samples then roll the racks into the stores. We were in a very small town in western Nebraska. So far west that there were mountains in the background. Uncle Vern warned me that this would be a wild stop. The dressing rooms in this dress shop were the old town out west whore house quarters and still kinda were.

Up pulled a huge fairly new red Cadillac sliding to a stop in a country dust cloud. Out jumped Miss Lucy. She was in her 80’s wearing a white leather fringe country western outfit. Jet black hair with red, red, red lipstick. We were all set up in her favorite dressing room when Miss Lucy said, “You men folk like a drink before we get started?” Following Uncle Vern I said, “Yes” it was 8AM after all. She moved the curtain below the dressing table and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels and 3 not so clean dingy water glasses. She poured each a trip shot and said, “CHEERS” .

 I soon found out why Uncle Vern loved this stop so much. Miss Lucy & her girls went on to buy over $6,000 in one hour. All finished Miss Lucy asked me if I would like to see her party room in the basement. Young & dumb I said, ” Yes.” With a flick of the switch on went the black lights. In the middle of the room was a big waterbed. Around the edges of the bed and strung everywhere were hundreds of Christmas lights. There were big bunch’s of plastic flowers that Miss Lucy has sprayed & painted gold.

After we finished talking about the decorations Miss Lucy asked me if I would like to try out the bed. OMG!!! I was out of that room so fast! I’m sure they were all laughing about me that night! Six months later is was January when Uncle Vern called me. He had just heard that Miss Lucy had passed away. With a smile in his voice he said that they had found her on the back steps of her house frozen to death. She had gone outside to get some ice, slipped and hit her head. There was a empty cup and bottle of jack close by. All she was wearing was a see thru red ‘peek-a-boo’. Everybody commented on this was how she would have liked to go. Age 88…..You just can Not make this Up.

Over the past 6 years I have made it my goal to visit every club/bar in Ybor City. I have visited every one except one….. The Broadway Bar. One night I was at The Crow Bar with Mathieu and we were joking about the Broadway. then after a second drink we decided to go. When we arrived at 8PM in the evening the place was packed. Every table & bar stool was taken. We squeezed up to the bar. The ordering there was something we were not used to. You bought a bottle, mix, cubs & ice. Strange but OK we split a very small bottle of vodka. We started our drinks and couldn’t help but notice that we were the only two white guys in the place. The rest were all friendly African Americans. Mathie started to talk about shoes with the HUGE Guy next to us. He said “Excuse me but are those Stacy Adams Shoes you are wearing?” The guy smiles and said “Yes they are and I have them in all the colors.” Mathieu smiles and said “Me too!” As we were walking back up 7th Ave Mathieu said to Tea Cup “I bet they were wondering what those two white guys were doing there?” Tea Cup laughed and said “NO…I bet they were wondering what those two crazy gay guys were doing there!”

We have a fun straight couple that works on one of the cruise ships that sails from Tampa’s Channelside Port. When in port they come to Ybor City to entertain themselves and for drinks at Hamburger Mary’s. Many times they also bring new crew friends too. One day they were having drinks and waiting for some new friends to join them. They told bartending Tea Cup they were a fun couple who were food critics for national newspapers. The couple arrived & the party was off to a wild start. Then Tea Cup accidentally tipped the food critics drink into his lap! Tea Cup grabbed some paper towels and started to pat him dry. Then it hit Tea Cup…. Oh NO!!! Did I just pat dry the crotch of a straight guy!?!?! What to do next? Get his wife cocktailed of course!!! LOL LOL

About 5 years ago singer/ comedian Judy B. Goode was performing at Keith’s Lounge on Nebraska Ave in North Tampa. Located about 10 miles north of GaYBOR. Tea Cup got all dressed up to go and see her. Red Sequin jacket, wild shirt & fabulous shoes, glasses, hat & of course the Tea Cup in hand. Nephew Mathieu took one look and said “Uncle Mark you are not allowed to go north of Hillsborough Ave with out a guard in that outfit!”

So Carrie drove and Tea Cup & Mathieu were chauffeured off to the show. When we arrived at Keith’s there was a very HOT happy dancer from Gainesville performing too. Mathieu, being the youngest person in the room by 20 years & the grinning dancer hit it off right away. At 10 PM the show was over & the dancer was getting off too. All three of us cordially invited the striking southern draw smiling young dancer to meet us at G.BAR back in GaYBOR. The dancer actually said, “Do you think there will be anybody there on a Saturday night at 11PM?”

He had never been to GaYBOR before. He did come to G.BAR that night. Actually he had sooooo much fun that he performed many more times in GaYBOR. Then he moved to live in GaYBOR and today is a bartender at Bradley’s on 7th. His name (and a Mark & Carrie nephew) is Bradford https://www.facebook.com/bradford.bradleys

One day we were talking with a lesbian couple abut embarrassing first dates. They laid this story upon us.

It was the 1970’s and a very hot summer day in upstate New York. The 2 were on their first date. To look extra sexy Mary wore a beautiful flowing cotton dress. Jenny called ahead and told Mary the she was driving her VW Bug and it didn’t have A/C. Mary thought to herself and said… No problem!  I will not wear my panties & will stay cool. Jenna pulled up & the VW had those large rounded beaded seats. Mary though even better! With out Jenna noticing Mary gently lifted her dress & started to roll around on the cool beaded seat. Off the two drove into the rolling hills countryside.

When they arrived, must to the horror of Mary… Private body hairs were now twisted & stuck in the beaded seat!!! Butch Jenny laughed and said, “No Problem that happens all the time on these seats!”

She then pulled out a pair of scissors from the glove compartment and cut Mary free.

What a first date! Something did go right because years latter the two are still together.