By Peter Roos
Taste of the Beaches, sponsored by the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce and presented by Smith & Associates, offers eight days of $10 tastes at a wide variety of restaurants from Clearwater to Tierra Verde, even a distillery in St. Petersburg. Kickoff is at Horan Park on Oct. 4 at 6pm with the Horny Toads. Taste tickets valid through Sunday, Oct.13. Visit www.TampaBayBeaches.com/Taste for complete details including photos and descriptions of each of the tastes.
Corey Avenue will be closed Thursday, Oct. 10, 5-11pm for a Stormbringer concert that was rained out on April 3. Other events on Corey Ave. this month of course include the Sunday Markets 10am-2pm, a customer appreciation day Oct. 19 from 10am-4pm, and the city sponsored Trunk or Treat on Corey, Thursday, Oct. 24th from 5-6:30pm.
CABA also announced the formation of a “Friends of Corey Ave.” group of resident volunteers to help on projects involving the downtown business district.
The SHINE Mural Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, Oct. 11-20, with stunning large-scale murals and special events, recognizing the transformative power of a decade of public art. Join the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance in this community-wide event honoring mural art and artists in St. Pete.
This milestone event will add 15 new murals throughout St. Petersburg plus a series of street art related events, tours, and community Bright Spot projects. For artist bios, the 2024 map of murals, Bright Spot project information and full event details, visit www.stpeteartsalliance.org/shine-2024.
Oct. 11, 5-8pm is the opening event: SHINE 10 Year Retrospective Group Exhibition at the Morean Arts Center. See works from over 100 SHINE artists from the past decade, including work from local, national, and international artists on this year’s lineup.
Oct. 19, 7-9pm is the SHINE 10 Finale Event at FloridaRAMA. The 10-day festival culminates with a finale event at FloridaRAMA featuring a solo show and book release by 2023 artist Chris Dyer.
Friday, Oct. 11 from 7-10pm is Oktoberfest at St. John Viannney Catholic Church, 500 84th Avenue. In St. Pete Beach, a donation of $125 gets two tickets for food beverages and festivities, plus a chance to win a $10,000 top prize. Visit events at www.sjvcs.org.
Nearby in Horan Park, Carnival of Crue – Motley Crue Tribute Band is the Friday, Oct. 11, concert band in Horan Park. Oct. 18 is for Toby Keith fans, and Oct. 25 is a Heart tribute band.
Swamp Celebration 2024 Clyde Butcher will be at Big Cypress Gallery on Saturday, Oct. 19! This year is especially meaningful as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Preserve. After a challenging summer of health issues, Clyde is eager to reconnect with all of you. Alongside the park rangers, he is excited to offer his support for this remarkable place. This event holds a special place in our hearts as it supports environmental education, a cause that is important to us.
This is a ticketed event with four different options to choose from. Each ticket requires you to select a time. If you would like to attend the event and participate in all activities without a swamp walk, there is a $15 donation entry fee (children are free). For those who want to enhance their experience with guided swamp walk tours, we have three options available. These tickets include the entry fee.
Tampa Baywatch fall restoration season kicks off in October, and they need YOU to help restore the beauty of Tampa Bay!
As summer fades away, there’s no need to feel guilty about letting go of that gym membership you picked up for a beach-ready body. With cooler days ahead, it’s the ideal moment to join the Tampa Baywatch restoration team. Dive into activities like crafting oyster reef balls, installing living shorelines, and tossing around shell bags. Think of it as a rewarding version of CrossFit.
Whether you’re building oyster reef balls in Tierra Verde, lending a hand at MacDill’s longest-running project, harvesting plants in Apollo Beach, or recycling fishing line at their spooky Mono Clean-a-thon on Halloween, there’s a project for everyone. Ready to get your hands dirty? Sign up on their event calendar.
Tampa Baywatch gets in the spooky spirit early this month with Pumpkins on the Porch at the Discovery Center on the Pier downtown 11am-4pm on Oct. 12. Get into the Halloween spirit with pumpkin painting, mad science experiments, games, and prizes $10/person (family-friendly).
Tampa Baywatch’s Haunted History Tour Ready for a ghoulishly good time? Uncover St. Pete’s haunted waterfront aboard the boat tour with eerie tales from the Pier to Lassing Park. 5:30pm on 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, $45 per passenger (ages 14+) Wear your costume during Halloween Week for a special sweet treat!
Pinellas Park Art Society is to Pinellas County what Sun Tan Art Center is to the beaches. You are invited to join them for their 60th birthday on Saturday, Oct. 19, 1-5pm at Park Station, 5851 Park Blvd. www.pinellasparkartsociety.org
Tampa Baywatch’s Halloween Candy Cruise is 2:30pm on 10/26, 10/27.
Set sail on a magical quest to lift the curse on Tampa Bay! Join us for a candy-filled adventure with marine science puzzles, spooky surprises, and fun for wizards, witches, and muggles of all ages. Costumes encouraged!
2:30pm on 10/26, 10/27, $26/adult, $18/child (under 13), free for kids under 3.
Beers on the Pier, a history filled Craft Beer Festival returns to the St. Petersburg Museum of History
Saturday, Oct. 26 from 7-10pm. Breweries from Florida to California will be represented, throughout the museums galleries, as well as VS wines and bourbon and rye from Mastry’s Craft Spirits. Enjoy unlimited tastes, Mom’s Taco truck, live music and more. Presale tickets $50. Day of $65. DD $20. https://bit.ly/beers-pier-2024
Barktoberfest is held on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 11am-2pm in John Morroni Memorial Dog Park at Lazarillo Park 11650 Capri Circle S in Treasure Island. Costume Contest Registration at 11am. Judging at noon.
Pet Adoptions, Music, Food, Beverages, Giveaways, Vendors and more. Call 727-547-4575 ext 221, email recreation@mytreasureisland.com.
The annual Christmas Sale is on Saturday, Nov. 2, 8am-2pm at St. Albans Church, on Blind Pass Road in St. Pete Beach. St. Albans extends a warm welcome to ALL to come shop on Saturday and to come join us at 10am on Sunday for service.
Later Saturday, Nov. 2 from 6-9pm, the St. Petersburg Woman’s Club hosts “A Night of Jazz in St. Pete at 40 Snell Isle Blvd. NE. Individual tickets $75, Heavy Hors d’oeuvres, desserts, Jazz band, dancing, silent auction opportunity, and beer with wine bar. Sponsorship opportunities exist. See www.stpetersburgwomansclub.org for more.
Thursday, Nov. 7, Soothe Our Souls Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser
6-9pm, 130 126th Ave., Treasure Island. Free food and drink, just in time for Christmas shopping, all money benefits the non-profit. Soothe Our Souls takes folks fighting critical health issues, their caretakers, and families out sailing for free. The free cruise offers relaxation and a nature experience so they can forget their troubles and enjoy life a bit.
The 34th Annual Suncoast Jazz Festival will return to Sand Key, Nov. 22-24. Music fans will be able to enjoy live performances by dozens of musicians inside the Sheraton Sand Key, just south of Clearwater Beach. Besides local favorites James Suggs, La Lucha, Nate Najar, The Al Downing All-Stars, and James Wall, Women in Jazz will be featured, including Daniela Soledade, Synia Carroll, Theo Valentin, Heather Thorn and Vivacity, Pepper and Fine Thyme, plus international stars Diego Figueiredo, Brazil, Wycliffe Gordon, Georgia, Jason Marsalis, New Orleans, Ken Peplowski, NYC, Jon-Erik Kellso and the EarRegulars with John Allred, NYC Get your tickets now at www.suncoastjazzfestival.com.
Florida State Rep. Linda Chaney has joined Our Children Have Rtghts (OCHR) as Development Director according to Executive Director, Jake Hornstein. She is responsible for overseeing the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. A statesperson, business person, local community and business leader, Rep. Chaney brings a wealth of expertise from the private business, nonprofit, and public sectors. OCHR is dedicated to safeguarding the rights of children to have access to their parents by providing education and direct support services to parents navigating child custody & co-parenting. For more information, visit www.OCHR.org.
Employees of Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille’s St. Petersburg Pier restaurant recently volunteered at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Tampa Bay’s shelter. The group helped the nonprofit agency organize the kennel, clean litter pans, food and water dishes, and bathe dogs. Renowned for its legendary guest experience, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille is open daily from 11am-10pm.
Doc Ford’s Jungle Terrace was Paradise News’ cover story in January and has advertised steadily in subsequent issues, offering a FREE mojito with entree to anyone mentioning their Paradise News ad. They have also been the #1 restaurant out of over 500 in St. Petersburg ever since and are in mid-September, #1 out of 788 with almost 2,000 5-star reviews. Its sister at the Pier Downtown is #2 with over 3,000 5-star reviews.