Filmed by USFSP student, Tracy Darity, this video shows her concerns regarding “concerning gentrification, the Warehouse Arts District,” and the lack of entertainment options in Midtown, St. Petersburg. According to Darity, “as a person of color, I believe this is a very important topic, and it saddens me that black community has grown numb to what is taking place around them.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPTvoA2eAsw
REPORTING BY ANNA STEBBINS, VIDEO BY JADE ISAACS, AND PHOTOS BY LAURA MULROONEY
NNB Reporters
This story was originally published by The Weekly Challenger at: http://theweeklychallenger.com/family-day-celebration-draws-a-crowd-to-the-deuces/
ST. PETERSBURG – The renaissance of the 22nd Street corridor, also known as the Deuces, continues to build up steam. At its prime, big names such as Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington and James Brown could be seen working and playing along the corridor.
Although no giants in the entertainment industry could been seen hanging out on the Deuces last Sunday, what you could see was food, fun and local entertainment at the inaugural “Family Day on the Deuces.”
Over 50 people attended the event at Deuces BBQ, 911 22nd St.
The festivities kicked off at 3 p.m. with a Macaroni and cheese contest, whole hog roast, crawfish boil and live music from the Southside Blues Brothers and special guests: local rapper, Varis and Marques Clark, poet and author of “Poetically Correct.”
“I saw (the event) online and haven’t had crawfish in awhile, so I figured I’d make the drive to get some,” said Joe Toscano, who came from Palm Harbor.
The focus of the event was to give people a reason to come down to the Deuces and connect with the community while having fun, according to Patrick Collins, owner of Deuces BBQ, who helped plan the day. Co-sponsors of the event included neighboring businesses, Chief’s Creole Café, Gallerie 909 and the Historic 22nd Street S Merchant Association.
Elihu Brayboy, owner of Chief’s Creole Café, provided the crawfish boil and was very pleased with the turnout.
“I’ve heard nothing but very good feedback. It’s very important to keep this trend up,” said Brayboy. “It brings a sense of community and brings people from other areas of this city to this area.”
There were over 15 mac n’ cheese entries for the competition and, as a family-friendly event, the kids were the official judges.
The winner of the contest, Len Nhoung, went home with a cash prize of $50 and a $50 gift card to Deuces BBQ. Carl McClellan, a chef at neighboring Chief’s Creole Café, came in second place and received a $50 gift card to Deuces BBQ.
The secret to the winning mac was the addition of mozzarella cheese, sharp cheddar cheese and crisped bacon, Nhoung said.
With a $10 ticket, visitors could get their hands on a plateful of baked beans, mac n’ cheese and barbeque pork. For $12, people could help themselves to a heap of boiled crawfish, accompanied with sausage, corn on the cob and a chunk of corn bread.
This event was perfect for people of any age, offering board games at each table, outdoor festivities, and dancing to old school blues.
The Family Day featured more than just food. There were also several vendors that included African art, portrait painters, handmade jewelry and featured pieces from Gallerie 909.
The sponsors of the gathering are expecting to host more of these types of events throughout the year in an effort to bring together the community.
REPORTING BY KATIE CALLIHAN AND MARLA KORENICH
PHOTOS BY KATIE CALLIHAN
NNB Reporters
MIDTOWN – On Saturday, February 27th, Midtown hosted St. Petersburg’s first Black Arts Festival. This event pulled various vendors from across the world into one vacant, grass lot at the corner of 9th Avenue South and 22nd Street South.
The owner of Gallerie 909, Carla Bristol, curated and hosted the community event.
“I decided to do this event as a culmination for black history month,” said Bristol.
The Southside Blues Brothers were playing live facing 22nd street south. You could hear the combination of the piano, guitar, and deep, soul-filled vocals from a mile away.
Bristol selected this particular band to attract and to remind the community members of the momentum that the Deuces could still carry once again.
“I wanted to see the energy on the corner again – to see what the corner would be like,” said Bristol.
The weather was cool, the sun was shining. By 11am, the layers of sweaters and jackets started to peel off and the venders were adding their final touches to their displays.
A stimulating energy was in the air and the community started to trickle in just as Bristol had hoped.
Across long, rectangular tables and under the roof of white, square tents, each artist displayed great spectrums of bold colors and textures; you knew that there was a story behind everything.
Handmade jewelry with large stones, paintings with texture, lotions imported from Africa, and other goods were all being sold at fair prices.
In the middle of all the vendors, three art stations catered a variety of crafts for children. You could catch them zipping through and winding between booths playing tag with decorated masks on their faces; colorful feathers falling from them.
A few artists, “Freddy Fred” and “Zulu Painter” from the Bloom Art Center participated in their first art show. “Zulu Painter” was painting live against his easel. He said that he finds inspiration by first looking at magazines. When he finds certain images that he likes, he then paints them together as one collective image.
Another contributor in the festival was traveling Folk Artist, Sandy Hall.
Hall, mother of six, stood in the middle of a small, shaded tent that stretched about as far as both of her fingers could point.
“This is my life,” she said as she directed her guest’s eyes across her display of paintings that varied in different rectangular shapes and sizes.
Hall shared that growing up, her family loved to tell stories.
“Our stories kept us together as a family. I can’t tell the stories, but I can paint them,” said Hall.
When asked how she learned to paint, Hall’s story began to unfold.
In 2001, TV show ‘Bob Ross’ was playing in the background of a hospital room.
Hall was diagnosed with cancer.
Her mobility and her creativity were limited to the stark walls of the hospital that seemed to be closing in.
One day, Hall’s nurse explained that she would soon be expecting a visitor, Hall’s mother. This was the last thing that Hall was emotionally prepared for.
Hall was faced with a deep trance that forced a paralyzing apathy that had taken over her mind and body. She had no desire to do anything.
“The nurse kept trying to get me to crochet or do puzzles,” Hall said.
To make her mother happy, Hall decided that she would try to look busy, try to look entertained and try to hide the pain.
“It wasn’t until my mother came and I had to be on my best behavior,” said Hall.
For the first time in her life, Hall picked up a paintbrush and an empty canvas.
Out of desperation, she began to paint.
Since that day, for Hall, everything changed. Hall succeeded in beating cancer and her newly discovered talent put all six of her children through school.
Traveling in a passenger van, Hall said, “I used to line up my kids in an assembly line and have them help me with picture framing.”
They say that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.
Today, Hall still makes a living selling her paintings online and in various art festivals across the country.
Overall, St. Petersburg’s first Black Arts Festival was a great success and it inspired all ages to find and maintain their creativity.
Bristol plans on putting together more community events like this.
For more information about Bristol’s gallery, Gallerie 909, stop by at 909 22nd St. South.
Gallerie 909 is a stop on St. Petersburg’s Second Saturday Artwalk. The next art walk will be on March, 12th. There is free parking and entry into all participating galleries and studios.
For more information about the art walk, please contact the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance at 727.518.5142 or email them at info@stpeteartsalliance.org.