There are two names that are intricately linked in St. Petersburg: Amanda Cooper and the Morean Arts Center. A familiar face about town, Cooper has worked tirelessly with the local arts community and is the chief curator for the center, with the daunting task of programming the gallery spaces at the Morean and Chihuly Collection. As part of the Morean’s exhibition team, she helps organize over 50 exhibitions each year across three different locations.

Cooper is also preparing to celebrate her 25th anniversary at the Morean this February. 

The first incarnation of her job was as the gallery director for the then-named Arts Center.  She… Read More

It seems like all the fun plants that grow wild in summer are invasive. Good news on the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) – despite its name, it’s actually a Florida native. It’s not here to destroy us! This vine can be found covering ground and climbing just about anything, from trees to fences to houses, and is common throughout the eastern United States, from Canada to Mexico. Birds enjoy eating its berries, but humans shouldn’t indulge. 

Often confused with poison ivy due to its look, the plant’s leaves are relatively harmless to humans. And, unlike invasive vines like kudzu and wisteria, which Floridians are programmed to quickly remove, Virginia creeper has a few redeeming qualities.… Read More

Traditionally, operatic stories are filled with melodrama, romance, and adventure. Chaim Freiberg’s latest book, Lily Flowers Finds Love (and Other Tales of Passion), published by St. Petersburg Press last year, has all those qualities, but with a twist: these opera fantasy stories all take place in now-shuttered opera houses.

“The stories are all inspired by real people, real places, and real opera houses that are no more,” said Freiberg, who has given several talks on his book at Studio@620 as well as Barnes and Noble. At these events he invokes some of the mysterious people, places, and opera houses that stirred him to divine these legends.… Read More

While the term “snowbird” now often refers to our part-time human neighbors, it originally applied to real birds who winter in warmer climes. The general parameters of the snowbird season, both human and avian, are roughly from October through March, and there’s one that’s hard to miss: the American white pelican.

Perhaps you thought our local, brown pelicans turned white in the winter? In fact, the brown pelican, our beloved city mascot, is a smaller, year-round cousin of the white pelican. 

Known for their dramatic hunting methods, brown pelicans are uniquely outfitted for catching their favorite meal, fish.… Read More

If you had seen this silver-haired senior lady walking around the Northeast Shopping Center in the early 1990s, you would have never guessed she was a famous wing-walker, aerobat, and pilot.

It all started in 1928. Jessie Schultz was bored that summer at her parents’ farm in rural Ulysses, Kansas – that is until she met and eloped with charming barnstormer pilot Jimmie Woods. With just enough clothes stuffed into her violin case, she flew off into the clouds with him and never looked back.

They flew back to Wichita where Jimmy had a job at the Swallow Factory selling airplanes and ferrying them to buyers, but they also made extra income from barnstorming – entertaining crowds with novelty flights.… Read More

The Palladium Theater may soon go through a multi-million-dollar interior transformation. The Northeast neighborhood icon already received $850,000 from the Florida senate this summer, and much of those funds will go into the design and consulting teams who will redesign the Palladium interior. 

Executive director Paul Wilborn says the organization is applying for another $850,000 grant from the senate to aid with construction costs. In addition, the Palladium is launching a fundraising campaign with a $10 million final goal and an end date of 2025. 

“It’s a lot of money, but we’re confident we can [raise it],” Wilborn said. “The majority of the money will come from private donors.” … Read More

‘Tis the season to shop – and support local business! More than 350 local businesses will take over Vinoy Park on Thanksgiving weekend for Shopapalooza Festival 2023. According to LocalShops1 founder Ester Venouziou, the beloved holiday extravaganza is expected to be one of the largest Small Business Weekend events in the nation.

​Co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg, Shopapalooza is a production of LocalShops1, recognized as Tampa Bay’s most active voice for small businesses. “We foster collaborations and organize events to connect businesses with businesses, as well as businesses with shoppers,” Venouziou explains. “Our signature event is Shopapalooza, the most popular holiday festival in downtown St.… Read More

In 1972, Hurricane Agnes skirted the Tampa Bay area and made landfall near Apalachicola. Newspaper accounts of the flooding Agnes brought to Shore Acres might be mistaken for stories written about the impact of Hurricane Idalia, which followed a similar path at the end of August 2023. In both Agnes and Idalia, residents scrambled to find high ground for cars, appliances, and belongings. The high tide crested seawalls, came up storm drains, filled the streets, and then made its way into homes. 

There are important differences between Agnes and Idalia, however. On the June night that Agnes swept past us toward the panhandle, city and county officials thought impact would be minimal.… Read More

Musician, professional athlete, conductor, a student of language and science. You might think I’m talking about a group of outstanding people, but in fact, I’m introducing Dr. Chelsea Gallo, the newly promoted resident conductor for The Florida Orchestra’s 2023-2024 season. Her list of accomplishments is long and all the more impressive when you learn she became a conductor quite by accident after a torn ACL changed her entire path. 

Gallo’s love of music, however, has always been with her. She began playing the violin and piano at the age of four, and eventually chose to study music in her collegiate and post-collegiate years, earning a master’s degree in Vienna, Austria, where she also played professional softball.… Read More

There has been much news about the Hines–Tampa Bay Rays proposal to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg, just southeast of Tropicana Field. It’s not just a stadium, however, but a 20-year $6.5 billion proposal to redevelop the 86-acre area of the historic former Gas Plant neighborhood. The proposed redevelopment calls for 6,000 residential units, including 1,200 affordable and workforce units both on- and off-site; a hotel; 14,000 parking spaces; a refurbished park along Booker Creek, which meanders through the site; an entertainment venue; and space for and a $10 million contribution to a new home for the Dr. Carter G.… Read More