Whatever preconceptions you have about the art form that is opera, the St. Petersburg Opera Guild may just change them. 

“You can wear a t-shirt to the opera, and stop in on your lunch break,” says guild volunteer and opera enthusiast Kitty Grubb. “There are subtitles, you don’t need to know Italian. It’s for everyone, and that’s what people don’t understand.” 

The St. Pete Opera Guild is a 501c3 that supports St. Pete Opera, but it is its own entity – don’t confuse SPO with the guild. While St. Pete Opera, founded in 2007, is a company that puts on shows, the guild, founded in 1964, is a community infrastructure that supports and promotes all opera, especially young people who are coming into the art form. … Read More

Amber Bennett could be the poster child for living the “St. Pete dream” of living, working, and making the most of our Sunshine City. In her “day job” she’s a real estate rock star, but early each the morning, she’s an elite athlete. Volleyball is her game.

For the past nine years, Amber has trained in the heart of downtown. If you have ever passed by the beach volleyball courts at North Shore, you may have been watching volleyball players from around the world training in our slice of paradise.

I caught up with Amber to chat a few days before she was heading off to compete in yet another tournament.… Read More

St. Pete Museum of History has a mission “to share Florida’s stories as the hub of scholarship and learning – to inspire, entertain, and promote civic engagement.” It’s no small order, but the museum makes it happen through thoughtful, creative exhibits, special events, and various history tours. One newer offering is a history lesson by boat titled, Liquid to Land: Discover St. Pete’s Waterfront History. This tour, touted as the city’s only historic boat tour, is in partnership with the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the bay’s natural habitats. Liquid to Land promises to take guests back in time while experiencing the beautiful nature of Tampa Bay and its shorelines. … Read More

Probably one of the first things you see when you venture off 4th Street to the east, in the area just south of 30th Avenue, are the massive oaks creating many canopied streets along the way to downtown St. Petersburg, the Vinoy, the Pier, and the many fabulous local parks. Whatever their destination, visitors take notice. The variety and interest of the architecture – some of it over 100 years old – is also sure to catch the eye, from bungalows with shady front porches to large affairs with grand columns, iron railings, and balconies. The lawns vary from native plants, grass, and anthills to immaculate green masterpieces with fountains, statues, and flowers to match the house.… Read More

Recently I sat down with the owner of St. Pete’s indie Green Light Cinema, Mike Hazlett, who explained his mission simply: “We want to bring perspective and art from all over the world to the St. Pete community.” It’s been a journey to get here.

Mike tells me he first learned the movie business in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he managed a 900-seat theater for eight years and worked at learning all aspects of the industry. He then moved into running a 2,000-seat movie theater in Portland, Maine for another seven years. Performing arts and film, he tells me, are in his blood. … Read More

A new mural in St. Pete’s Edge District promises to be more than just a pretty picture: Two hands reach toward each other; one releases butterflies that gently flutter toward the lotus flower clutched in the other’s hand. An inscription reads, “Compassion in action.”

The work was commissioned by the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, a not-for-profit organization that helps people “of all ages, faiths, cultures, and lifestyles” across a vast spectrum of challenges, to celebrate the org’s 50th anniversary theme. Gulf Coast JFCS Communications Manager Hana Cowart explains that the mural was “inspired by our mission,” and was “painted to life by clients, staff, donors, funders, and community supporters.”… Read More

Halley’s comet last appeared in 1986 and will next appear in 2061. The celestial body appears cyclically every 75 to 79 years and has been observed and recorded as early as 240 BCE. But it was not until 1705 that astronomer Edmond Halley determined the cyclical appearances were reappearances of the same comet. And thus, the comet was named after him. The comet itself is composed of a nucleus described by some scientists as a “rubble pile” of ice, dust, and frozen methane, and a “coma” or tail composed of volatiles like water, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.

In 1986, Soviet probes Vega 1 and 2 made fly-bys of the comet and took the first images of its nucleus.… Read More

“Laid back, quirky, artsy, funky, creative, unique.” Those are the words used to describe our city in the opening of a recent report about St. Petersburg titled, Keeping the Vibe Alive: The Impact of Historic Preservation in St. Pete. The report was commissioned by Preserve the ‘Burg and completed by PlaceEconomics, a private-sector firm that analyzes the economic impacts of historic preservation. PlaceEconomics CEO Donovan Rypkema presented the report at the Historic Preservation Expo at the St. Petersburg Museum of History of May 10.

Keeping the Vibe Alive highlights significant contributions by historic preservation to the city’s economy, identity, and community.… Read More

There’s hip, and then there’s Hip Expressions near Crescent Lake, a belly dance studio founded by St. Pete local, Johanna “Zenobia” Krynytzky. With bright blonde hair and a flowing wardrobe, Johanna is many things: a dancer, teacher, cancer survivor, and entrepreneur. She is also a common sight around the ‘Burg as she works to share her unique form of expression.

Johanna’s parents and grandparents moved to the United States during World War II, and she says her love for dancing comes, in part, from her heritage as a first-generation Ukrainian-American.

“Growing up, Ukrainian was my first language, and I was surrounded by Ukrainian community, music, culture, and beliefs,” she explains.… Read More

It started in 1962, when she first arrived in St. Petersburg. And soon she became a familiar sight to thousands. With her bird-pecked straw bonnet, cautious eyes, three-wheeled bike, and flocks of gulls and sparrows clamoring for sustenance in her wake, Esther Wright was known to all as “The Bird Lady.” 

 For her love of the local fauna, Wright was featured in a number of national television programs, including Charles Kuralt’s CBS News feature On the Road, and the children’s program, Kid’s World. But few knew she was also an accomplished artist.

 Wright was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on October 15, 1898.… Read More