Ice cream festival moves to Sunday at the Pier
Plus an August closure date for the Largo playground, Banksy at the Straz, and last week's council meeting now archived.
The Tampa Bay Ice Cream Festival, presented by St Petersburg Pediatrics, has been rescheduled to Sunday, July 26, and runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Family Park at the St. Pete Pier. The new Sunday date replaces the festival's original slot, and the nine-hour window carries from late morning straight through the evening.
Shops and vendors from around Tampa Bay and from elsewhere in Florida bring frozen treats to the park for the day. Attendees are not only tasting: a People's Choice Award is decided by votes cast at the festival, so one of the results is settled by whoever turns up rather than by the panel.
The judged competition is split four ways, with categories for hard ice cream, soft serve, non-dairy frozen treat and overall, and judges awarding Golden Ice Cream Trophies. (St. Pete Pier events)
Largo Central Park's playground closes August 11
Largo Central Park's playground closes August 11 for a renovation, and a ninja course is among the additions Largo Parks & Rec has announced. The department has described the work as a sprawling upgrade to a playground it calls popular, with construction set for this fall.
Families who use the playground have a few weeks left before it goes offline. Both the closure date and the fall construction window are already set, which gives parents a clear cutoff to plan around for the rest of the summer. The announcement did not include a reopening date. (I Love the Burg)
'The Art of Banksy' opens July 31 at the Straz Center
The Art of Banksy opens July 31 at the Straz Center and runs through the end of August, giving the exhibit roughly a month on the calendar. The July 31 opening and the end-of-August close are the two edges to plan around for anyone who wants to catch it before it wraps.
The show brings work associated with street art into a performing arts venue. The July 31 start falls on a Friday, so the exhibit's opening weekend is also the last weekend of July. (St. Pete Catalyst)
Last week's council meeting is archived and online
St. Petersburg City Council's meeting from last week is archived in full through the city's video portal, where residents can watch or download the session. (City of St. Petersburg)
Lecuona Reimagined at the Side Door Cabaret, Friday, July 24
Lecuona Reimagined: A Musical Journey plays Friday, July 24 at the Side Door Cabaret, with doors at 7 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. Pianist Pablo Arencibia and bassist Mauricio J. Rodriguez take the work of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona and rework it as contemporary jazz, and they are joined by guest artists Dimas Sanchez on drums, Lemay James on violin and Carlos Navarro on percussion.
Reserved seating is listed at $50 and $40 depending on placement, and general admission is $25. The Palladium at St. Petersburg College presents the evening, staged in the venue's smaller cabaret room rather than the main hall. (The Palladium events)
Free mat barre on the Pier, Saturday, July 25
Freebird Fitness holds a free 45-minute mat barre class at the St. Pete Pier on Saturday, July 25, starting at 8:30 a.m. The class returns on the last Saturday of every month, so July 25 is this month's date and the pattern carries forward from there. There is no charge to join, and the 8:30 a.m. start wraps the session well before midday on the Pier. (St. Pete Pier events)
Movement Mondays at the Pier, Monday, July 27
Movement Mondays continues at the St. Pete Pier on Monday, July 27, from 7 to 9 p.m. The gathering is free, sober and family-friendly, and it runs every Monday rather than on a rotating or seasonal schedule. The two-hour evening window is the same from week to week, which makes it a standing Monday option on the Pier rather than a one-off. (St. Pete Pier events)
The Final Set: a Palladium send-off, Friday, July 31
The Final Set: A Palladium Send-off with The Crew is set for Friday, July 31 at the Side Door Cabaret, with doors at 7 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. The date sits directly ahead of the venue's renovation, which begins August 1.
Bryan J Hughes leads The Crew, with Jean Bolduc on drums, James Suggs on trumpet, John C. O'Leary on piano and Elias Tona on bass. Jeremy Carter on saxophone, Allison Nash on vocals and John Lamb on bass join them for the night. The program spans jazz, classics, pop, rock, funk and dance rather than staying inside one genre.
Reserved seating is listed at $65 and $55 depending on placement, and general admission is $35. The Palladium at St. Petersburg College presents the show in its smaller cabaret room. (The Palladium events)