What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Mama Guava Stumble Returns to Guavaween: Good Idea?

Organizers of the annual Halloween-time celebration have announced the parade will return to the lineup this year. Do you think this is a good idea, Tampa Bay?

Costumed revelers will once again return to the streets of Ybor City when this year’s Guavaween festivities get under way. The Ybor City Chamber of Commerce announced the return of the boisterous Mama Guava Stumble Parade earlier this week, The Tampa Tribune reported. The annual parade, known for its large, costumed and often drunken crowds, was canceled last year in favor of a music festival. A lack of funding for the event was to blame, CBS reported at the time. The parade has a reputation for rowdiness. During the 2010 event, 14 kids were arrested for underage drinking, there were 25 misdemeanor arrests and two felony arrests, according to Bay News 9. The annual event draws an about 250,000 people from all over the Tampa Bay area, …

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Picnic in the Park at Plant Museum Includes Games, Music

The free picnic is on Saturday, March 10 in downtown Tampa.

From Brooke Nierengarten McDonald: Picnic baskets, old fashioned entertainment and the old fashioned taste of Blue Bell Ice Cream will be plentiful at the annual Picnic in the Park, Sunday, March 10. The event is from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but guests should come early to the Henry B. Plant Museum to get a prime spot in the shade, and plan to stay late into the afternoon. Victorian games will be available for all-day play, including hoops and sticks, horseshoes, badminton, and putt-putt golf. Live entertainment on Center Stage will feature the Flexible Four Barbershop Quartet, Tampa Community Band, Rose Bilal Jazz, and a theater performance at 2 p.m. from the Museum's Upstairs/Downstairs series. Admission is free, and $1 museum admission…

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Monster Truck Show Headed to Raymond James Stadium

The shows will be on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.

If you're a monster truck show fan, mark your calendar for Jan. 19 and Feb. 2. The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam is heading to Raymond James Stadium for 7 p.m. shows on those dates. Tickets start at $15, and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Raymond James Stadium box office from Jan. 7 through Feb. 2. A Party in the Pits will be held from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. the afternoon of both show dates in the parking lot of the stadium. The purpose is to give fans a view of the trucks and meet the drivers. Free pit passes are available until Feb. 2 while supplies last at Southern Ford dealers or at www.ticketmaster.com. Do you plan to go? Tell us in the comments.

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Black Heritage Festival's Founder Reflects on History of Celebration

The annual celebration of Tampa Bay's 'heart and soul' will be held from Jan. 17-26 this year.

Dr. Samuel Lamar Wright, Sr. is the student ombudsman at the University of South Florida, where he has worked since 1985. Wright is also the founder of the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, which will be held this year from Jan. 17-26. We recently sat down for a chat with Wright to learn more about how the celebration of “the heart and soul of Tampa Bay” got off the ground, and what attendees can expect this year. Patch: How did you get involved with the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival? Wright: I was a member appointed to the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau. They were interested in the fact I worked for USF. They wanted someone who was involved in the community and not to be there by name. We went to meetings to hear the results …

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Elephant Painting Party to be Held at Curtis Hixon Park

The event will be on Dec. 28.

Looking for a family-friendly event? The Glazer Children’s Museum and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® are partnering again for an elephant painting party in Curtis Hixon Park. Following the success of similar event in 2011, Pachyderm Picasso® will be held on December 28 at 10:30 a.m. outside of the Glazer Children’s Museum in Curtis Hixon Park.  A Ringling Bros. elephant will demonstrate her painting skills alongside 50 children. Tickets to paint with the elephant are free, but are limited to the first 50 children. The public is invited to attend. Ringling Bros. performers will be on-hand to entertain the crowd and afterwards will venture inside the Museum for CircusFitsm, a fun guided exploration of the importance of fitness. …

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Santa Pub Crawl to Benefit Meals on Wheels

The event will be on Dec. 8.

It's time to drag those Santa costumes out of the closet. The Santa Pub Crawl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8 at The Honey Pot, 1507 E. 7th Avenue in Ybor City. But the crawl isn't just a chance to sample craft beers and meet locals. It's a charity event for Meals on Wheels, according to Scott Sestak, director of the pub crawl's board. We recently talked to him about how the event got off the ground, and how crucial it is to dress up for the crawl. Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here. Patch: How did the Santa Pub Crawl start, and what organization us putting it on? Sestak: It started in 2001 with four …

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