Dishing with
Mark & Carrie
1-27-10
Pirates,
Passion &
Parades
Gasparilla Drama, Drama, Drama
This will our 30th Gasparilla Invasion!!! It has and is one of our vary favorite events of the year in Tampa! Behind the scenes there is plenty of straight drama. One of the biggest is over the events names. If you were to say: “The Children Parade”, “The Gasparilla Day Parade” or God forgive you, “The Gasparilla Night Parade” the pirates would make you walk the plank!!!! The Krewe are very touchy over their names, festivities & somewhat rightfully so.
Just for the record the correct names are:
The Gasparilla Festival is correctly called “2010 Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Festival”
The Children’s Day Parade is correctly called “The Children’s Gasparilla Parade” & This year also called “Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza” . The Big Drama this year was when the internet heard what the Gay’s have called the parade for years. “The Daddies Parade.” Oh come on!!! We all know that one in 10 is Gay. Even the straights play the guessing game “who is” at this parade.
The Gasparilla Day Parade is correctly called “The Parade of Pirates” Presented by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. Over the past years this has become more of a “City Gone Wild” & looks like a group going for the Guinness World Book of Records for “largest drunken street party”. Can you just image the backlash if this was a GLBT event? It would be huge!!!! We bet they would even call in the national guard! This year the police are promising a big crack down &…. We hope there are changes but it will still be fun to be watching ”Straights Behaving Badly”.
The Night Parade is correctly called “The Krewe of Sant’ Yago Illuminated Knight Parade”. Behind the scenes this years there was plenty of drama over the street closures & routes. Will the parade route zig zag or heaven forbid become the “Simply go Straight Parade!” Oh no!!!! It is really a fun hoot & a positive statement, that recently many of the Krewes have been actively courting GLBT members for their Krewes. I guess they are looking for that special touch! Wink Wink!!! This will be the second year for The GaYBOR District Coalition to have a float in this parade. Our hats are off to the The Krewe of Sant’ Yago for the warm welcome they have given GaYBOR.
One of the GLBT traditions since the 1970’s was to stop by Rene’s, later Metropolis for a famous Reno’s Bloody Mary. Picking up the tradition, this year bloody marys will be served starting at 10AM at Chelsea Nightclub on Florida Ave. before “The Parade of Pirates” Presented by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
No mater what you call the parades & events remember, the 106 year old “Gasparilla Pirate Festival” is all about promoting Tampa & supporting our local non profits. Every year it becomes better than the year before!
Happy Gasparilla Everybody! RRRRRR
January 27th, 2010 |
