The annual Gasparilla festival took to the streets of Tampa on Saturday.
Neil Murphy, a visitor from The Villages, dresses the pirate part.
The Gasparilla celebration has been around since 1904. At that time Tampa's civic leaders decided to adopt a mythical pirate named Jose Gaspar as the namesake for the annual event, and the party has continued once a year (with a few exceptions) ever since.
I set out to find the biggest fan. I wanted to meet the person who had been to the most parades and seen the most changes.
David Ramsdell says this is his 60th Gasparilla Parade and that he began attending with his father at 5 years old. His friend Katherine Dennis (right) has been to nine parades. According to David, boob-flashing for beads has only recently become a part of the tradition. He is also amazed at the amount of trash left behind by the partygoers.
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2012.