While most of Tampa Bay is either converging at the big concerts/festivals at St. Pete Bayfront and Tampa, check out these worthwhile alternatives.
Blazing Star Arts Festival Step into Boyd Hill's "nature's studio" and make your own pieces to take home. Along with interactive art installations, the event will feature live music, food and drink, geocaching, wildlife programs, children's art auction, a Paul Eppling sculpture tour and a community poetry reading. Admission is free, donations accepted. Sat., Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 727-893-7326. friendsofboydhill.org/BlazingStarFestival.html.
40th Annual Temple Terrace Community Arts Festival Celebrate a four-decade milestone while taking in art and a breezy, mild fall Florida temps under a canopy of oaks along the banks of the Hillsborough River. The fest offers fine art by nationwide artists, contemporary crafts, holiday gifts and more. Prizes in several categories will be awarded to participating artists, and the Arts Council buys fine art from participating artists to be auctioned during its annual spring event. Also, on display will be the art of future artists from local elementary schools. A winner from each school will be selected by experienced judges and awarded tickets provided by MOSI. Nov. 9-10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Riverhills Park, 329 S. Riverhills Drive, templeterraceartsfestival.shutterfly.com, 813-988-ARTS.
Do-It-Yourself Dali Holiday Cards Workshop Led by printmaker and professor Cat Thompson, participants can create up to five greetings to take home. $5 admission for youth 16 and younger, $10 admission for adults. Sat., Nov. 9, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Morean Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., Room 101, St. Petersburg. Call 727-822-7872, ext. 2110.
Pink Cheetah Vintage Art & Music Check out art by HFx, Apatx, Joe Soutter, Lizzie Agosto, and Lisa Karen Ward with music by DJ PJ of Trees of Knowledge productions. Free admission, free parking. Sat., Nov. 9, 6 p.m. Stained Market Place, 2106 E. 15th Ave., Tampa. 813-501-3238. facebook.com/StainedMarketPlace.
Swede Fest 5 7-9 p.m. at Muvico Centro Ybor 20 will feature a variety of low budget remakes of famous films, television shows and commercials made by local amateur filmmakers. Admission will be $5 at the door. Doors will open at 7, the films will start around 7:30. There will be a photo spot in the theater lobby for all attendees to participate in before and after the Fest. Swede Fest 5 After Party follows at Gametime (formerly GameWorks) immediately following the festival.
See George Medeiros Get His Head Tattooed Wearable sculpture/art gurus Spathose (George Medeiros and Scott Durfee) were successful in reaching their goal for their Kickstarter campaign, so as part of the rewards, Medeiros will be having all 176 backers' names written on his head and proudly spend an evening showing off my temporarily tattooed noggin at the Second Saturday Arts Walk. This will be happening at Blue Lucy starting at 2 p.m,, where local artists Chad Mize, Sarah Thee Campagna and Michael McCraken will be preforming this task.
USF Fall Dance Concert Our colleges and universities are hotbeds of dance talent, and USF dominates. For its fall performance, the university highlights faculty and visiting talent with choreographer Andrew Carroll’s The Artifice of Pretense: Discovering the True Trophy, and also showcases Picture in a Frame by Bliss Kohlmyer, This Is How You Lose Her by Michael Foley; In the Absence of Light, Andee Scott; El Alma Desencadenada (Soul Unchained), Katurah Robinson. theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu. $8-$15. Fri.-Sat., Nov. 8-9, at 8 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 10, at 3 p.m., and Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 14-16, at 8 p.m. USF Theatre 1, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa. 813-974-2301. arts.usf.edu.
UT Faculty Recital and Multimedia Performance Faculty recital and multimedia performance featuring Hein Jung, soprano; Grigorios Zamparas, piano; and Santiago Echeverry, video art. The performance includes a collaboration of music and video art, with simultaneous video projections on selected architectural spaces and the bodies of performers. Free. Sat., Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. 813-253-6212. ut.edu/music.
26th Annual Sponge Docks Seafood Festival Back after a five-year hiatus, the Sponge Docks Seafood Festival will resume with fresh-caught fare from some of the area’s tastiest Greek restaurants, markets and bakeries. This two-day outdoor festival, sponsored by The Tarpon Springs Merchants Association, will feature tons of fresh local seafood, art and craft by up to 60 local and regional artists, continuous live music and a “best of …” contest. Free admission. Nov. 9-10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, Dodecanese Boulevard, Tarpon Springs.
Ukrainian AutumnFest Dine on some Eastern European-style comfort food — borsch, holubtsi, varenyky and potato pancakes available for takeout, Ukrainian beer, Ukrainian arts and crafts, vendors, children’s rides and games, polka lessons, music for dancing — “Zabava” both days, and performances by “Kalyna” Ukrainian Dancers. A chessmaster will be onsite to play and offer chess tips. A silent auction and raffle will be held Sunday. $2 for adults, children under 12 free. Sat., Nov. 9, noon; Sun., Nov. 10, 11 a.m. Epiphany of our Lord Ukainian Catholic Church, 434 90th Ave., St Petersburg. 727 576-1001.
Viva Tampa Bay Archaeology Day Experience Florida’s past from prehistoric times to more recent history at this free event hosted by the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Archaeologists will be set up with activities, artifacts, displays, and games that celebrate the rich history of the Tampa Bay area. Flintknappers will demonstrate the process of making stone tools just like people have done in Florida for thousands of years. Re-enactors from different points in Tampa’s history will also be in attendance. Free. Sat., Nov. 9, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Ybor City State Museum, 1818 E. Ninth Ave., Ybor City. 813-396-2325. ybormuseum.org.
This article appears in Nov 7-13, 2013.