FRIDAY
¡Viva La Cuba! Creative Loafing and Leslie Joy Original will present the Historia de Amor con Cuba — Love Affair with Cuba, a photography show and celebration of this issue at the CL Space on July 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. Features Cuban food from The Stone Soup Co., Cuba Libre cocktails and live music by Ta Bueno featuring Estrella Flamenca. The CL Space is at 1911 N. 13th St., Ybor City. $5 suggested donation; proceeds to benefit the Ybor City Museum Society.
SATURDAY
Wordy whirls on both sides of the bay: Showcasing narratives read aloud by prominent local scribes, the Grand The Central Lit Crawl kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday with Ben Montgomery, followed by Roy Peter Clark, at the Old Key West Bar and Grill, 2451 Central Ave. From there, mosey to neighboring drinking spots to catch Stephanie Hayes, Lynn Waddell, Julie Garisto, Cathy Salustri, Arielle Stevenson, Bob Andelman and Craig Pittman. The Tampa Zine Fest, a celebration of zines, independent media and DIY publishing, will present workshops, work stations for creating zines and live music from the versatile and talented Jeremy Gloff. Free; donations accepted for Tampa Free Skool. 6-9 p.m., Ybor Daily Market, 1920 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, facebook.com/tampazinefest. Grand Central Lit Crawl is 4-8 p.m.; free admission; check facebook.com/wordierthanthou for schedule.
Free show at Microgroove: New Granada poobah Keith Ulrey is hosting a sweet, gratis gig at his central Tampa record store this Saturday. The show begins at 7 p.m. and features N.C.-based Band & the Beat (singer-songwriter Tracy Shedd's new act) and Atlanta female-fronted alt-folk-indie band the Good Graces, which includes guitarist and former local John McNicholas (Lie, Spiller, Misfortune500). More info at microgroovetampa.co.
Hit the Bricks: Commemorating a half-decade of a beloved Ybor hangout and skater-culture mainstay, The Bricks & SPoT Ybor 5-Year Anniversary Party will rock the west end of La Septima this Saturday afternoon and evening. Brian Schaefer and co. will do it up big by closing off the block and featuring concerts (ranging from Tampa punk gods Tim Version to Tallahassee’s math-y indie rockers Look Mexico to Orlando-brewed garage soul outfit The Sh-Booms to our own Teen Wolf punk-rock growlers Wolf-Face), skate sessions and more throughout the day and evening. The Pic 5 art show highlights 10 artists (includes Wolfgang Brardt, Rob Hoovis, Pat Daly, Marin Nacastro, Chad Cardoza, Kyle Randall, Chris Deacon, Paul Zitzer, Bart Jones and Chaz Miley) who have provided five images that relate to skateboarding, art and pop culture iconography; giveaways and prizes will be provided by Vans, and an exclusive Cigar City Brewing-Bricks brew will be on tap. Admission is $10 with proceeds going to Boards for Bros. Gates open at 3 p.m., 1327 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City. bit.ly/BRICKSSPoT5.
Barley Mow Brewing Co. 3-Year Anniversary: Celebrate one of best (and only) reasons to visit Largo, with 50 beers, grub from food trucks, live tunes by Trigger City Trio and more. Saturday, noon-10 p.m. 518 West Bay Drive, barleymowbrewingco.com. Click here for Facebook event page.
Celebrate Sinatra In the mood for swanky? Attend the annual black tie optional nightclub party that’s taken place on the last Saturday in July in Tampa every year since Frank Sinatra died in 1998. This year's special because it's ol' Blue Eye's 100th. Celebrate with dancing to Great American Standards performed by a full big band orchestra with male and female vocalists, and a Latin quartet. Complimentary signature martinis during the first hour, with cash bars, passed hors d’oeuvres by Bernini, cigar bar and casino gaming tables. $50. Sat., July 25, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. The Ritz Ybor, 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City. 813-251-0500. CelebrateSinatra.com.
SUNDAY (AND ALL WEEKEND LONG)
An Oscar contender, we presume: Opening this week at Tampa Theatre, the rightfully buzzed Mr. Holmes brings us a uniquely touching and captivating look at Sherlock in his golden years, starring first-time-Oscar hopeful Sir Ian McKellen. Set in 1947, the movie introduces the viewer to a 93-year-old retired detective, who in the film’s reality never wore that famous deerstalker hat or a cape. Struggling to keep his memory intact, Holmes becomes driven to get at the bottom of an old case. Uncovering more than clues, Holmes confronts revelations of a more personal nature. Co-stars Laura Linney and Milo Parker. Screens 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and Mon.-Thurs.; with additional showings at 2 and 4:45 p.m. on Sat. and 8:15 p.m. on Sun. $11. 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa. tampatheatre.org. Read a review here. Also reviewed in CL and opening this weekend are Paper Towns, adapted from Fault in Our Stars' author John Green, and Southpaw, starring a super-cut Jake Gyllenhaal.
Get Your Geek On: Next week may be Tampa Bay Comic Con but it isn't too early to bust out the costumes and make-up. Celebrity guests at this weekend's Fanboy Expo include Adam West and Burt Ward (pictured, right, in their caped-crusading heyday), Mark Texeira, James Marsters, Don Kramer, Camden Toy, Angel Medina, Tom Nguyen, Paige O’Hara, Richard White, Tim Rose, and many others. July 24-26. Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Drive (off the Courtney Campbell Causeway), Tampa. fanboyexpo.com/tampa.
At the Movies: The Trib was right when it said, "Disability is Only a Word at Pyramid." The nonprofit's Pyramid Players will put on a free performance of song and dance from famous films this Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the University Community Center, 14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa. Click here for Pyramid Inc's Facebook page.
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2015.