With downtown St. Pete in the midst of a real estate bonanza, it was always surprising that the rundown shuffleboard courts across from The Coliseum were never gobbled up. But after Chad Mize and Philip Clark, members of the St. Pete artists’ collective The Artillery, started their Friday night events, the courts’ survival started to make some cosmic sense. Not only did the duo help save a downtown landmark — The Shuffleboard Club opened in 1925 and was the place to be for years — but they gave folks a good enough reason to hang outside during the summer. Shuffleboard ain’t just for your grandma — the game can be brutally competitive, and playing under the lights on a Friday night can be downright sublime. Shuffle your heart out Friday nights from 6 to 11 p.m. 559 Mirror Lake Drive N., St. Petersburg, www.stpeteshuffle.com.
This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2005.