Our annual CL Annual Holiday Auction is now in its final 10 days, which means there are less than two weeks left to bid on crazy-awesome items and experiences you won't find anywhere else, and benefit the Children's Home Network in the process. Week Four is here, and we've got a ton of late additions to the party, including a dinner with four marvelous Florida authors, dinner for ten at highly anticipated restaurant Dr. BBQ's opening, lunch and a VIP tour of the Tampa Museum of art, and, of course, an exclusive experience at next year's insanely popular Hunahpu's Day beer release by Cigar City Brewing. Read the descriptions below, and check out every auction and bid at Ebay here. Week Four runs through 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17.
PARTY FOR 10 AT THE GRAND OPENING OF DR. BBQ IN ST. PETE Dr. BBQ’s going to be the Next Big Thing on the busy St. Pete restaurant scene. Located in the booming Edge District at 1101 1st Ave. S., it may also turn out to be the biggest thing in BBQ, period. Win this item, and you and up to 9 friends will be on hand to celebrate on opening night. Just remember to save some ribs for the rest of us! Value: $1,500.
VIP TICKETS FOR 2 TO EVERY CL EVENT IN 2018 Best of the Bay. Beer Fest. Crafts & Drafts. Meet the Chefs. Meet the Brewers. Margarita Wars. Highball, 30th Anniversary Party, GASP! And who knows what else we'll come up with for 2018? You'll get a pair of VIP tickets to all 2018 Creative Loafing events plus every single big ol’ bash we throw into the year — for an entire year. Value: $1,000.
S3 MEDIA LOGO CREATION & STATIONERY DESIGN PACKAGE S3 Media is a comprehensive marketing agency based out of Tampa, FL, offering turnkey digital marketing strategies to promote brand awareness and lead generation. In this package you will receive logo creation, stationery package layout including letterhead, envelope, and 500 full color double-sided business cards (printing not included for letterhead or envelopes). New customers only, must be redeemed by December 31, 2018. Value: $1,500.
BRU FLORIDA GROWLER BAR'S 12 BEERS OF CHRISTMAS Winner enjoys 12 64-ounce growler fills of Florida craft beer, kombucha, nitro coffee, cider, or mead. Growlers may be filled any time before 12-31-2018. BRU Florida Growler Bar carries a regularly rotating selection of craft brews, most of which are not sold in bottles or cans. Check UnTappd or the BRU website for the current tap list. Value: $240.
VIP EXPERIENCE FOR 2 AT CIGAR CITY BREWING'S HUNAHPU'S DAY 2018 Beer aficionados go insane for Cigar City’s annual Hunahpu’s Day, the only day of the year that Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout can be purchased, a fabled 11 percent ABV stout that incorporates cocoa nibs, cinnamon, Madagascar vanilla beans and ancho and pasilla chilies. If you’re the winning bidder (and you’d better bid high, because competition for this package will be fierce), you and a guest will each receive 12 count ‘em 12 bottles of the coveted Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, plus access to the VIP tent with seating, specialty food options, rare beer pourings and private restrooms. The 9th Annual Hunahpu’s Day will take place Sat., March 10, 2018, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and will be held at Raymond James Stadium, Lots 5 & 7. Value: $740.
YOGA ON TAP & STAND UP PADDLEBOARD YOGA CLASSES FROM THE BODY ELECTRIC Join The BE for 10 of their wildly popular Yoga On Taps at locations all over St. Pete. Choose from poolside sessions at The Hollander or the new Hyatt Place Hotel; power flow to live music at 3 Daughters or Green Bench breweries; or join the Flow at The Bikery. Flow your own way… and then get a beer with your favorite yogis! Also included in this package is one free Stand Up Paddleboard yoga class, with board rental included, at Sunset Beach at the corner of W. Gulf Blvd. and 77th Ave. in Treasure Island. Dress to get wet and prepare to get sun. Value: $175. *SUP Beach Days and Times: Fridays and Sundays in season, 10:30-11:45 a.m. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early. Place: Sunset Beach at the corner of W. Gulf Blvd. and 77th Ave. You must pre-register online by 8:30 a.m. to participate.Cancellations by 8:30 a.m. either online or by emailing SUP@thebodyelectricyoga.com or no class credit or refund will be granted. If the weather or water is uncooperative and we have to cancel class, the teacher will attempt to contact you, so make sure you provide your telephone number in your account. Please arrive 10 minutes early to these classes for instruction and launch.
DINNER FOR 2 WITH 4 FLORIDA AUTHORS It’s a literati dinner party: just you, a guest and four of the best writers in Florida at a restaurant to be named. Your fellow diners will include Jack E. Davis, author of the ground-breaking The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea; Lee Irby, whose new novel Unreliable is getting rave reviews; the Times’s esteemed environmental reporter Craig Pittman; and CL’s own Cathy Salustri, who tells tales of old and new Florida in her Backroads of Paradise. Value: Priceless.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MEMORY BOX Everybody knows somebody who's crazy about the Harley brand and vibe, whether they've currently got a bike or not. This package includes a 3-day new rider's course, a rentals certificate and even a gift card to spend in the store, all in a branded Memory Box. Value: $800.
ALL-ACCESS PASS TO THE AMERICAN STAGE 21ST CENTURY VOICES NEW PLAY FESTIVAL A committee comprised of a diverse cross-section of community members worked with American Stage Producing Artistic Director Stephanie Gularte to read, evaluate and discuss hundreds of new play submissions from all over the United States. The selected works will be featured in staged readings and workshops in the 21st Century Voices: New Play Festival from January 11-14, 2018. and will provide audiences the chance to contribute to the plays’ development through talk-backs with the playwrights and Gularte. Value: $50.
LUCKY DILL BREAKFAST ONCE A WEEK FOR A YEAR Feel like an avocado and chorizo burrito? How about a Park Avenue Scrambler? A West Side Story omelette? All these and much more could be yours all year long with this delicious offer: Palm Harbor’s legendary Lucky Dill is giving one lucky person breakfast once a week for a year. Rise and shine! Must be used January-December 2018. One certificate per week. Approximate value: $550.
DUNEDIN FINE ART CENTER VIP PACKAGE DFAC is a hotbed of artistic endeavor, and with this special offer you get to experience it all. The VIP package includes: 1 family membership ($90 value); a private curator’s tour for up to 8 people ($80 value; must be taken before Oct. 14, 2018); 1 free class ($179 value); and a private “First Choice” tour of DFAC’s Trashy Treasures Art Sale. (Value: Priceless). Total value: $350+.
FRINGE FLORIDA PACKAGE The title says it all: Fringe Florida: Travels Among Mud Boggers, Furries, Ufologists, Nudists, and Other Lovers of Unconventional Lifestyles. Published by University Press of Florida, Lynn Waddell’s wonderful book is a wildly entertaining trip through the state’s inimitable subcultures. With this package, you get a signed hardcover copy of the book, plus three ways to fly your own Fringe flag: an “I Live on the Fringe” T-shirt, size medium; a temporary tattoo; and a “Greetings from Fringe Florida” postcard. Value: $50.
DOODLE DOG MOBILE GROOMING SESSION Lynn Parkhurst’s Doodle Dog grooming service has already been recognized by Best of the Bay for Parkhurst’s gentle way with canines in need of a new ’do. She’ll come to your home in her mobile salon (aka van), give Fido a perfectly precise trim, and return him to you looking better than ever. With this package, in addition to 1 grooming session, she’ll throw in an assortment of grooming items and toys, too. Smaller dogs only, please. Value: $100.
MELT SHOPPE "SANDWICH IN YOUR NAME" & "SANDWICHES ALL YEAR" PACKAGE Create a special sandwich in collaboration with the chefs at Melt Shoppe, the hot ’n' melty sandwich restaurant at the hottest spot in town, The Hall on Franklin food court. You’ll get the opportunity to be featured alongside your sandwich for one month, and 15 percent of your sandwich’s sales will be donated back to the Children’s Home Network. Plus: The winner will receive one free sandwich a month for a year! Value: $125.
ENTRY FOR 2 TO ROOFTOP EVE If you’re the highest bidder on this item, you and a guest will get to spend New Year’s Eve way up high on a rooftop in the heart of downtown Tampa. Your VIP experience will include premium open bar (including liquor, beer wine and champagne all night long), live music, DJ entertainment, dancing and a New Year’s Eve you will never forget. The 8th annual Rooftop Eve takes place on the roof of Ft. Brooke Parking Garage, 10th Floor, 107 N. Franklin St., Tampa. Learn more at TheRooftopEve.com. Value: $400.
2-DAY GA PASS FOR 4 TO TAMPA BAY MARGARITA FEST + DINNER AT ULELE Tequila, tequila and more tequila! What more could you want? How about two days’ worth of tequila (May 26-27, 2018), with 70-plus styles of margarita drinks to try, live entertainment (including Everclear on May 27), games, giveaways and fireworks in the festive environs of Tampa’s waterfront Curtis Hixon Park? But wait, there’s more! We’re also throwing in a $100 gift certificate to Ulele Restaurant, just a short jaunt down the Riverwalk, renowned for dishes with a distinctly Florida touch and the quality you’ve come to expect from the Gonzmart family. Value: Pass: $200. Ulele: $100. Total: $300.
YOUR OWN CIGAR CITY RADIO PODCAST Thinking about starting a podcast, but feel a little intimidated? Feel like you're the liberal Rush Limbaugh and need a producer to help you spread your lefty gospel? Link up with the producers of Cigar City Radio, Tampa's premiere music-centric podcast, who will produce (1) episode for your, providing tips, tricks and inspiration as you inch your way towards global domination. Value: $1,500.
TAMPA INDIE RECORD SHOPPING SPREE WITH RAY ROA Go indie music store shopping with CL Music Editor Ray Roa at two of Tampa’s most beloved local independent record stores, Mojo Books & Records and Microgroove. Each store offers two records apiece: You get to choose one valued up to $20, and based on your musical tastes Ray will pick the other (with your okay, of course). Value of records: $80. Value of time spent with Ray Roa: Hard to quantify, but he says you might be able to use it as community service hours. Total value: Priceless.
ST. PETE INDIE RECORD SHOPPING SPREE WITH RAY ROA What, you think we’d confine your musical shop hop to one side of the Bay? Not when two of St. Pete’s amazing independent record stores — Daddy Kool Records and Planet Retro Records — are offering the same deal being offered in Tampa. Yup, go indie music store shopping with CL Music Editor Ray Roa at those two stores, and each will offer you two records: one that you get to choose (valued up to $20), and one, based on your musical tastes, that Ray will pick for you (with your okay, of course). Value of records: $80. Value of time spent with Ray Roa: Hard to quantify, but he says you might be able to use it as community service hours. Total value: Priceless.
A PRIVATE VIP TOUR AND LUNCH AT THE TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART Experience an up-close-and-personal tour of Tampa’s most beautiful art museum, guided by the expert eye of Executive Director Michael Tomor. After enjoying his insightful explanations of the latest TMA exhibitions, head downstairs to Mise en Place’s Sono Cafe for a delicious lunch with a beautiful view of the Hillsborough River. Value: $250.
This article appears in Dec 7-14, 2017.