1. Museum of Fine Arts unveils Ansel Adams and the American West, which includes more than 60 works by the black-and-white master, his contemporaries, and those who followed in his creative footsteps. (Pictured at right: "Grass in Rain, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska,” by Ansel Adams, 1948. ©The Trustees of The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. All Rights Reserved.)
2. Fourth of July fireworks fill the Friday night skies.
3. Music showcases on both sides of the Bay give area folks the chance to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with a range of appealing local and regional acts. The Hot Dog Show 2 at Ybor City’s Crowbar features a cookout, hot dog eating contest, $5 liters, and sets by Très Bien, Liquid Limbs, Mumpsy, Hometeam and Matt Butcher & The Revolvers. CL in Concert stages Independence Fest at State Theatre in St. Petersburg, with $2 drinks, voter registration opportunities, a $50 gas card giveaway, and live music by Car Bomb Driver, Mouse Fire, Military Junior, and Have Gun, Will Travel.
4. Current students and alumni of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School stage a very limited run of Art – Yasmina Reza's award-winning play about the subjectivity of art – at the Studio at 620 in St. Petersburg.
5. A variety of reality stars converge on Ybor City for the very first GaYbor Days.
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2008.