The Tampa Historical Society hosts its annual Oaklawn Ramble, a Sunday afternoon of leisurely local history lessons at ... Oaklawn Cemetery? Yes, folks, for a suggested donation of $5, you can watch living history performers in elaborate 18th-century attire enact true tales of the hardy swashbucklers who sailed the treacherous, ahem, slightly choppy waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Old Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough River. Some of these rebel sailors — the original Tampa Bay buccaneers — ultimately ended up six feet under in the Oaklawn Cemetery, hence this year's theme, "Pirates at Oaklawn Cemetery."
In case you didn't already know, Oaklawn Cemetary is Tampa's oldest public resting place. Founded in 1850, its decaying residents include most of Tampa's founding families, 13 former city mayors, a mass grave of yellow fever victims, veterans of seven wars, and Ybor City's founding father, Vicente Martinez Ybor.
If you're a history buff, this is probably your thing, but if not, there's a distinct possibility that you might enjoy yourself anyway — even though it's in a cemetery.
Oaklawn Ramble, Sun., April 9, 2 p.m., Oaklawn Cemetery, Morgan and Harrison streets, downtown Tampa. For more information, call 813-831-5214 or e-mail [email protected].
