As part of our Readers’ Poll this year, we gave voters a chance to expand a bit on their favorites. In 25 words or less, they were invited to tell us more about one of the people or places they voted for, or write about something that should have won — if only we’d included a category for it.
The following enthusiasts wore their hearts on their sleeves, or on their ballots, so effectively that we gave them tickets to our Best of the Bay Beer Fest on Sept. 24 — and we’re printing their comments here.
Honorable mentions to Amalia Royals, who chose the White Caddy Escalade as the “Most Popular Unnecessary Car in South Tampa”; Kirk Curtiss, who said the Best Bike Ride was “from Coffee Pot Park to the Pier, along the water, passing the docks, beautiful homes, and the smell of red tide!”; Douglas R. Haggerty, whose ballot arrived in the best-decorated envelope; Ruth Lemley, who loves Young’s Sushi; Lee Campbell, who likes to spend Thanksgiving at the Columbia Restaurant; and Norma Caltagirone, who wrote eloquently about Stageworks, her favorite theater company (no wonder — she’s president of their board of directors).
This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2005.