Thursday 11.1
Founding Mothers Using historical photographs and artifacts, the Ybor City Museum Society's new exhibit, Matriarchs and Mantillas: the Women of Ybor, reveals the unique character of the women who settled the city and created a culture of their own in this immigrant community. These women are remembered as hardworking and business-like, and for representing femininity, illustrated by their lace mantillas and Spanish fans. The images in the exhibit include such representatives as Rosita Grimaldi, a well-known shopkeeper; Carmen Caras Morales, a ballerina who owned the Carmen School of Ballet & Spanish Dance; Giuseppina Valenti, a midwife; and restaurateur Clarita Garcia. The exhibit runs through March 31 at the Ybor City Museum State Park. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission costs $2. The museum is at 1818 E. Ninth Ave., Ybor City (813-247-6323).
Bite Me The Jobsite/Center Theater's production of the newest adaptation of Dracula opens the Jobsite's 2001-02 play series and runs through Nov. 18. This version, penned by playwright Steven Dietz (Lonely Planet, God's Country) isn't merely about a battle between good and evil. It's a more complex look at the characters in crisis and depicts a society overtaken by darkness and fear. The play is directed by Jobsite artistic director David Jenkins (Clive Barker's The History of the Devil) and promises original Victorian Gothic touches, elaborate set design and thrilling special effects. Show times are at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $15.50-$21.50. Dracula plays at the Shimberg Playhouse at the TBPAC, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, downtown Tampa (813-229-7827).
Friday 11.2
This Old Home Show Whether you're remodeling, decorating, landscaping, furnishing or accessorizing, Florida's Largest Fall Home Show is the place to learn about the items you need, those you want and some you never knew existed. There's patio furniture, pot gardens and waterfalls, contemporary flooring, storage systems, appliances, bathroom fixtures, lawn furniture, spas, wholesale art, shades and blinds, kennels, security systems, building supplies and more. The home show takes place through Nov. 4 in Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The show's hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $6.50, $5.50 for seniors, free for children 11 and younger, and parking costs $5. The fairgrounds are at U.S. 301 and Orient Road (take exit 6A on I-4) in Tampa. Call 813-677-6925.
If the Slipper Fits A new, full-length performance of Cinderella brings the North Carolina Dance Theatre back to the Mahaffey Theater, having had its first Bay area performance there last February. The production, conceived by artistic director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, is infused with elements of grand 19th century ballet and features a set designed by artist Alain Vaes, a regular collaborator at the New York City Ballet. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $26, $29 and $33. The Mahaffey Theater is at 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg (727-892-5767).
Saturday 11.3
Art of Indigenous Spirits More than 200 artists, educators and entertainers fill Coachman Park, along with some of the best artwork devoted to celebrating Native American tradition, for the Spirit of America Native American and Wildlife Art Festival. The festival takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 3-4 and features Native American dancers, storytellers and concerts by recording artists such as Tommy Wildcat, Cherokee Rose and The Spirit Keepers. Educators teach throughout the festival about native culture and wildlife appreciation and preservation. The artists' work being exhibited includes textiles, jewelry, ceremonial art, paintings, pottery and photography. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for children 4-16, free for children 3 and younger. Two-day passes are available for $8. All sales are at the gate. Parking is free. Coachman Park is at 301 Drew St., Clearwater (813-984-7444). www.spiritofamericaart.com.
Shangri-la Dee Doldrums The excitement for the Stone Temple Pilots, upon Shangri-La Dee Da entering the chart at No. 4, must have been nullified by Scott Weiland's drug-related incarceration at the time. But he's a free man now, and the band's headlining the Family Values Tour, which isn't exactly an ideal gig between rehab visits for STP's substance abuse-prone singer. Then again, how bad can it be? He's surrounded by the upstanding young men of the bands Staind, Linkin Park, Static X and Deadsy. Let's just hope that he, as the elder of this dysfunctional clan, can set a good example, stay clean and put on a few good shows. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice Palace. Tickets cost $43.50. The Ice Palace is at 401 Channelside Drive, downtown Tampa (813-223-1000).
Sunday 11.4
The Ling Dynasty In programming the Florida Orchestra's 2001-02 season, in his last season as music director, Jahja Ling has taken the opportunity to include a Ling Family Celebration to bid adieu and thank the Tampa Bay community for the wonderful moments he's shared. Jahja Ling conducts and performs on piano, accompanied by Jessie Chang and Gabriel Ling, also on piano. The program features Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos, Bartok's suite from The Miraculous Mandarin and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. The performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center; at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Mahaffey Theater; and at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Tickets cost $20-$38. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa (813-229-7827). The Mahaffey Theater is at 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg (727-892-5767). Ruth Eckerd Hall is at 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater (727-791-7400).
Monday 11.5
Hiaasen Heir Author S.V. Date's fourth novel, Deep Water (Putnam) about the fictional theme-park community of Serenity, Fla., treads territory previously charted by Carl Hiaasen. The theme park Whipple World is an obvious satire of Orlando's Disney, providing fodder for the narrative, what amounts to a polemic on the dangers of big-business marketing, with a disillusioned reporter and the park founder's great-niece battling a cast of villains. Date, a former Tallahassee bureau chief for the Palm Beach Post, has also authored Smokeout, Speed Week and Final Orbit. Date signs copies of Deep Water from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, at Inkwood, 216 Armenia Ave. S., Tampa (813-253-2638).
Tuesday 11.6
Bone up on History Ignorance breeds fear and one should understand their enemy, so it makes perfect sense that there's been a run on books like Thomas W. Lippman's Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World (Meridian). Lippman's book is a study of the Muslim world, from its roots to the global politics of today and includes new information on the internal politics of current Islamic communities. For a more personal introduction, there is a four-week course titled Understanding Islam being offered by the Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater. The course covers the life of the prophet Mohammed, the Quran, Islamic beliefs and customs, fundamentalism and a special focus on why the Taliban is a dangerous fringe movement within Islam. The course costs $10 and takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 13, 20 and 27; and from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, 15, 29 and Dec. 6. Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater is at 2470 Nursery Road, Clearwater (727-531-7704).
Wednesday 11.7
Zoinks! Cartoon legends come to life in Scooby-Doo in Stagefright, a live Warner Bros. production. Fans of all ages can now witness Scooby and the gang's hijinks and comical detective work, complete with groovy music and special effects, after years of TV reruns. The show takes the form of a long-lost episode in which those dang meddling kids solve the mystery of a supernatural specter wreaking havoc at the old Clawhammer movie studio. Don't miss classic lines like, Let's split up, and I don't see anything to be afraid of. The show plays at the Carol Morsani Hall at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center through Nov. 11. Show times are at 7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; at 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and at 11 a.m., 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $11, $21 and $26. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa (813-229-7827).
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2001.
