10.02.2023

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Today’s Forecast

Go big or gourd home

Try this: TBAYtoday’s 2023 pumpkin carving contest

A stack of pumpkins with a large pumpkin photo-opp in the background.

Looking for the perfect pumpkin? Hyde Park Village’s pumpkin patch is now open. | via Hyde Park Village

Carve some time into your schedule. We’ve got a festive contest for you to take part in this spooky season — the TBAYtoday Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Whether you planned to carve a pumpkin this season or not, this is your excuse to run to the nearest pumpkin patch or garden store, pick out your perfect pumpkin, and get creative. Don’t forget the carving kit.

The rules + details:

Create your own pumpkin masterpiece; carve, paint, shave, use stickers, or get creative in a way that is fun for you.

To make a submission, take a picture of your pumpkin + submit it here, along with a name for your art, a short description, your name, and your email address. Submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15.

While traditional pumpkin carvings and designs will be accepted, bonus points will be awarded to original and locally-themed designs. (Think: local landmarks, businesses, and icons.) Any submissions with offensive language or artwork will not be accepted.

Finalists will be selected by our team and announced in our newsletter on Friday, Oct. 20. These finalists will go head-to-head for the chance to be crowned best jack-o’-lantern of 2023 — you, our readers, will be the ones to vote — and the winner will be announced on Friday, Oct. 27.

Want some pumpkin art inspo before you get started? Here are a few no carve ideas as well as some pumpkin carving pro tips.

Give us pumpkin to talk about — submit here.

Events

Monday, Oct. 2

Tampa Terrors Ghost Tour | Monday, Oct. 2 | 8 p.m. | Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa | $16-$25 | Meet at the historic theater for a spooky tour of several eerie locations in Downtown Tampa.

Tuesday, Oct. 3

Glass Class: 3D Pumpkin Candle Holder | Tuesday, Oct. 3 | 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Museum of The American Arts & Crafts Movement, 355 4th St. N., St. Petersburg | $100 | Learn the basics and create your own pumpkin glass panel — closed-toed shoes required.
Workshop: Salsa at The Dalí | Tuesday, Oct. 3 | 6-7 p.m. | The Dalí Museum, 1 Dalí Blvd., St. Petersburg | $5-$10 | Join this salsa dancing workshop where you’ll learn the fundamentals and delve into the dance’s cultural history.

Wednesday, Oct. 4

Scary-Oke | Wednesday, Oct. 4 | 7-11 p.m. | Spookeasy Lounge, 1909 N. 15th St., Tampa | Free | Try your voice at this Halloween-themed karaoke night with BOGO Kava and $1 wings.

Thursday, Oct. 5

Nightly Spirits Ghost Tour and Haunted Pub Crawl | Thursday, Oct. 5 | 7:30-10 p.m. | Tampa Bay Brewing Co., 1600 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa | $30 | Don your spookiest costume and head to Ybor City to follow in the path of deceased rum runners — tour is for those 21 and older.

Friday, Oct. 6

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller | Friday, Oct. 6-Sunday, Oct. 15 | Times vary | Stageworks Theatre, 1120 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste. 151, Tampa | $12-$60 | Watch the Arthur Miller play that delves into the 17th-century witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Opening

This month, Tampa Heights will get a new omakase restaurant. Kōsen Omakase recently opened its reservations, with the first bookings available this Friday, Oct. 6. The restaurant’s more than 15-course menu will be created by Chef Wei Chen, who comes from NYC Michelin star restaurant Masa. (That’s So Tampa)

Transit

It’s official: The SunRunner is no longer free to ride. Wondering how to pay? When you get on the bus, you’ll be able to tap your debit card, credit card, or a payment-enabled smartwatch or phone. The bus will be cashless, but all other PSTA buses will still accept cash. (I Love the Burg)

Coming Soon

Downtown Dunedin is getting a new food hall concept soon. The mixed-use concept, inspired by New Orleans architecture, will feature a rotating carousel bar, four food vendors, two boutique tenants, and an event venue. Dunedin Mix is set to open in December. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Open

Chuck Lager–America’s Tavern, a restaurant led by celebrity Chef Fabio Viviani from “Top Chef,” is now open in the Westshore Marina District. The new location marks the second Chuck Lager restaurant in Tampa. (That’s So Tampa)

Community

After a three-year restoration process, the 108-year-old Turner Bungalow has reopened. The bungalow is now located in Heritage Village, a Pinellas County living history museum. While the current exhibit is temporary, officials hope to open the permanent exhibit in fall 2024 or early 2025. (Fox 13)

Concert

Morgan Wallen added a second show to his “One Night At A Time” concert at Raymond James Stadium. The country artist will perform here in Tampa on July 11-12, 2024.

Finance

One platform is unlocking the $1.7 trillion “billionaires asset class” for everyday investors. Introducing Masterworks, an award-winning platform for investing in blue-chip art. Investors have benefited from 16 sales with returns including 13.9%, 27.3%, and 35.0%. Interested? TBAYtoday readers can skip the waitlist and join.†*

† Past performance is not indicative of future returns; investing involves risk. See disclosures masterworks . com/cd

Real estate

The “Holdout House” holds out no longer

Live the neighbor-free life at this home for sale

A large sandy beach leading up to a two-story home with a large porch.

That’s a front yard we certainly wouldn’t mind enjoying. | Photo by @teamhdmphoto via Engel&Völkers

If the jingle parody “Like a good neighbor, stay over there” is more than a joke to you, this may be your dream home.

The famed “Holdout House” — the only single-family home located on Clearwater Point — is now on the market.

The home got its unofficial name thanks to gossip about its first owners, Carl Wilkens and Mary Ackert, who “held out” and refused to sell the house to developers throughout the years.

Later, the house turned hands and went to former WFLA News anchor Joe Mannion and his partner Elizabeth (for “way more than $150,000,” according to a 1979 newspaper article), who lived in the home until they died.

Now, the next owner could be anyone — anyone who happens to have $6.9 million lying around, that is.

House features:

4 BR, 3 Bath
Beachside views, unencumbered by tall condos or other development
Wraparound porch
Detatched two-car garage
Plus, it possibly inspired the Disney tearjerker “Up"*

*We have no reason to believe this is true, but the stories do sound similar, don’t they?

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Brianna

From the editor

You guys better be glad I’m not allowed to enter this competition — I don’t wanna brag, but I’ve carved some pretty fantastic pumpkins in my day. The trick is to make sure you’ve got solid carving tools. (If someone can actually carve a pumpkin featured on the packaging of those “all in one” kits with the same tools that are provided, please send me a photo.)

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