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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2002
Motorcycles on ice -- right here in Tampa
Motorcycle racing is hair-raising enough, but put the speeding motorcycles on an ice track and look out.
The speeding, sliding cycles come to the Ice Palace at 7:30 p.m. Friday as part of the 2002 World Cup Ice Speedway Championship Series. (Who knew?) The promoters promise 20 races in less than three hours.
Tickets are are $15 in advance, $17.50 at the gate. Children ar $7.50. For more information, call the box office at (813) 223-1000.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays kick off the season this weekend with the annual FanFest at Tropicana Field, where fans can meet players and coaches, see the clubhouse, check out baseball exhibits and buy individual tickets for regular season games. There also will be a chance to talk with Rays officials and writers who cover the team.
New this year: the Wilson Experience, which lets visitors test sports equipment, and a sports memorabilia and card show. FanFest is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free.
For more information, call (727) 898-7297 or (813) 282-7297.
The bead throwing and pirate merrymaking continue Saturday night as the Knights of Sant'Yago lead the night parade from downtown Tampa through the streets of Ybor City.
About 200,000 people are expected to line the 2.8-mile parade route to see 120 illuminated floats from Gasparilla krewes, local businesses and corporate sponsors.
At the downtown end, a Family Fiesta in Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, Pierce Street and Kennedy Boulevard, begins at 2 p.m. with rides and arts and crafts. There's also a pre-parade party at Centro Ybor, 1600 E Eighth Ave., from 3 to 6 p.m. The parade begins at 6:30.
The Knights of Sant'Yago -- they're actually emulating Renaissance noblemen, not pirates -- extended the parade route in 1998 to include the Channelside area, but security concerns moved the parade and festival away from the port area this year. Good (and cheaper) parking spaces fill up fast, so go early.
The new parade route begins at Kennedy Boulevard and Nebraska Avenue, moves west to Pierce Street, then north to Twiggs Street. From there, it moves east on Twiggs to Nick Nuccio Parkway and along the parkway to Seventh Avenue in Ybor City.
For more information, call (813) 248-3088.