 |
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
 |
Parties for football, dancing, politics
© St. Petersburg Times It's barely June, but a bunch of Tampa Bay residents sure looked like they were ready for football last week. NFL Films staged a huge production in a Hyde Park neighborhood last week for a commercial supporting ABC Monday Night Football's "Are You Ready For Some Football?" campaign. The shoot featured a tailgate party and starred more than 100 locals, as well as Bucs Warren Sapp and Martin Gramatica. Coach Jon Gruden filmed a segment for the commercial at the studios of WEDU-Ch. 3. "It was one of the largest commercials we've coordinated in a while," said Tampa/Hillsborough film commissioner Edie Emerald. The Samba Room restaurant will celebrate its first anniversary in Old Hyde Park Village June 14 with a four-hour outdoor dance party featuring Latin Music award-winner Tito Puente Jr. The event will run from 5 to 9 p.m. and benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. History is repeating itself, according to Tyrone Keys of All Sports Community Service, which helps local students win college scholarships through academics and community service. In 1998, Keys had a stunning coup. He put together a videotape to help market Tampa student Adedayo Banwo to colleges and scholarship foundations. The Park Foundation was impressed and gave Banwo a $100,000 four-year scholarship to North Carolina State University. Fast-forward to 2002 and you find Keys using a videotape again to market a star student. This time, the tape is of the memorable speech by Blake High senior Felicia Wright at this year's TOBA King Leadership Breakfast. What makes the story better is that Banwo, now headed to law school, stepped in to help Wright. "When I saw her video, I knew she was an exceptional individual who could do anything she set her mind to," said Banwo, who has been accepted by the Duke, Georgetown and Florida law schools. "I just wanted to help her open the doors that were opened for me." Wright has been accepted to N.C. State, and All Sports, which has helped local students receive more than $15-million in scholarships and financial aid, has another success story. Almost. Keys doesn't have a scholarship. If you can help turn this into a truly happy ending, call Keys at 348-2729. The Tiger Bay Club has scheduled its debate for candidates seeking the District 5 County Commission seat for Oct. 17. That's a tad puzzling when you consider Republicans Jim Norman and Stacey Easterling, the only two candidates currently vying for the seat, will have already faced off against each other in a primary. If a Democrat files before the July deadline, the October date will stay the same, Tiger Bay officials say. Mike Scionti, Hillsborough Democratic chairman, says he would like to see one of the three District 1 candidates -- Kathy Castor, John Dingfelder or Mimi Osiason -- switch to District 5, but that seems unlikely. If a Democrat doesn't file, Tiger Bay officials will move up the debate so we can get the rare sight of two incumbent commissioners squaring off. Either candidate could balk at a showdown, but it seems the race has too much interest for that to happen. And I don't want to be put in the position of calling either Norman or Easterling a chicken. That's all I'm saying.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
Times columns today Jan Glidewell Ernest Hooper Elijah Gosier From the Times Metro desks |
