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Get Away Hot Ticket
By GINA VIVINETTO and CHRISTINA K. COSDON
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 13, 2003
Bibliophiles' heaven
Anyone who savors the smell of ink on paper or the discovery of a first edition of a favorite book will find lots to like this weekend at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg. The grand old ballroom will be host to the annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair. The fair features more than 125 dealers of rare and out-of-print books, first editions, fine bindings, maps, prints, documents, paper collectibles and more.
The books include art books, mysteries, kids' books and cookbooks.
If you've got a book to be appraised, experts will do that for free from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Fair hours are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Coliseum is at 535 Fourth Ave. N. Admission is $6 Friday (good for all days) or $4 Saturday and Sunday. (727) 822-3278.
'Go Dog, Go' comes to Ruth Eckerd Hall
Most parents of preschoolers can quote P.D. Eastman's classic Go Dog, Go:
Dogs at work. Work, dogs, work! Dogs at play. Play, dogs, play! Hello again. Hello. Do you like my hat? I do not like that hat. Good-by again. Good-by.
The book is adapted for the stage by the Omaha Theater Company for Young People for two performances Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Shows are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $8. (727) 791-7400.
The theater company also offers related study guide of Go Dog, Go activities for kids on its Web site, www.otcyp.org/newindex.htm.
And if the book or the play inspires pet ownership, the Humane Society of North Pinellas can take care of that, too. Representatives will have plenty of adoptable dogs and cats outside Ruth Eckerd Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The booth will be outside near the west entrance.
Country music's bad boy
Tim McGraw isn't just Mr. Faith Hill, he's a big ol' country star himself. Though McGraw, shown here at 2002's Academy of Country Music Awards, doesn't own the planet quite like Ms. Hill does, he has his own swarm of fans who relish his smooth tenor and hunky good looks. The guy has sold more than 20-million albums, which isn't shabby.
McGraw is a free spirit, too, with a keen wit and lively personality that often finds him in the headlines. Remember when McGraw and buddy Kenny Chesney were arrested for stealing that deputy's horse in Buffalo? (The boys were acquitted.)
McGraw is no stranger to controversy in his music, either. The early single Indian Outlaw got him static in Nashville. More recently his coming-of-age single Red Rag Top made country music stations skittish because of a line that refers to a young couple opting for an abortion.
Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. $39.75-$59.75. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.
-- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
High-jumping horses
A thousand horses and 400 riders will compete in the Tampa circuit of the annual $3-million Winter Equestrian Festival, opening today for three weeks at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.
The festival is a proving ground for the United States Equestrian Team in show jumping and dressage. It began in mid January in Wellington and ends there April 6 with the competition that names the horse, rider and rookie of the year.
In Tampa, visitors can watch the horses in training and warmup exercises before show time. Events include hunter classes, where horses are judged on style and grace in jumping and performance at the walk, trot and canter, and in equitation classes, where riders' style and technique are judged.
International grand prix show jumpers will race against the clock over courses with obstacles as wide and tall as minivans. Above, Kate Levy rides Lagretto 5 over an obstacle during the 2002 Grand Prix of Tampa.
The hunter-jumper and equitation classes are today though Sunday. Grand prix show jumping takes place Wednesday through March 23 and March 25 through 29. The competition includes the $25,000 Challenge Cup at 1 p.m. March 20, the $60,000 Grand Prix of Tampa at 2 p.m. March 23 and the $30,000 Ariat Challenge Cup at 1 p.m. March 26.
Festival hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the fairgrounds. Admission is $5 weekdays, $10 weekends for adults, $5 daily for seniors and students. Ages 13 and younger are free.
The festival's Tampa stint ends with one of the nation's most prestigious equestrian competitions, the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational at 7 p.m. March 29 at Raymond James Stadium. Advance tickets are $20, $30 and $60 for a family four-pack. For more information, call (813) 253-2782 or check www.stadiumjumping.com.
-- CHRISTINA K. COSDON, Times staff writer
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