Saturday's Roll, Rock & Remember party at the Coliseum gave participants the opportunity to mingle on the oak dance floor and to raise money for Help A Child, an organization that is dedicated to abuse prevention and support services for families in Pinellas County.
The Coliseum offers some food and beverage service but also allows patrons to bring their own. Lots of people carried and wheeled coolers into the building, and they brought an astounding array of food, including popcorn, takeout pizza, pigs in a blanket and layered Tex-Mex dip.
Those calories are fuel for dancing, and some guests dressed in the spirit of the evening. State Rep. Leslie Waters sported a bomber jacket. There were ponytails, back-combed hair, circle skirts, Hawaiian-type shirts with vintage car motifs, pedal pushers and chiffon neckerchiefs.
Patsy Buker, executive director of Help A Child, brought friends from her Jazzercise class.
The inspiration for the event, she said, came from Maurice Brazil, a nurse practitioner at the agency who plays bass with the Barracudas. The band, sharply dressed in dark blue suits and blue ties, played tiptop renditions of rock 'n' roll classics that made it nearly impossible to sit still.
Alizza Punzalan introduced her parents, Gin and Roger Punzalan, who are visiting from Knoxville, Tenn., and her fiance, David Hall; they were seated with sponsor Stewart and Laurie MacDonald and Greg and Marcy Williams. Also in the crowd were Donna and Jay Leavengood and Dick Perrier.
The 1957 Ford Thunderbird parked outside the Coliseum belonged to Tom Gerhart, whose wife, Sue, gave it to him in observance of a special birthday. A vintage auto buff whispered that Ford's names for that particular model's paint colors are Torch Red and Snowshoe White. Who comes up with those names, anyway?
Additional sponsors were Waters Risk Management, Graham-Garnett-Branson Retirement Group and Wallace Welch & Willingham.
St. Petersburg debutantes got together for one more party Saturday morning, a poolside picnic at the Sanseair in St. Pete Beach that honored the young women and their mothers.
The pool and patio area overlook the gulf, and the tall condominium blocked the morning sun, enabling guests to enjoy the shade. Gentle breezes lapped at the brightly colored tablecloths, which were anchored by beach buckets filled with sand and toys.
Among those attending were Lynn Coppins, Kristen DeGroot, Marla DeVicente, Emily Earle, Allison Hardin, Marieka Jackson, Katharine Katzenberger, Anne Michelle Reilly, Lauren Scott and Brittany Shook.
Many of the young women who will be presented in December are already out of town, and others are making preparations for college.
Cynthia Lake and daughter Katharine Katzenberger will head soon to Chicago, where Katharine will enter Moody Bible Institute. Their strategy is to take a few basics and shop for larger items in the Windy City.
Sharon Jackson looks forward to visiting daughter Marieka in New York; she'll be at the Ailey School, the official school of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and Ailey II, the junior company.
Hostesses were Bonnie Braun, Mary Jane Cartier, Joanne Fleece, Carol Holland, Judy Holland and Karen Whitaker.
The Suncoasters of St. Petersburg, who produce the annual Festival of States celebration, are accepting applications from young women who are interested in becoming the city's next Sungoddess. The deadline is Nov. 1.
Candidates for the Sungoddess Court must be at least 19 years of age and not yet 22 by Dec. 15. Their principal residence must be in Pinellas County, south of Ulmerton Road. Those who attend college must have completed their freshman year.
Finalists will participate in Festival of States activities next spring. The 2004 Sungoddess will be named at the Coronation Pageant and Ball on April 2.
Rachel McNulty, who attends the University of Florida, is the 2003 holder of the title.
Applications are available through the Festival of States office, 663 Sixth Ave. S, St. Petersburg; or send requests by e-mail to festivalofstates@ij.net
- Mary Jane Park can be reached at 727 893-8267; fax (727) 893-8675; e-mail park@sptimes.com P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.
