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A grandmother wrote the other day to suggest there was something wrong about the Florida Aquarium's Halloween-themed event, Nauti Night.
"If you really wanted us to bring people that were really interested in the aquarium, or the waterfront, it would not be listed as a place to do naughty things," the reader lamented in the e-mail. "So shame on you!"
I would suggest she's overreacting, but maybe the folks at the aquarium are responding to such complaints. Yes, they still will have the adults-only Nauti Night event on Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight. Remaining tickets are $70 and the fun will be aimed at a mature audience.
By the way, Nauti is officially short for "nautical."
Still, there will be a more age-appropriate event for kids. Guppyween will be held on Sunday with 20 trick-or-treat stations, free admission for those in costumes and an appearance by Sponge Bob. Doors open for Guppyween at 5:30 p.m. and the event ends at 7:30.
Masquerading partiers from the aquarium won't have to go far if they want to catch another party on Friday.
The 13 Ugly Men are ramping up again with their seventh annual Freakshow Ball. This time, it will be at Club Underground on Whiting Street, which is north of the St. Pete Times Forum and just a hop, skip and jump from the aquarium.
Admission is $20 - proceeds go to the Children's Home - and the group is hoping to draw 3,000 people.
Last year, 1,900 came out to the Men's Halloween bash at the Rusty Pelican. Jonathan Wax, media relations chair for the nonprofit organization, said the venue was bursting at the seams last year, but he promises plenty of space this time around at Club Underground, formerly the Acropolis.
Viva La Frida, the trendy cafe and art gallery at 5901 N Florida Ave., is using Saturday, Sunday and Monday to commemorate Festival Dias de los Muertos (the Days of the Dead).
Although it sounds sad, it's actually a celebration of life. Those who have passed on are invited to join the living and warm their bones by the fireplace. The cafe promises exotic foods, audio and visual treats and mambo dancing. Call (813) 231-9199 for more information.
Election Day, Tuesday, is officially the last day for celebrating Dias de los Muertos. In the Catholic Church, it's known as All Souls Day. This coincidence is a mystery to me, but if the names of dead people end up on voter registration lists, maybe it's not fraud.
Maybe some lonely souls will have truly rolled over in their graves because of the divided state of our country.
Politically speaking, I remain impressed with environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The speech he gave Tuesday night at the Tampa Theatre detailing his stern objections to President Bush's environmental policies was even better than all I've read about his new book, Crimes Against Nature.
But another point he made resonated with me. In thanking actor Meg Ryan, who introduced him to a capacity crowd, he noted it took courage for Ryan to spend a good share of her star capital to promote a cause.
A far safer investment of her Q rating could involve voicing over commercials or selling perfume on a shopping channel, but instead she jumped into this fractious national debate. In fact, she even seemed a little nervous and conceded people were probably wondering, "Why am I here?"
In recent weeks, Tampa Bay has had no shortage of celebrities (Ted Danson, Leonardo DiCaprio, the Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, Kirsten Dunst, Alfre Woodard, James McDaniel) stumping for John Kerry, and it's likely these stars become instant targets of conservative talk show hosts.
But whether you agree with them or not, you have to respect their willingness to take a stand. Save for Arnold Schwarzenegger, it's rare for the value of fame to increase when you mix in politics.
That's all I'm saying.
- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com