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TARPON SPRINGS - Tampa Bay area hedonists should take note: This weekend, many of their sensual needs can be met at the seventh annual Tarpon Springs Gavel and Grapes auction and wine tasting.
Attendees of the bacchanalian blowout will be able to drink, eat, listen to music, spend money and, for the first time in the history of the event, admire the work of local artists.
As for the drinking, wines from Italy, France, Spain, Chile, Australia and the United States will be available for tasting. Tents will be erected, one for each of the six countries represented, each offering four different wines from that region.
Though wines will not be available for purchase, tasters will be given a program on which they may note their favorites. You know. In case they can't remember them later.
Though the number of wines is limited, the tasting isn't, according to event chairwoman Cindy Comstock, who laments that she will be too laden with responsibilities during the festival to partake.
"Tasters get 3 to 4 ounces at a time," she said. "But for their $20, they can taste all night."
More of a beer drinker? Dunedin Brewery will have two beer trucks on hand drawing cold home brews for the taking. They will offer their Red Head red ale, an amber beer; Piper's Pale, a more bitter, hoppy beer; and Lowland Wheat, the lightest of the three.
After an afternoon of sampling wines and beers to heart's content, food is a good idea. Vendors will work the street, offering barbecue sandwiches, burgers, hoagies and cheese steak sandwiches, in addition to the restaurant fare available on Tarpon Avenue.
There will be two auctions: a silent auction beginning at 4 p.m. and a live auction at 8 p.m. The silent auction will consist of sports memorabilia such as autographs, baseball cards and signed pictures.
But Comstock assures that the live auction is where the fun will be.
"Everybody just gets into it," she said of the auction, which will be conducted by a professional auctioneer from Blake Kennedy and Associates. "We bring out chairs, but nobody sits in them. You look around and everyone's standing and laughing and having a good time."
Comstock listed some of the items up for auction, including a motor scooter, various antiques, vacation packages and restaurant gift certificates.
The radio station Oldies 106.3 FM will be on location from 4 until 7 p.m., along with two local acts, Robert Sullivan and Red Hawk. Sullivan will be playing classic rock, jazz and pop standards on his acoustic guitar from 4 until 10 p.m., and Red Hawk will play '70s and '80s classic rock from 7 to 10 p.m.
The shops on Tarpon Avenue will be open and historic trolley rides will be offered, along with a sneak peek at the newly renovated historic train station.
But according to Laurie Sullivan, owner of the Sullivan Gallery on Safford Street, there is a little-known part of Tarpon Springs that will be open for exploration and provide a venue for local artists to display their work.
"People don't know there's another street besides Tarpon Avenue in Tarpon Springs," she said. "I hope this art walk will open up Safford and give our artists some exposure."
The art walk will feature artists in several media, but also will exhibit artists at work as well as workshops earlier in the day, one a class that uses food as a medium and another that gives instruction on tie-dying silk scarves.
Comstock believes the event, which is sponsored in part by the St. Petersburg Times, Bright House Networks and Oldies 106.3 FM, is a good way to promote community and local business.
"It's summertime, and a chance to blow off some steam," Comstock said. "It's the bringing together of a community. It's a lot of fun. And we're getting two mist machines, so the heat is no excuse."
If you goWHAT: Tarpon Springs Gavel and Grapes auction and wine tasting.
WHEN & WHERE: Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m., along Tarpon Avenue between Alternate 19 and Ring Avenue.
ADMISSION: Tickets cost $20 at the gate. Proceeds benefit Helen Ellis Hospital, Tarpon Springs Historical Society and Tarpon Springs Business Alliance programs.