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Gasparilla

Yo, ho, ho and a battle of rhyme! So many responded, it's almost a crime.

We picked a few champs, Laughed till we had cramps. Now we'll print all the best in the Times!

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published January 26, 2007

We hoped for a good response from readers for our first annual Gasparilla Limerick Extravaganza, but the torrent of entries far exceeded our expectations.

We received about 100 e-mails, some of which included multiple limericks. Without further ado, let's get to the winners.

Mary Friend of Seminole wins the 2006 competition for this crisp, witty entry, which combines a catchy meter with creative near-rhymes:

Our annual fete, Gasparilla

Offers pirates on floats that will thrill ya!

But don't lift your shirt -

All it takes is a flirt

And they'll toss out the beads that will frill ya

Congratulations, Mary, and we look forward to presenting you the very first Gasparilla Limerick Extravaganza Way Too Awesome Championship Trophy just as soon as we sleep off Saturday's festivities.

Earning the runner-up nod is reader H.S. Robertson, for this nice use of metaphor and closing line:

There was a young pirate named Jake,

Who considered himself quite a rake.

Girls show him their prizes

In all shapes and sizes,

Provided, of course, they're not fake.

Judges awarded Lucy Fuchs third place for her tight, smart entry:

In Tampa - now please do not sneer -

We celebrate an old buccaneer.

He wasn't a saint.

A hero he ain't.

But he gives us the fun of the year.

And for fourth, Jim Decker gets the nod, winning us over with an entry colorful enough for us to buy his mutating "tequila" into a more Gasparilla-rhyming word:

"Viva Gaspar!" chants the whole flotilla

Thousands celebrate La Gasparilla.

Shiny coins and beads fly

Yet you still hear the cry

"Barkeep, one more shot of tequilla!"

We'll get them hooked up with some consolation prizes as soon as we find out what our Marketing Department has in stock.

We also had more authors than expected from the grade-school set. They included several submissions from third-grade pupils at Mitchell Elementary in South Tampa, and three from 10-year-old Anne Scott Livingston.

All of the submissions from young authors deserve kudos for correctly following limerick structure and having good meter, while also being fun.

The competition was tight, but the winner of our Gasparilla Limerick Extravagana Super-Duper-Extra-Special Youth Award is none other than 10-year-old Kate Fueyo.

Kate tells us she lives only two blocks from Bayshore Boulevard and has been attending Gasparilla since she was 18 months old. She wins some Mystery Marketing Merchandise for her limerick:

Gasparilla is a time for bead grenades,

for Yo-hoing and pirate raids,

Amusing young and old alike,

From the oldest grandpa to the littlest tyke,

But it can't last forever: soon it all fades

We also enjoyed Anne's submissions. Here's one:

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Look, here the pirates come!

Shoot the cannons, blast the gun

All we want is a little fun!

I love your beads, can I have some?

And the Mitchell Elementary entries, submitted by Mary Reed, all were great - thanks, Audrey Cooper, Abbey Crowder, Janna McCabe and Danielle Minall. We liked the creative wordplay and use of near-rhyme in Janna's entry:

There once was a pirate named Jan.

She wanted to play in a band.

So on Gasparilla

She waited untilla

friend helped her and gave her a hand.

Several other limericks deserve mention.

Lionel Lowry IV submitted several interesting entries, including this one, named Beads:

Manhattan was purchased with beads,

As Rosaries they help with contrition needs,

As abaci,

They multiply.

In Tampa they're wampum for misdeeds.

By Luann Gould:

Gunfire and Arrrrghs filled the air

Then pirates with a wild one-eyed stare

"I've some beads for a kiss!

Now where's a young miss?"

Twas the krewe of the mighty Gaspar!

By Keith Silas:

Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla

That stuff they drink ain't sasparilla

If you wore what they wore

and stumbled down Bayshore

the lockup would be your new villa

By Joan King:

Beadseekers try their best

To outdo all the rest

Most beads are snared

By those who've bared

Big smiles or treasured chest

By Melissa Miller-Boudreau:

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!

Too much liquor can make you dumb.

Hangover from Gasparilla is what I fear.

Next time, I'll stick to beer.

Drunker than most, more sober than some.

By Karen Lee:

I've waited all day in the sun,

Now the pirate parade has begun.

But leave it to me,

I drank too much tea,

And the Porta Potties aren't any fun.

By Stan Good:

A Young Maiden from Tampa's Southwest

Desired some Free Beads for Her Chest

She Maintained Her Composure

Through a 10-Second Exposure

Then the Camera Crews Covered The Rest!

And, finally, from us:

Thanks for sending your limericks in

If we could, we'd have everyone win

Now if you want more fun

Just flip back to Page One

And give our crossword a spin!

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431.

[Last modified January 25, 2007, 12:22:10]