Go gourmet at Palm Harbor fest

By KELLY STEFANI

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000

Unusual crafts, soothing music, home-grown spices and international cooking highlight the Downtown Palm Harbor Craft Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Florida Avenue in historic downtown Palm Harbor.

Sample gourmet dishes while you check out the handcrafted pottery, sculptures, jewelry, paintings, floral arrangements and ceramics of nearly 75 crafters from throughout the United States.

Besides crafts, about 15 gourmet food and spice exhibitors will show and sell out-of-the-ordinary plants, spices, side dishes and complete meals.

Enjoy live entertainment by keyboardist Kayte Wolf, steel drummer Doug Walker, harpist Shirley Dominguez and guitarist Pat Surface. Dominguez also will sell harps and recordings of her music.

Admission is free. Call (813) 962-0388.

Big Apple party

This week's adventure takes us to the Big Apple, courtesy of the G-Force street dancers, the Crash Bang Boom! percussion show, the wacky tourist, pizza-tossing guy, a subway saxophone player, three-card monte and a temporary-tattoo artist. Also featured is the Living Statue of Liberty

Street parties with different themes continue from noon to 4 p.m. each Saturday through July 29.

Admission is free. Call (813) 226-2772.

Skate to stay cool

Escape the heat at an indoor ice skating rink from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today, noon to 3:45 p.m. and 6:15 to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy at Pinellas ParkSide mall, 7200 U.S. 19 N, Pinellas Park.

Children and adults can whirl, slide, skate and fall for an entire day of cool fun through Aug. 22.

Admission: $5.50 for adults; $4.50 children 5 and younger; $4 for groups of 10 or more; skate rental is $1-$2 more. Call (727) 527-2276.

July Christmas show

Ho-ho-ho! There won't be any snow, but you will find Santa Claus at the ninth annual Christmas in July Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Lakeland Center, 700 W Lemon St., Lakeland.

More than 175 vendors from throughout the country will show and sell craft items and food in the air-conditioned venue.

Items include clothing, baby items, furniture, country, Victorian and folk art, stained-glass works, candles and nautical items.

There also will be fudge and gourmet soups, dips and dishes to sample or purchase.

Santa will be available for visits and pictures with kids both days. Free hourly door prize drawings.

Admission is $4, free for children younger than 12. One paid admission is good for entrance both days. Parking is free. Strollers welcome. Call (407) 860-0092.

Explore nature's wonders

Some of Florida's natural wonders await your exploration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Sunken Gardens, 1825 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg.

Take a guided tour of the gardens for an overview of numerous varieties of plants and wildlife common to this area. Tours depart from the entrance at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

If you'd rather get more detail on fewer subjects, join in on one, or all, of three available nature discussions.

Katrina Cratsenburg, Sunken Gardens program specialist, will introduce to you to exotic birds from the tropics at 11:30 a.m. in the Oak Pavilion of the Gardens.

Donna Heinrich, park ranger, will discuss reptiles from around the world and how snakes, lizards and turtles have adapted to survive in local environments at 1 p.m. in the Oak Pavilion.

Come face to face with a possum, an evening bat, a red-shouldered hawk, a barn owl, a kestrel and crows. Penny Boehme, licensed Florida wildlife rehabilitator, will introduce you to the urban wildlife common to St. Petersburg at 2:30 p.m. in the Oak Pavilion.

Discussions, tours and presentations are free with paid admission to the gardens. General admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $1 children ages 3-11, free for children 2 and younger. Parking is free. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Call (727) 551-3100.