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Beach residents asked to sound off on songs they like and loathe
By AMY WIMMER
© St. Petersburg Times, TREASURE ISLAND -- Got a tune in your head or one you'd like to keep out of it? Treasure Island is taking requests. The new clock tower carillons, the centerpiece of the city's 107th Avenue upgrades, will be finished in time for ribbon-cutting ceremonies in October. Between now and then, the city is soliciting song ideas to be programmed into the carillons. Residents who don't speak up now might end up listening to selections from the manufacturers' suggested list, which includes The Man on the Flying Trapeze and Daisy Bell, that song about a man who wants to marry Daisy and seat her on a bicycle built for two. Residents might also feel compelled to submit song titles they'd like to see the city avoid, namely catchy jingles with nagging staying power. Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer, do! City Manager Chuck Coward admits he prefers the Beatles. "I'm pulling for that," he said. The City Commission charged Mayor Leon Atkinson, who lobbied for the carillons, with choosing the music. Atkinson said he wants to make tune-picking a community effort. "We can develop our own library there based on what people want," Atkinson said. "The whole point behind this is I don't think any one person should make the choice." I'm half crazy, all for the love of you! The possibilities are endless. Beyond the 100 or so songs the Verdin Co., which manufactures the bells, presented to Treasure Island, the city also can pay for custom-designed songs to be programmed into the city's bells. The music doesn't come from the realistic-looking bells that will swing with the music in Treasure Island's clock tower, but from microchips. Atkinson said his review of some tape-recorded Verdin bells sounded authentic, not electronic. Soon folks in Treasure Island will find out for themselves. The carillons will ring for the first time Oct. 20. Atkinson is also soliciting suggestions for the first song played on downtown's new centerpiece, although he is leaning toward America the Beautiful. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. Along with asking residents to pick their favorite songs, Atkinson is looking for guidance on how often the carillons should play and how long the performances should be. The mayor has his own ideas about how the city should use the carillons, but he's open to suggestions. "I don't think they should play every blessed day," Atkinson said. "I don't want them to become old hat. I want them to be special, where they can say, 'Hey, it's Tuesday. Let's go listen to it.' " The songs themselves likely will be the main source of debate. When commissioners played a taped sample of Amazing Grace at a recent commission meeting, they heard from residents who insisted that the city carillons not be used for religious hymns. The list of available tunes includes songs for sunny days (Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows), rainy days (Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head) and cloudy days (The Little White Cloud That Cried). And, of course, there's Daisy Bell. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
