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Big-league game
By LENNIE BENNETT © St. Petersburg Times, published December 30, 1998 "Actually, it's a three-foot balloon covered with a fabric map of the world, one of those Balzac balls," she said. The ball will be part of an installation Knaust is creating for First Night St. Petersburg '99, the alcohol-free New Year's Eve celebration spread over 24 downtown venues. Her installation is a series of games -- baseball, soccer, golf and bowling -- using oversized sports equipment she is creating. "Honey, I Shrunk the Populace is our theme. It's a spoof on sports; it's silliness artistically done," she said. Honey I Shrunk the Populace is one of about 60 activities and acts that are part of First Night St. Petersburg '99. The sixth-annual local celebration is among almost 200 presented each New Year's Eve throughout the United States and Canada. All are based on a family oriented arts festival format. Pat Mason, First Night St. Petersburg's executive director, said, "A lot of First Nights have to bring in artists and groups. We've been fortunate to have so much local talent, so the money we spend goes to local artists and fosters and promotes local arts groups." Knaust, one of the local artists who received a First Night grant to fund her project, said the inspiration for Honey I Shrunk the Populace came from her two children, 11 and 14, and from Sandy Eppling's giant croquet game at last year's First Night, which again will be set up near Knaust's games. "There's already a lot of stuff for younger children. I'm trying to reach the 10- to 14-year-old demographic," said Knaust. "Last year, there was nothing other than Sandy's croquet. I want to get them into the whole First Night concept." She and several volunteers worked at her studio earlier in the week molding chicken wire into a six-foot baseball bat, a seven-foot golf club and oversized bowling pins. The wire forms were then covered in papier-mache and painted glow-in-the-dark colors and stylized flowers, "like a '60s flashback," she said. Knaust plans to transform North Straub Park into a giant playground with these objects, and illuminate the area with black lights, so that participants can kick the Balzac ball into oversized soccer goals or play baseball with a day-glow pink bat, then run around florescent bases. "They'll be walking to and from the park, and along the way they'll be exposed to the music and the dance and the art," she said. "If you can get them involved and if they have fun, they'll want to look further, and they'll want to come back every year to First Night." If you goFirst Night St. Petersburg '99 is an alcohol-free family celebration of New Year's Eve from 7 p.m. to midnight, culminating in a fireworks display over the Vinoy Basin. Performing and visual artists will be located throughout the downtown area (see map and schedule). Buttons for admission are $8 for adults, $5 for children 6-12, free for children 5 and younger. Buttons may be purchased in advance at The Pier, Publix at Northeast Shopping Center (Fourth Street and 38th Avenue N), City Hall in Tyrone Square Mall, all Republic Bank branches, Bayfront Center box office and Barnes & Noble on Tyrone Boulevard. Buttons will be available on First Night at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at The Pier, the Plaza, Barnett Tower and First United Methodist Church. For information, call 823-8906.
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T. PETERSBURG -- Artist Valerie Scott Knaust waited on Monday for the world to be delivered to her Driftwood home.
