OLDSMAR â For several decades, many Pinellas County communities have hosted a monthly Friday night street festival, starting with St. Peteâs First Friday celebrations in the 1990s and continuing today with similar events in Safety Harbor (Third Friday) and Tarpon Springs (First Friday).Â
Now you can add Oldsmar to the list of municipalities blocking one Friday off the calendar each month as the Oldsmar City Council recently voted 5-0 in favor of waiving application fees for the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerceâs proposed Second Friday events, scheduled to take place on State Street from 6-10 p.m. on July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12, and Dec. 10.Â
PALM HARBOR â When the folks at FEAST Food Pantry in Palm Harbor learned the annual National Association of Letter Carriersâ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive would be postponed this year due to COVID-19, the news was devastating to hear.
âThe letter carriersâ food drive, where postal workers collect food from residents and distribute them to food banks nationwide, usually happens every May,â FEAST Executive Director Tamara Black explained. âThey decided to postpone it this year due to COVID and the problem is the drive typically nets us enough food to sustain us through the summer. So, we had no idea what we could do to make up for that loss.â
OLDSMAR â When Vincent Jackson appeared in the Oldsmar City Council Chambers building in August 2019, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star literally stood out in the crowd.
The 6-foot, 5-inch wide receiver, who played 12 seasons in the NFL, including five with the Bucs, struck an imposing figure, impeccably dressed and bowing to reach the microphone as a member of a group presenting a proposal for a development as part of the Oldsmar Town Center project.
The three-time Pro Bowler had already developed friendships with some council members, and while Jacksonâs group wasnât selected, he definitely made a lasting impression during his presentation.
OLDSMAR â For more than two years the BMX Supercross track at the Oldsmar Sports Complex has stood vacant, a towering reminder that even the best-laid plans can go off track.
Lingering structural defects with the packed-earth track forced officials to decide whether to abandon the $2.3 million facility or rebuild it.
The Oldsmar City Council agreed last month it was more important to keep the track, unanimously approving a design-build agreement with Tarpon Springs-based J. Kokolakis Contracting for as much as nearly $3 million, news that was music to the ears of the dozens of members of the local BMX community in attendance.