Oh No!!!!!!
The Ybor Chamber of Commerce wants to get rid of the floats for Guavaween.
The horror! It’s the end of the world!!!:
“We hate it,” Amanda Coots, manager of Gaspar’s Grotto, said of the ban on motorized floats. “The main reason that we’re upset is because of tradition. That’s how it’s always been. We’ve always had floats.”
Hey Amanda, I don’t know how long you have been here, but we haven’t even always had Guavaween, much less some sort of mandate for floats. Let’s take a history lesson, shall we?
Back in the beginning of time (circa 1979), nobody visited Ybor City. Without any specific goal in mind, a bunch of artists & writers made the place pretty damn cool. There were a couple of bars where you could find live music, some bookstores, and art galleries.
As a jab at the social elite that uses Gasparilla to turn Tampa into their personal theme park, these artists & writers began throwing Halloween masquerade parties, where creativity – yes, CREATIVITY was rewarded. Attendees and participants would marvel at the interesting and topical themed costumes, and they started handing out prizes for the best (read: creative) costumes. The Miami Herald wrote about the parade in 1985:
As part of Tampa’s Oct. 26 Halloween celebration, called Guavaween, the Mama Guava Stumble will poke fun at the established Gasparilla Parade in Tampa… The Stumble will feature the Cuban Bread Marching Drill Team, the Precision Shopping Cart Brigade…
And now, the Gasparilla establishment (krewes) believe that Guavaween is all about them too:
“The float is an integral part of the parade,” said Jeff Patterson, Rough Riders executive board member who also is News Channel 8 reporter. “Because it’s such a key part, we will not be participating this year.”
The Rough Riders are not the only ones who are too good for a party for the people. Kate Daley from the Krewe of Santa Margarita says floats are “a critical part of the infrastructure” for a krewe. Hell, one former Baron of the Krewe of Sant’ Yago believes he is now BARON OF ALL THE KREWES:
“All the krewes are backing out of Guavaween because of the float situation and are going down to Fantasy Fest in Key West,” said Randy Conte, past baron of the Krewe of Sant’Yago.
I gotta say, Randy, you certainly think highly of yourself. Fantasy Fest was not asked to comment, but I can imagine they don’t give a flying fantasy fest if krewes from Tampa show up or not, as long as they pay the entry fee.
By the way, this year’s theme at Fantasy Fest is Villains, Vixens, and Vampires. Not sure how well Caballero costumes, and Cavalry Regiment garb will fit that theme. But I’m sure you will get drunk and have a great time, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?
Guavaween began as a rip on Gasparilla, and it turned into another place & time for boring krewes to yet again dress up as pirates. Turns out that banning motorized floats from the Mama Guava Stumble may be an effective way to get rid of the boring.
Now it’s back to work on that costume of a crying pirate looking for his missing float… Perhaps a return of “Ye Missing Krewe of Bamboleo.”
