S2 Ep2243: HISTORICALLY ST. PETE Rui Farias Previews Events: Vintage St. Pete Bill DeYoung 7/20 & more

Welcome to Historically St Pete, a weekly conversation where we explore thetruths, and sometimes the myths of the people and events that created theSunshine City. Thanks for joining us today, my name is Rui Farias, and I have the best job in town – the Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History.The Museum of History has been sharing the stories of the Sunshine City for104 years and we are happy to share those stories with you here on Radio St.Pete. The Museum of History is more than just a building filled of thought-provoking, educational and entertaining exhibits – or the repository of thecity’s archives. We also bring history to life by producing and presentingseveral events in and out of the Museum!MONDAY 7/20 For instance, this evening at 6pm, journalist and author Bill DeYoung will be introducing the fourth series of his Vintage St. Pete book series. Bill will sharestories of iconic places of St. Pete’s past, like the: Bayfront Center Arena (hockey, circus, Rowdies, concerts, grads) St. Petersburg Alligator Farm (6 th Street south – shoe maker) Fountain of Youth (Tomlinson) Evening Independent (afternoon paper / sunshine offer)Doors are at 6pm with the program starting at 6:30p. Books are for sale andBill will be signing them after!SATURDAY JULY 25 First, at 10am the Museum’s newest trolley tour: the historic Prohibition TourWe’ll be departing from the St. Petersburg Distillery and exploring south andwest St. Pete – including the Jungle Prada area – long rumored to be a hotbedof illegal booze and gambling activity during the Roaring 20s! The tour returns to the St. Pete Distillery where we’ll tour the new Great Gatsby era Speakeasy and sample one of their delicious cocktails!Saturday night we’ll kick off a new event at the Museum of History: Punchlineon The Pier. It’s a comedy night of headlining comedians who will tie in localhistory, and even some Florida Man tales, into their acts.  If there is any type of history that was made for a night of comedy, it’s definitely Florida history. Doors are at 6pm and the fun begins at 7p.ELVIS is in the house! And finally, we’re bringing some musical history to the Museum as well.  On August 7, 1956, a young man from Tupelo, Mississippi performed threesold-out shows at the then Florida Theatre located on 5 th Street, betweenCentral and First Avenue South – across the street from the now FloridaHolocaust Museum. This beautiful 2,500-seat theatre was designed to replicate a Spanish courtyard, much like the Tampa Theatre, but much larger. Elvis Presley thrilled the crowds – especially the teenage girls.On this coming August 7, 70 years after his first St. Pete performance, we’ll becelebrating the event with Award-winning journalist and author Bob Kealing.He will present the riveting story of Elvis Presley’s rise to fame in Florida –including that fateful 1956 performance at the Florida Theatre in downtownSt. Pete. Kealing will discuss his book, Elvis Ignited! which provides a roadmap to Elvis’s time in the Sunshine State. #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory #ruifarias #events #historicalcomedy #SPMOH #downtown St. Pete #radiostpete #historicalmuseum