Finally re-opened
Everything was set for the grand re-opening of the newly renovated Baxter’s Lounge the last weekend of February—except that construction wasn’t quite finished. These things happen, and fortunately dates for celebrations can be changed. So the new date to celebrate the re-grand opening of Baxter’s Lounge was shifted to March 5, and it was a success. The newly renovated and historic club is now owned by Kurt King, who also owns the area’s two Hamburger Mary’s restaurants. The club on Dale Mabry has been part of Tampa’s LGBT community for more than three decades, and on the grand opening night, 100% of the proceeds benefited the upcoming Tampa Pride.
Big time wedding
On Feb. 18, Ybor City was turned into a wedding reception when Chou Chou Guilder and Tiffany Erica tied the knot in properties owned by Radiant Oil Company. Each woman had 12 attendees and each bride wore a matching Vera Wang wedding dress. After the vows, the party moved into The Honey Pot for a massive reception. The location made sense, since Guilder has tended bar at the popular club for nearly eight years. The couple say more than 600 people were invited to the celebration and at least 400 made it to the actual party.
Top local chef features LGBTs
Top Local Chef 2015 is coming to Gulfport, and this year there are few very familiar names to LGBTs: Maggie Loflin of Maggie on the Move Food Truck and Rene Valenzuela of Taco Bus are both in the top six! The two will face off against the other finalists at a star-studded event at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom on April 26. The contest begins at 5 p.m. and each finalist will have to create a dish using a brand new sauce called “Must Thai,” an all natural Thai blended mustard sauce. Tickets for the event—and VIP access—are available through TopLocalChef.com. Judges include local food experts and journalists from throughout Tampa Bay.
Countdown to Polk Pride
Pride in Polk County doesn’t officially arrive until June 20, but there’s so much excitement about this year’s celebration that a countdown is already in the works. On March 21, from 6-10 p.m., Countdown to Polk Pride will hold a fundraiser at Hurricane Alley. The celebration is in partnership with PFLAG of Polk County and the Lakeland Youth Alliance and the $10 cover goes directly to the organizing costs of Polk Pride. For details on the Countdown to Pride celebration and the June event, visit PolkPrideFL.com.
