St. Petersburg College Allstate Center offers Weekend College alternative

What a great program for our community! If you want to go to college but have to work at a full-time job, you have another choice – Weekend College. St. Petersburg Colege is now offering Weekend College at the Allstate Center. Frank Drouzas features the program in a great article in The Weekly Challenger. The program combines traditional classroom teaching with online classes. You can learn more about the program at the Weekend College page on the St. Petersburg College website.

Skyway Marina District leads successful bicycle tour of South St. Petersburg sights

Did you see the article in The Gabber about Skyway Marina District's recent Saturday bicycle ride exploring some of the natural wonders of South St. Petersburg? It is gratifying to see some 50 bike riders, including families with children, out enjoying our community. By all accounts it was a great success. Thank you to The Gabber for being on the scene to cover this worthwhile community event.

Fostering great relationships with your neighbors is the key to a happy community

The quintessential next-door neighbor: Wilson from Home Improvement.

This arrived in the mail the other day, courtesy of our friend Sue Barber of Keller Williams Realty. 

Whether you're just moving to a new neighborhood or have lived in one for years, the following tips will help build connections with your neighbors and encourage a friendly rapport:

1. Introduce Yourself: Being on a first-name basis with all of your immediate neighbors will establish a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

2. Go for Walks: Regularly walking around your neighborhood will increase your chances for meeting new neighbors and give you more opportunities to strike up conversations with ones you already know.

3. Give an Unexpected Gift: Giving your neighbors a gift, whether it's something as simple as home-baked cookies or a potted plant, can go a long way in showing that you care about establishing a friendship.

4. Organize an Event: Hosting a dinner party or barbecue provides an occasion for neighbors to meet, mingle and have fun!

5. Communicate: If you're planning on being out of town, throwing a party, or renovating your home, consider letting your neighbors know as a courtesy.

Former Duke Ellington bassist has a fascinating story to tell about his life

Left: John Lamb with his bass; Right: John Lamb and Lisa Casalino at The Palladium Theater.

 We read with fascination the recent blog post by Paul Wilborn, executive director of The Palladium Theater, about South St. Petersburg resident John Lamb, whom he calls Palladium’s favorite bass player. In his 82 years, John Lamb has made a name for himself in jazz circles nationwide. He’s a former Duke Ellington bassist, and has played with some of the greatest jazz artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Carmen McRae. Read the mesmerizing tale of this amazing man in PalladiumPaul’s Blog.

Join the community effort tonight at 7 to keep our children and young people safe

One look at Kenny Irby’s Twitter page and the message is clear: making our community safe for our youth starts on an individual basis. Mayor Rick Kriesman hired Kenny Irby in February to be the city’s community intervention director. His task is to create and coordinate solutions to keep children and young people from ending up dead or in jail.

Irby is coordinating the My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper initiative, which grew out of a federal program designed to connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into the middle class. Irby is a former faculty member at the Poynter Institute and pastor at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg.

Also under Irby’s direction is the mayor’s Not My Son initiative to keep community youth safe this summer. The goal of the grassroots community outreach campaign is to promote positive achievement and anti-crime awareness. Residents are encouraged to take the Not My Son pledge and to participate in the community canvass, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday, July 8 at the Childs Park Recreation Center.

Join Kenny Irby in this important community endeavor and join him on Twitter to stay connected.