TAMPA - Pirate Jose Gaspar never existed. But the event named after this romantic legend has been more than a whimsical date on the city's calendar since 1904's May Day.
Gasparilla has spawned krewes.
Viable social clubs, krewes make it respectable for people to make public spectacles of themselves. They'll do just that beginning Friday, participating in parades, street festivals and other events highlighted by the Southwest Airlines Gasparilla Pirate Fest.
While krewes permeate every aspect of the frolicking event, more than a drunken blast is transpiring. The groups, composed of prominent people, spell P-O-W-E-R.
In general, all krewes have influential rosters. Under the krewe guise, costumed lawyers, doctors, chief executives, government officials and other normally staid individuals get together for mega- drinking and rowdiness.
Krewes represent an elaborate class system that, in any other city besides the consummate merrymaking New Orleans, would seem as antiquated as dancing around a maypole.
Today, these partying nonprofits are rapidly increasing in number and taking progressive baby steps, better reflecting a growing Tampa Bay area. Yet the bottom line remains: As silly as the pirate- costumed frolickers may seem to the average Joe - especially to the region's newcomers or Gasparilla newbies - krewes remain forever linked to power.
Here's a look at why.
What are the origins of Gasparilla's krewes?
Gasparilla has its roots in May Day, which used to be an annual city festival.
But May Day had become a snooze. Turn-of-the-century Tampa was ripe for something more. So when Mary Louise Dodge, a Tampa Morning Tribune society editor, got wind of the Gaspar legend (at the time, this glamorous fictional hero was being used to sell property in the Charlotte Harbor area), she knew a pirate fest was what Tampa needed.
While the impetus behind Gasparilla was a woman, prominent men in town soon huddled in secrecy to plan 1904's inaugural event.
``Wives and girlfriends knew some mischief was afoot but the men would divulge nothing,'' writes historian Nancy Turner in the book ``The History of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla 1904-1979.''
Gasparilla, a very dramatic pirates-on-horseback escapade, replaced the May Day festival entirely after its first year.
Are Tampa's krewes related to those in New Orleans?
New Orleans, where Mardi Gras celebrates its 300th birthday this year, inspired Gasparilla. One of the people feeding Dodge with new ideas was federal service worker George W. Hardee, a native of New Orleans.
With its dozens of krewes large and small (including sub- krewes), the Crescent City has always tied Mardi Gras to the Catholic Church's calendar of 47 days preceding Easter. This year's event runs Feb. 5-16 involves 57 krewes in about 60 parades. (Li'l Rascals, a children's krewe, marches Sunday.)
Compared with Tampa's krewes, which seriously began diversifying their ranks this decade, New Orleans' have included females and blacks since the late 1800s, making for a colorful celebration throughout this century.
Tampa Bay area krewes such as Krewe of Venus used to buy costumes, beads, floats and other Gasparilla must-haves in New Orleans. But that business now has shifted to local merchants.
How many krewes exist today?
Tampa has 24 krewes representing 3,000 members, says Jim Carver, president of the Inter- Krewe Council. The '90s have seen the greatest growth spurt, with 12 krewes forming so far this decade.
What remains so special about Ye Mystic Krewe?
Ye Mystic Krewe, which coordinates and sponsors Saturday's Gasparilla invasion and parade, is the granddaddy of them all. Founded in 1904, it remains an all- male bastion of influential businessmen and politicos.
Its exclusivity prompted a black community activist to label Gasparilla a ``rich boys' play day'' in 1988. Those words prophesied an ugly, nationally embarrassing episode in 1991, when the celebration was literally blown out of the water because of the krewe's discriminating ways.
Honchos from Super Bowl XXV, held in Tampa that year, and a coalition of black activists protested the then-segregated krewe. Rather than open its ranks for the sake of gaining a huge football audience, Ye Mystic Krewe bailed out. The city-sponsored Bamboleo festival served as a substitute, drawing a disappointing crowd on a rainy day.
In May 1991, four blacks joined the ranks of Ye Mystic Krewe. In 1999, the number of blacks remains at four, says Robert Monroe, one of the original black members.
Monroe, a retired Seagram Co. executive who lives in Avila, says two of the initial recruits have moved away - Renaul Abel, a plant manager at Anheuser-Busch, and Kirk Woodson, an obstetrician. The other remaining black from 1991 is Fred Reddy, a retired surgeon who is executive vice president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association.
Ye Mystic Krewe members have included New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, crowned king in 1996, and the late Hugh Culverhouse, former owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The roster through the ages also shares influential names with those of many city streets - Ashley, Lykes, Gunby, Swann, Frankland, Lowry, Clewis, Taliaferro and Culbreath. This fraternity for grown-ups remains synonymous with the Tampa Bay area's diverse collection of movers and shakers, including Tampa Mayor Dick Greco.
What does it cost to be in Ye Mystic Krewe?
At 760 members strong, Ye Mystic Krewe remains the biggest and costliest krewe. Membership is divided into three categories - regular, special associate and bachelor.
``Regular,'' limited to about half the membership, costs the most. Ten years ago, pirates had to shell out about $3,700 in initiation fees, plus about $800 in annual dues. Now, initiation is estimated to cost about $5,000 (the krewe declines to provide exact figures); dues are about $1,000.
Ten years ago, the cost of sponsoring the Gasparilla parade was more than $500,000 for Ye Mystic Krewe - $319,000 for the event and another $253,000 for salaries and insurance.
But the festival of today has contributing sponsors. This year's main benefactors are Southwest Airlines, the city of Tampa, Coca- Cola, The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, Channel 8.
The pirates themselves pay for the rounds of ammunition they fire (all blanks) and mounds of beads they throw along the parade route. Other member expenses include costumes, tuxedos and other costs associated with social events such as debutante and captain's balls.
What do members of other krewes pay?
None has steep membership costs like Ye Mystic Krewe's. But still, everyone pays to party.
Ye Mystic Krewe of Neptune is charging members $35 each for its private Gasparilla Party '99. This includes drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Casino Night, sponsored by the Knights of Sant' Yago, is $75 per couple for ``heavy tapas.''
Do krewes blackball prospective members?
Even in krewes that list themselves as ``open,'' meaning they will take new members, applicants may be rejected. Established members usually OK or vote on others to join in the good time.
As for membership limitations, some krewes, such as Bonney- Read (all female), say they are closed because they don't want any more members. Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O'Malley plans to say ``no more'' when its roster reaches 250. It's now at 175.
Krewe of Agustina de Aragon admits members' mothers, daughters and sisters each year. If relatives of established krewe members don't fill the 25 spots annually open, a lottery is held.
What does it take to start a krewe?
Almost anyone can form a krewe to match his or her interests. The Knights of Sant' Yago, founded in 1972, represents the Latin community. Venus was established in 1965 by Lucille Cochran (who died in 1997) so families could be included in krewe activities.
Each krewe has its own set of rules, especially when it comes to who can join and, in some cases, where members must live. Once limited to south Tampa bigwigs, the krewe domain has expanded to include members from Bradenton, the Gulf beaches, Ybor City - all part of the growing Tampa Bay area.
To be a krewe member, time and money are required.
Yvonne Painton, 41, formed Krewe of Pair O' Dice in 1995. She consulted with Chuck Smith, executive officer of Ye Mystic Krewe, then asked the Seminole Indian Casino for sponsorship.
The Florida tribe agreed to give her gambling-themed krewe $15,000 a year in exchange for its name being splashed across the Gasparilla parade float.
Since then, Pair O' Dice has built its own float for $35,000, a double-decker riverboat complete with bathroom. Also, members have had to purchase $1 million liability insurance.
Can anyone be in the Gasparilla Day parade?
Ye Mystic Krewe, which sponsors the parade, also determines who marches and in what order.
``It's a nice, high-quality parade,'' says Darrell R. Stefany, president of EventMakers, the hired planner behind the event. He says Ye Mystic Krewe limits the number of parade units to 100; 60 of these are floats.
``The space limitations are there to accommodate the televising,'' he says, estimating the parade takes two-plus hours to strut its stuff from start to finish for Channel 8 cameras.
Do krewes do good?
Most krewes are heavy on social events, lean on charity work. Jam-packed calendars include luncheons, coronation balls - even mullet smokes.
But the newer krewes could be changing the dine-and-drink image. The Krewe of the Caribbean Cowboys works with the foundation of St. Joseph's Hospital. Even Pair O' Dice has cut back on its party budget, says co-founder Painton, and now sponsors a cottage at the Children's Home at Christmas and Metropolitan Ministries at Thanksgiving. Other krewes provide scholarships and donate money and time to community organizations.
Since 1969, Ye Mystic Krewe pirates have visited pediatric wards in area hospitals in the weeks leading up to Gasparilla. When Steinbrenner was king, he kicked off an ambitious community fundraiser. As a result, Ye Mystic Krewe gave five $10,000 scholarships in 1997.
But overall, most view joining a krewe the same way Venus members do: First and foremost, a good time is the goal.
``Members are `board' to death,'' says Carver, a member of Venus. ``They want a krewe to be fun.''
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