Ear to Tampa Bay
Things Heard by The Ear
and video editor Brian Miklas.....
Joan Dragon, Wildflower Café coowner
in Clearwater and a musician
herself, is the director of the Suncoast
Jazz Festival, which will celebrate its
30th anniversary virtually this year.....
Madison Hauenstein, The Arc Tampa
Bay Foundation’s executive director,
and Brian Siracusa, The Arc Tampa
Bay’s executive director, hosted a virtual
57th annual banquet to recognize and
celebrate the accomplishments of the
clients and professionals of this nonprofit
organization that serves people with
intellectual and developmental
disabilities…..Patti Mitchell and
Rene Gallant co-chaired “Broadway
Ball At Home 2020,” the annual formal
gala fundraiser of the David A. Straz,
Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in
Tampa, which this year was virtual
with performances by Broadway stars
and Patel Conservatory students and
had wine-paired dinners or heavy
hors d’oeuvres and invitations to a
private Patron’s Party delivered to
top patrons…..Susanna Bellafante,
chair of The Florida Orchestra Guild,
St. Petersburg’s 53rd annual Golden
Baton Award Dinner of 2020 to honor
Marcy and Bob Shuck of St. Pete
Beach, announced that the benefit will
be postponed until Fall 2021....Susan
Murbach of Clearwater Beach is again
chairing the Clearwater Free Clinic’s
annual Martinis and Matisse benefit party
and art lottery, which this year will take
place online with the option to host small
at-home groups and will feature cooking
and mixology demonstrations, all to help
The Ear is wearing one of a pair of 18K white
gold inside-outside diamond hoop earrings
with 2.36 carat total weight of diamonds,
which is also available in other sizes at
Harold Freeman Jewelers, 100 Indian Rocks
Road N. in Belleair Bluffs.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 83
Tara and Jerry Broadus of Palm
Harbor hosted a dinner and screening
of an Il Divo concert at the Wiseman
Party Room in Tarpon Springs, which
was their birthday gift to her mother
Pat Rawlings of Clearwater.....Nancy
McKibben and her fiancé Dan
Shouvlin celebrated his and his sister
Barbara Walters’ birthday with her in
Charleston, South Carolina.....George
Ann Bissett, president and CEO of
the Dunedin Fine Art Center, and her
husband Colin celebrated their 38th
anniversary with a romantic dinner for
two overlooking St. Joseph Sound at
Bon Appétit Restaurant in Dunedin.....
Christy Hupp, owner of My Favorite
Things in downtown Dunedin, and
her husband Bob visited friends
in the California wine country…..
Nancy Westphal of St. Petersburg
was surprised on her birthday by her
husband Steve of St. Pete Hospitality
Group with a romantic getaway to the
Sarasota Yacht Club aboard their NanSea
II.....Pat Grubb of Clearwater and Joan
and Mike Kline of Belleair were the
presenting sponsors of Lighthouse of
Pinellas’ annual Point of Light Luncheon,
which this year was a virtual fundraiser
featuring keynote speaker Mike Mote,
who was born blind, is a manager at IFB
Solutions, the country’s largest employer
of the blind and visually impaired,
plus is the studio host of Southern
Mississippi football in Winston-
Salem, North Carolina, and a Grammy
nominated country and Christian
musician.....George Ann Bissett,
president and CEO of the Dunedin Fine
Art Center, and Ken Hannon, its vice
president and COO, hosted a virtual
gathering of the DFAC’s Circle member
donors.....Elizabeth Indianos, an artist,
playwright and professor of art at St.
Petersburg College, wrote and produced
No Know Nothing, an upbeat apocalyptic
tale, which was previewed three nights
for limited audiences onstage at the
Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon
Springs. The exclusive, multidisciplinary
performances by Impossible Theatre
were directed by Dee O’Brien and
Graham Jones, starred Teresa Wilkins
and Charlie Cronk and featured the
talents of composer Michael Amish
DAVID WRIGHT