SKETCHES, SCRIBBLES & SCRAPS OF
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE, PLACES
& ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE UPFRONT
COURTESY OF THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW
BOB THOMPSON On her television show, host Drew
Drew Barrymore
Interviews
Local Stylists
Steven Anderson and Andrew Ashton,
fellow hair stylists, makeup artists and
business associates at LaPosh Salon in
Clearwater, and the founding partners
of the charity My Fairy Godfathers, were
guests on the nationally televised Drew
Barrymore Show. Anderson and Ashton,
who have styled more celebrities
than they can count, discussed how
they have donated their time and
talents for almost 12 years to impact
over 750 deserving, often neglected
women of all ages and backgrounds.
Fairy dust came to the rescue, as the
godfathers provided not just new looks,
confidence, improved self-images and
empowerment, but also opportunities,
education, scholarships and support.
They were especially touched when
Barrymore surprised them with
generous donations from both her
company Flower Beauty’s product
lines and herself to help their cause.
UT Theater Named for Charlene A. Gordon
The new 200-seat theater in the
Ferman Center for the Arts at the
University of Tampa has been named
the Charlene A. Gordon Theater; and a
venue intended for a variety of events
from reading to live music has been
named the Charlene and Mardy Gordon
Performance Gallery in honor of the
Gordons’ support for this project. The
Ferman Center provides space for
all of the College of Arts and Letters
departments under one roof, instead
of them being scattered around the
campus. The Gordons are supporters
of the school, and Charlene is secretary
of the UT board of trustees. Their
philanthropy has been focused on
the arts, including Ruth Eckerd Hall
in Clearwater and the Straz Center in
Tampa.
Opera Tampa Partners with The Florida Orchestra
36 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2021
Mardy and Charlene Gordon of Crystal
Beach are longtime supporters of the
University of Tampa.
Barrymore interviewed Tampa Bay area
stylists, My Fairy Godfathers founders
Steven Anderson and Andrew Ashton.
(re)treat Grand Opening
Van Fagan and his wife, celebrity and
community leader Rhonda Shear, hosted
a grand opening party to introduce their
new store (re)treat in downtown St. Pete.
GRAM
Rhonda Shear and Van Fagan have joined
forces with veteran consignors Matt
Worsham and Ashley Hamilton for
(re)treat, a newly opened style oasis at 1940
Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, across from
the Imagine Museum. (Re)treat, which
offers a second chance to a large variety of
luxury items, is a treasure trove of beautiful
fine furniture, home goods, art, lighting and
décor, along with authenticated designer
brands of fashions, shoes, handbags and
other accessories. The upscale (re)treat is
the perfect place for luxurious shopping
and consigning. For information, call
(727) 914-0303, or visit retreatstpete.com.
Opera Tampa General Director Judy Lisi has announced that The Florida Orchestra
will provide live music in the Straz Center’s Ferguson Hall for the opera’s 2022
productions. The orchestra’s Music Director Michael Francis will conduct the
double bill of Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria
Rusticana. For tickets to the Opera Tampa 2022 season of three productions, The Tales
of Hoffmann, The Pirates of Penzance and the Puccini and Mascagni double bill, call
the Straz Center at (813) 229-7827. 9
Michael Francis, music director of The Florida Orchestra