Email
Print
Ivonna, zombies help Guavaween stumble back to its roots
Staff photo by JAY NOLAN
Natalie Popovich, as Ivonna Cadaver, and Kathy Grau, as Mama Guava, discuss the weekend's festivities.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: October 26, 2009
Related Links
TAMPA - Promising a "rebirth" of Guavaween, the legendary Mama Guava announced today that the annual Ybor City event will welcome zombies, freaks, party lovers, street performers and a ghoulish new co-host, Ivonna Cavader, to Ybor City on Saturday night.
"There will be a lack of floats and a lack of taste," joked the Latino mother figure of Guavaween, noting that there will be no motorized floats this year.
"I will be arriving in a horse-drawn hearse," she said.
"This year we are going back to the roots of the Mama Guava parade, making it a true street festival where everyone can stumble," said Mama Guava (Kathy Grau) at a news conference in Ybor today.
Surrounded by costumed zombies, female vampires and other ghouls, Mama also introduced Ivonna Cadaver, a late-night horror movie host from Los Angeles who is co-hosting the Mama Stumble and Freak Show Parade.
"This event is so popular that we have heard about it on the West Coast so I came out to take part," Ivonna said.
Ivonna (Natalie Popovich) is an actress, writer and producer who grew up in the Tampa area before becoming host of "Macabre Theater" on a Los Angeles TV station. She said today that she hopes to relocate production of her weekly series to Tampa Digital Studios in Ybor City.
Tom Keating, president of the Ybor Chamber of Commerce, said Guavaween has been ranked as one of the top 13 events in the country by AOL City Guide. He said the theme of the 24th annual event is "Unleash Your Fantasy."
Helping achieve that is Michael McKnight, lead singer of the rock band Soulidium, who said that he has worked with Guavaween producer CC Event Productions and the sponsors to recruit hundreds of street performers, including a zombie army of the dead.
"We are going to make it a creative event with a lot of theatrical elements," he said.
There also will be jugglers, professional wrestlers, Tampa Bay Derby Darlins on roller skates, gypsy equestrians, Goth models known as Vicious Angelz and freak show performers in the parade.
More than 30,000 are expected to attend, Keating said.
Also a number of the regular Ybor venues will be having free bands, he said. "All of our events are designed to get more people into the restaurants and clubs."
Bands, in addition to Soulidium, include Nonpoint, Sevendust, Psykill, Soulswitch and Future Leaders of the World.
The major stage, sponsored by WXTB, 97.9 FM, will be at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street. There are secondary stages at two nightclubs, the Honey Pot and Gaspar's Grotto.
A costume contest, carrying a $2,000 top prize, will begin at 10 p.m. at the Honey Pot on Seventh Avenue.
Before the night party, a free Family Fun Fest will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Centennial Park on Seventh Avenue. As part of the event, children will be able to trick or treat with local merchants.
After 2 p.m., Seventh will be closed off and an admission of $17 will be charged.
The night festivities kick off at 8:30 with the Mama Guava Stumble and Freak Show.
Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online ©2010 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. | Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
| * To: | |
| Your Name: | |
| Your Email Address: | |
| Personal Message [optional]: | |
