You may not have heard of Peter Demens, but he was one of the Sunshine City's founders. And he's the person responsible for give the St Petersburg its name. Just how did it happen? St Petersburg is the home of the World's 1st Commercial Airline, the St Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line starting in 1914, the same year baseball spring training came to town. Tony Jannus' route might have been short-lived, but he left a lasting mark on the Sunshine City. Al Capone stories and rumors are everywhere. Even here in the Sunshine City. During tours I'm asked whether or not Al Capone hung out in St Pete. Or people heard he once owned a speakeasy called the Gangplank or Tropicana Field... Al Lang...the name rings a bell to some in St Pete, but to others he may've well been your 4th Grade teacher. Who was Al Lang? Why does St Pete have a soccer stadium named after him? Al Lang had a tremendous impact on St Pete back when the Sunshine City was just finding it's legs and transforming from a small fishing community to a full fledged city. Al Lang was much more than "Mr. Baseball"... From time to time you may hear St. Pete referred to as "The Sunshine City" And recently new graphics appeared on the Utility Building downtown and elsewhere with the tagline "You are my Sunshine City". The nickname goes back to 1910...
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AuthorRev B has nearly been published multiple times and has received letters of rejection from Highlights, Jet Magazine, Dear Abby and The New Yorker. While accepting full responsibility for all grammatical errors he makes no claims of being an author. Please enjoy the entries found here and use the search function if you're looking for something more specific. Archives
August 2017
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