Obituary
The Suncoast Resort Hotel
Located at 3000 34th St. South,
St. Petersburg, Florida
7-01-98 to 6-18-07
The final Tea Dance at the Suncoast
Resort Hotel, St. Petersburg, FL
will be on Sunday June 17, 2007. This brings to the
end of an era of a GLBT Hotel that will go down in GLBT
history like the Marlin Beach Hotel,
in Ft. Lauderdale, Atlantic Shores,
in Key West, The Original Wedgewood Hotel
in St. Petersburg, Bedrox on
Sunset Beach and others. Many friendships & loves that
will last a life time were made here. There will be many
fond memories and many more legendary stories to be told
in the future.
Suncoast Resort will be
missed. It isn't just a hotel building being torn
down, it was a thriving living village, encompassing
businesses, lodging, entertainment, multi-bars,
eatery, vacationers, church, sports, security and a
forum for social and political discussion. A place to
express your hidden identities and open beliefs. A
location to share your likes. The spirit and belief to
having a small Gay Village was challenging. The many
diverse groups being put all together was astounding.
Clubs including, many community Bear, Leather,
Drag, Transgender, Wrestling, PRIDE, ROTC, Softball,
AID's Awareness Meetings, Classic Car, Bowlers,
Choirs, Hearing Impaired, Boy's Next Door and Gays and
Lesbian Clubs for the over 50 years of age. A
centralized meeting place in sorts to dissimulate news
and information. Tourists were a major part to the SCR village
life. They experienced a relaxed gay lifestyle
setting. The locals loved the safe open
air retreat from their everyday lives and they often
made up their own entertainment. It was an open but
secluded GLBT small hometown setting and mostly
unnoticed to the general St. Petersburg community. And
most of all it was the people who worked so hard and
often behinds the scenes in this SCR village for the 9
past years that made it so successful.
As in many GLBT businesses there were actually two
Suncoast Resorts. Both worlds were acting ambiguously
towards each others worlds, that existed. The First was
the owners and management. The Second Suncoast Resort
was the people who actually made it what it really was.
The very closed net Tampa Bay Community, made up of
caring, giving & loving people, and the worldwide
guests that came to visit .........
Just for the record let's
look back at some of people who all gave so much.
The remaining merchants at the
closing were.
MC Film Festival (The very first to get a lease there.
Mark (Tea Cup), Carrie, Keith, Bill & Miss Amber), David
Reynold's Jeweler, Adrian Howard Galleries (Howard
Wheat), Tampa Bay Leather Company ( Dan Holland),
Massage Therapy (Darren Sharp), A.S.A.P. (David &
staff), Finder's Emporium (Danna & Jim), Gypsy
Productions Inc. (Trevor & Daryl), American Catholic
Church ( Bishop Father Joe), Jacobi Productions (Gary
Van Fleet)
The 61 Companies that had Opened
& Closed at the Suncoast Resort
All tried their best.
2 Cent Perk Coffee House and TLW Magazine, American
Mortgage, Apollo Gallery, Atlantis WaterCraft, Balls of
Steel, Bear with Us Photography, Beaches, Beatnicks
Cafe, BeatNICKMARKting, Better Bodyworks, BodyZone,
Bourbon Street Boxers, Cafe Soiel (Laslo) , Clift's Game
Room, Courtyard Cafe, The Corner Place, D&D Grand
Productions, Eggspresions of Art, "etc., etc., etc." ,
Eclectic Antiques, Free Lance Flowers, Fairy Tales,
Gallery Noel, GrafficTraffic, Gifts by David, Jardon
Dungeon, Jayway's Salon, Lavender Lady, (New Age Store
that subleased back half of Eggspressions), Mike Dickies
Game Rooms, One of a Kind, Patios Parlors & Pets, Planet
MC, Pig Boy Leather, Paul Stewart Salon,
Pharmacy-Seattle Coffee Shop, Photo Dungeon. Plugged -
In Internet Cafe, One Earth, Q Lifestyles Gifts, Rainbow
Flowers, Rainbow Treats, Rainbow Vision, Rebox Shoes
Dist Office, Simply Irresistible Tanning & Spa also
Adventure Entertainment, Salon at Suncoast, Suncoast
Cyber, Studio Nova, S.P.O.R.T.S., Tampa Bay Arts, Taz
Leathers of Atlanta, The Shade Tree, the Store, Tomboys,
Underground Theater, Under the Rainbow, Warehouse
Fitness, Watermark, What 2 Wear, The White Flamingo
Restaurant.
The One Original Employee
The only employee to be at the resort for the whole time
was Mark Cwiek on the front desk.
Bartender Loryl started several weeks
after the opening and Roger in security
left just a couple of weeks before the close.
The very first customer waited on at the bar was
Mark from MC Film and the bartender at Tiki Bar
was Charlie Moresi. The
Mystic Crew of the Umbrella with their
colorful rainbow umbrellas were opening Grand Marshalls!.
The Owners
Tom Kiple & Lester Wolff
General Hotel Managers
Glenn B. & Joan K.
Bar Managers
Charlie Moresi, Heather, Chris Monroe, Mark S.
Show Directors
Miss Mellisa Mason, Lakia, Alicia Markstone
The Finial Show Cast
the Divas of 34th Street
Alicia Markstone, Esme Russell, Coco Montese & Iman
Entertainment Directors
David Schauer, Dan Holland, then the office took over
The Closing Bartenders
Dan, David, David, Ed, Ian, Jake,
Johnathan, Kevin, Loryl, Michael, Sara, Troy
The Staff in:
The Front Desk, The
Restaurant, Security,
Housekeeping, Maintenance
The Regular Musical Performers in
the Wedgewood
Katie Gugliemo, Mele, Judy B. Goode, Paul Thomas, Jamie,
Leslie Kille, James, Providence, Sheila Darcy, Billi &
Patti, Bonnie Lynd, The Band 6:22, Carol Buttenham, Lynn
DeVenuti, and Double M.
The original Maintenance Manager
John Peak, who's imagination created
so very much of Suncoast Resort.
Gene Harrnel was is right hand man.
Then was Lou, Joe ,Bob & Joe
Sadly, some of the people, who
passed, while the Suncoast Resort was open.
Scotty & Steven in Security, Chip the ice cream man,
Tucker the Leather Man, Jim of Studio Nova
Just some of our guests & friends, who were
more like family....
Larry of the Glarries, Santa & his Mom, Ken G., Bob,
Craig, Max Turner, Dominick, Captin Chuck Cresep
& many more.....
Just a few of the Performers &
Events
Martha Wash Concert, Jennifer Holiday Concert, Jimmy
Sommerville Concert, Gloria Gaynor Concert, Maxcine
Nightingale Concert, Kathy Slege of Sister Sledge
Concert, Bonnie Pointer Concert, Diane Amos - The Miss
Pine Sol Lady, Erin Hamilton Concert, Guto Gr, Thea
Austin Concert, Paul Lekakis Concert, Lady Bunny,
Bruce Chopnik, Stephen Weber, Comedian Shann Carr,
Angel Clivilles of the Cover Girls Concert, Lonnie
Gordon Concert, DJ Mark D'Aloe, Sounds of the
Surpremes, Klymaxx Concert, Sam Harris Concert, Ce Ce
Peniston Concert, Flotilla Debarge, Shannon Concert,
the voices of Jimmy James, the Chic Concert, Kenny
Kerr, Taylor Dayne Concert, Shirley Q. Liquor's,
Double M, Tiffany Concert, Irene Cara Concert, Amber
Concert, Robin S Concert, the Fetish Balls, Sean
Ensign Concert, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, Real Gay
TV, Sheila Darcy, Mon a Q, Virginia Vagina, Lee Byar,
Jade Esteban Estrada, Michele, Balan, Linda Clifford
Concert, Gioia Concert, Miss Tommie Ross, ROTC
The Annual Prom, The Foam Parties, The Suncoast
Turn-a- Bouts, Flamingo Auto Group - car shows, The
International Mr Drummer Contests, Miss Suncoast
Resort Pageant, Suncoast Pride Weeks, Bears in
Paradise, Miss Sunshine States US of A, T-Dance for
St. Pete PRIDE, Miss ASAP Pageants, The Dog Days of
Summer, Boot Camps, The Fireworks displays, The Mardi
Gras Parades, The Super Bowl Parties, The Miss Mary
Christmas Pageant, Tampa Bay Bears Annual Holiday
Charity Auctions, Casino Nights, AOL POZ Weekends, The
Holiday Christmas Lights, and the many carnivals
Porn Stars: Thor Anders, Steve Rambo, Carl Hardwick,
Karl Tenner, Gregor, Spike, Frank Parker, Vincent,
Kyle Brandon, Brad King, Chase Hunter, Manuel Torres,
Vincen Ditonno, Jason Tyler, Cole Tucker
DJ CK, DJ Jeff Ray, DJ Kadem, DJ Carol Lopez, DJ Mark
D'Aloe, DJ Lamb, DJ "O", DJ Hick, DJ Julian Marsh, DJ
David Knapp
... just to name a few
A Few More of the Many Divas
Joey Brooks, Stephanie Shippae, Lissa Casstillo, Amber
Douglas, Barbara Herr, Melanie Minyon, Raven N. St.
James, CoCo Montrese, Tiffany Middlesex, Amy DeMilo,
Denise Russell, Chi Chi La Lique, Kelly Anderson, Daphne
Ferraro, Melissa Love, Nikki Adams, The Twat Sisters, &
many, many, more
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How do we at MC FILM feel
about the loss of the Suncoast Resort?
Well, I guess it is said perfectly in a song by
Judy B. Goode
Make believe
I have lived a lifetime.... in just a
few short years.
I've had a lot of laughs and I've
shed a lot of tears.
But every time when I feel that I
can't make it through a day...I have to run
away.....
And there I go again. I'm living
in make believe .
And after I'm gone forever please
keep make believe.
So as life goes on eternal there will
be make believe,
cause only in make believe
can make believe be real.....
I have lived my life, in a world of
pretend. That's the place I'm happiest. Don't ever
let it end.
Cause when the bubble pops and again
the world is real. This is how I'll feel.
Please take me back again to living
in make believe ,
and after I'm gone forever please
keep make believe,
so as life goes on eternal there
will be make believe,
cause only in make believe
can make believe be real.
I wanna fly, without a plane. I want
the sun to shine, even when it rains.
I want a sky of blue, when the sky
is gray...I want to run away...
So let me live my life in a world of
make believe
and after I'm gone forever please
keep make believe ,
so as life goes on eternal there will
be make believe
cause only in make believe
can make believe be real.
Love to All,
Mark, Carrie, Keith, Bill
& Miss Amber
Bye Bye Suncoast Resort....
Any and all the good legends & crazy personal stories
that you've heard about Mark (Tea Cup) & Carrie, Keith,
Bill, Miss Amber & MC Film are TRUE!!!!!!!!
The Future
We are looking forward to the day of the new Suncoast
Resort. So Until the next Suncoast opening stay
friends........
And Now Shared Memories of the
Suncoast Resort
...
(MC FILM assumes no responsibility for what the
people below say.
These are un edited letters)
From Judy B. Goode
When I would drive up to the Suncoast resort I always
felt like I was in The Wizard of Oz. As soon as I parked
my car and stepped onto the property I went from a black
and white world to a very colorful world. It always felt
like there was a rainbow above us out there.It was one
big happy family!. The funny thing was even though we
all would see each other every week we still would hug
and kiss like we hadn't seen each other in months! Where
else could you drink and dance in the sun and be
entertained by sooo many colorful people? My favorite of
course was TEACUP ! His costumes,his stilts,funny hats
and sequins and high heels!!! He spread Joy from one end
of the resort to the other (and of course I helped him).
He didn't get paid to do that. He did that because he
loved making people happy!!!! Teacup and Carrie gave
their heart and soul to the resort. Their store was a
PARTY all by itself. I will always remember handsome Ken
dancing in front of that speaker and of course Miss Kay
our DANCING QUEEN! I There are so many more to mention
but then I'd have to write a book.(That's an idea). The
Suncoast was also my favorite place to sing. I've been
singing for 33 years. From Cleveland,Ohio to New Orleans
to Key West and Europe. There were only two other places
I enjoyed as much and they were THE HEARTBREAK BAR AND
CAFE in New Orleans and BEDROX! Our Tea Party shows will
always be one of the happiest moments of my life. I
always tried to give lots of love to "My Boys" and they
gave it right back!!! In my opinion the CUSTOMERS and
THE STAFF made the Suncoast what it was!!!!!!"A PLACE
WHERE WE HAD A GAY OLD TIME"The sad thing is it seems we
are giving in to this homophobic world.The more we sell
our gay bars the less we have our own space! We can only
hope the Suncoast opens another place. Until then I will
miss all my wonderful friends here because I will
probable be moving my show to Tampa. I love St. Pete
..it's my home but there are no bars here that do a
show like mine.So the show must go on and so must I. All
my love,Judy B. Goode
