TAMPA, Fla. — There’s a new exhibit at the Henry B. Plant Museum that celebrates two of Tampa Bay’s most historic, cherished and fun traditions: The Florida State Fair and Gasparilla.
The name of the exhibit is Gaspar’s Gold, a look back at the first 70 years of the fair and Gasparilla.
From the earliest pirate costumes to original carnival games, Gaspar’s Gold casts a whole new light on both storied events.
“A lot of people don’t know that they were established at the same time in 1904,” said museum executive director Charles Groh. “They were held in different months in 1904 and then they were combined in 1905.”
Groh says you’ll see artifacts in this exhibit you can’t find anywhere else.
“This is the 1933 crown for the Latin American Fiesta Association Queen,” said Groh, looking at one piece.
“All the illustrations you are seeing here are actually designs for papier-mache grotesque heads that people would wear,” said Groh regarding another display.
“My favorite is the life-sized butter cow, and it relates to the fact that there was a very prominent dairy industry that was located in Tampa,” said Groh, referring to an old photograph.
The museum says one of the best parts about the exhibit is watching our seniors react to it.
“We also have a lot of things that are really just designed to recapture, for older people in our community, their childhood memories of what Gasparilla actually felt like,” said Groh.
Nancy Adkinson was among a group of seniors visiting from the Crossings at Riverview. She remembers attending the parade and the fair when she was a teenager.
“It makes me feel old,” said Adkinson.
“You know you don’t think about the history and what’s happened here and it’s just interesting to see, to go back in time,” said Heather Maisano with the Crossings at Riverview.
The museum says the exhibit is also a great reminder that these are more than just annual events; they are the fabric of our culture.
“And so, it was really important for us to get people to experience that sense of belonging and then the opportunity to tell a story about how community tradition changes over the course of 70 years,” said Groh.
Gaspar’s Gold is on display through August.
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