ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg artist Clancy Riehm is marking 727 Day with a new creation — and she says the Tampa Bay area made it all possible.
Riehm, who has called the 727 area code home for the past 6 years, has built a career on the opportunities the region has offered her. Her work includes murals at Tropicana Field and designing the Black History Month logo for the Tampa Bay Lightning this past February.
Now she is channeling that same creative energy into a new shirt celebrating the spirit of the place she calls home.
WATCH St. Pete artist Clancy Riehm designs new shirt to celebrate 727 Day this weekend
"I would not be able to do this if I lived somewhere else. Like St. Pete, Tampa Bay is such a great place for artists. Like really, like I didn't think this was possible," Riehm said.
The response to her latest work has already been meaningful to her as an artist.
"Even some people seeing the shirt and being like, 'That's Clancy's art,' before they even know it was me. That as an artist is just so rewarding," Riehm said.
For Riehm, being part of the celebration goes beyond the art itself.
"I'm just so excited to keep creating art for the community, and it brings me so much joy that to be a part of something that gives everyone else joy as well," Riehm said.
727 Day is officially Monday, July 27, but the celebration is stretching across the weekend. Steve Grimes, chief marketing officer for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, explained the reasoning in a statement.
"This is a way for the hospitality industry to say thank you to our locals for being such gracious hosts for the 15 million annual visitors to our destination," Grimes said.
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is organizing more than 100 discounts and deals available throughout the weekend. To access them, residents need a mobile passport. To sign up, visit 727day.com, follow the 727 Day link, enter your phone number, and the mobile passport will be sent to your inbox.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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