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In some krewes, rides in parade have a price
By KATHRYN WEXLER, Times Staff Writer
TAMPA -- The privilege of riding high above the masses in the Gasparilla parade, an event founded on ideals of exclusivity and entitlement, is for sale. And that goes for the Sant'Yago Knight Parade, too. These days, it is not uncommon for krewes to offer "guests" spaces on their floats -- for the right price. At $200 a head, business clients and friends of Ye Krewe of Sir Henry Morgan get a pirate patch, a box of beads and room to stand atop its pirate ship-themed float during the Gasparilla parade Saturday. The Krewe of Zingaro sells $100 tickets to ride its on gypsy float in the rambunctious Knight Parade later. Krewe members say it's a recruiting tool. The most stark example that an event once reserved for the genteel set is now sometimes an opportunity for unapologetic moneymaking. The Lords and Ladies of CABA, the Carrollwood Area Business Association, recently took out an ad for 12 spots on their pirate ship float. The package included beads and a lunch of sandwiches, fruit and cookies. Asking price: $225 a pop. "We completely sold out," said Jeanene Arrington, a board member of the association. No one would return calls this week on whether Ye Mystic Krewe, the granddaddy of them all, allows guests. Years ago, this crass exchange of money would have been oh-so-gauche. Ye Mystic Krewe created the parade in 1904, a public celebration to complement its very elaborate and very private affairs, with period costumes and formal coronations. It took more than money to get into the krewe. It took connections. When public disdain forced the krewe to open the parade to new krewes in 1992, the groups brought with them their own criteria for admission. Some were more choosy than others. Some say they find the latest development of accepting dollars in place of memberships is, well, rather off-putting. "I wouldn't do that," said Doug Vance, president of a krewe called the Gaucho Association of Tampa. "I don't think it's right." "Well, they're acting like pirates!" Frank Schiavone of the Krewe of Hillsborough said with a laugh. It's not the right cup of tea for Crew of Bobbie C. Davis, either. "It's an exclusive krewe and our membership is by invitation," said Commodore Jim Davis. But he quickly added that if the others want to do it, "that's fine." Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of the non-profit Tampa Bay History Center, didn't mince words. "It's like taking something that's already over-commercialized and putting the final nails in the coffin," he said. The strides in diversity among the new krewes were a way of "democratizing" the Gasparilla parade, Kite-Powell said. This turn, he said, harkens back to early days when the parade was a procession reserved for those with big bank accounts. "It really is going back to who has money," he said. But even these days, krewes can't get into the parade without spending thousands of dollars. The new krewes tend to charge members $200, $300 or $400 in annual dues. There's usually a similar amount required as an initiation fee. The krewe has to cover mandatory insurance, and members must buy costumes and sometimes beads. Floats themselves, whether rented, purchased or built by members, are the big ticket item. Rande Conte, parade chairman of the night parade run by the Krewe of the Knights of Sant'Yago, says his group is sympathetic to the high costs of getting a krewe up and rolling, and that selling tickets can offset those costs. The Sant'Yago krewe spent $75,000 to buy a new float this year. But the club doesn't let non-members board its float or walk alongside it. "Joining a krewe is very expensive and it's an ongoing battle against budget constraints every year," Conte said. Still, at the last meeting for krewes participating in the night parade, Conte mentioned that allowing guests on floats is something the krewe frowns upon. His considerations, he said, are that guests may not be as respectful of the rules as members and may open the krewes up to lawsuits if something unfortunate occurs. Conte said that bad conduct by anyone associated with a krewe this year can get the krewe booted from next year's lineup, which is controlled by the Sant'Yago krewe. "It's not up to Krewe of Sant'Yago to say yes or no if they can have guests in their krewes," Conte said. "We understand some krewes do this for monetary gain, and they're on notice for their actions. A lot of our problems in the parade are that people put on a costume and get drunk and think that gives them a license to do whatever they want to do in the streets," he said. A dozen krewes that participate said they had never been told not to sell tickets to their floats. Yvonne Painton, founder of the Krewe of Pair O'Dice, said her organization used to charge $100 a ticket and that about half the 140 people who were part of their group in the parade used to be paying guests. She put an end to that about three years ago, when its membership topped out. This year, the krewe sold $10 raffle tickets for six spots for Gasparilla, and another six spots for the night parade. It was an easy sell. The parades have such allure, Painton said, that some members of her krewe pay their $400 dues and shun the club's events during the year, showing up only for a ride on the float. "I'm bound to believe people would pay just about anything," she said. "I tell people, 'you have never experienced the power of the plastic bead.' " To Richard Ramsey of the Latin American Fiesta Association, selling spots on the float was a strange notion. "We've never thought about that before," Ramsey said. "But it's something to think about." -- Kathryn Wexler can be reached at wexler@sptimes.com or (813)226-3383.
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