-About The Krewe-
KREWE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
KREWE GENERALCONDUCT GUIDELINES
The Spirit of Cigar City Krewe was founded in May of 2006 by Sam Lupo, Irma Lupo, J
ohn Houseman and Frank Schiavone. We are a group of businessmen and women from different walks of life and from different locations, but with one belief. That belief is to promote the history of Tampa, Ybor City and their diverse heritages by supporting local charities and fostering civic pride.
Ybor City began when Don Gavino Gutierrez came to Tampa in search of guava trees. Meanwhile, Vincente Martinez Ybor had left Cuba with his workers only to have his cigar factory in Key West burn down. Gutierrez told hi
s friend Ybor about Tampa, and the great possibilities that a port would bring. Ybor bought the 40 acres in 1885, and Ybor City was born. Soon after that, many cigar factories were built and attracted immigrants to come from Cuba to work. They were followed by Spanish, Italian, German, Jewish and many others. Within 3 short years Ybor City grew from 700 to 10,000 people. Following the factories came restaurants, shops, coffee houses and social clubs. Ybor City continued to grow over the years, both in population and in history.
Many of us in the Krewe are descendants of these immigrants that came to Ybor long ago,
and honor their history and heritage by wearing costumes reminiscent of that time. The men either wear the traditional guayaberas with hats or a bolero jacket or vest with a long sleeve guayaberas. The women dress in the typical Flamenco gowns, a bolero jacket or vest with long sleeved white blouse or the peasant dresses of that time. Our Krewe logo is proudly displayed on the back of the guayaberas, vests and jackets.
Spirit of Cigar City Krewe hosts a website, a weekly radio program and a weekly television program aired on public access. Our Krewe website features photos of Krewe functions, a history to who and what we are about,
our monthly newsletter, and much more. Our weekly radio program, “Spirit of Cigar City Radio”, is produced by Krewe member Stephen Tabak and is broadcast on the Internet. It features a mix of Italian, Spanish, Cuban and American music along with interviews with various businesses that helped make Ybor City what it is today. The television program, “Krewe TV”, is produced by Greg Huskin and is a weekly public access broadcast that features various Krewes from the Tampa Bay area. So many people, outside of the Krewes, think that all we do is drink, throw beads and walk in a parade. We wanted to show the public that there is more to these Krewes than just what they see. We want the public to learn, remember and help preserve the history of Ybor City.
Our float is reminiscent of the old cigar factories that populated Ybor City. It is 40 feet long, 10 feet wide and 11 feet tall. The lower deck houses our full bar, our restrooms, the storage area and our sound system. On the front deck are 2 lampposts similar to those that line historic 7th Avenue in Ybor City and proudly displayed are the flags of the United States, Italy, Spain, Germany, Cuba and Sicily. Members devoted their talents and countless hours into building the
float making it a symbol of Ybor City.
Our Krewe motto sums up best what we are truly all about:
“Remember, we are nostalgic, colorful and anything but boring!!”
