Happenings on the Deuces!

By Dee Uses, Contributor

ST. PETERSBURG – The I-275 underpass on Seventh Avenue South and Twenty-Second Street is 90 percent complete. On Saturday, May 26 at 8 a.m., help the Deuces Live Main Street complete this project.

The gray panels around the murals need to be coated over to provide a better contrast to the beautiful murals designed by Zulu Painter and Thirst. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours with everyone’s help to complete the beatification of one of the gateways of the corridor.

This calming, artful and colorful project was a labor of love from the Deuces Live Main Street to our community. This four-year project was also a labor of love to the long-standing neighbors, residents and friends in the community.

Please volunteer to help complete this community beautification project by calling the Deuces at (727) 4DEUCES (433-8237) to sign up for a volunteer spot.  Those volunteering Saturday, May 26, will receive a small gift, a ticket to the front of the line when On the Beat St. Pete screens the same movie at the Royal they screened Feb. 15. Yeah, that one! WAKANDA FOREVER!

Matinees at the Royal continue on the second and fourth Saturdays at the Royal Theater.  If you are not around for May 26, don’t worry. One of our new neighbors on the corridor is having a “Welcome Neighbors” party, and that particular movie will be screened again sometime in June!

Matinees at the Royal provide a fun family time in the neighborhood! The Royal Theater was one of two theaters that African Americans were able to attend during segregation. The Theater opened in 1948 with a marching corps parade; however, movies haven’t been consistently shown at the venue since 1966.

The Deuces Live, Inc., the business association located on the historic 22nd Street South corridor, continues its series of “Matinees at the Royal” this summer.  The Deuces has a motion picture licensing agreement that allows it to show movies in the theater legally.

Special thanks to Kayren Lovett, Eldon Holloman and Freddy Williams of the Boys and Girls Club for the use of the historic theater. The  goal of Matinees at the Royal  is to continue to provide activities on 22nd Street South that encourage folks to visit the area and patronize local businesses while visiting the spaces on the corridor that celebrate the community’s’ rich cultural heritage.

Matinee doors open the second and fourth Saturday at 2 p.m., and the movie starts at 2:22 sharp!  Of course, there’s a catch! The type of movie license is known as the creative one and therefore doesn’t allow us to state the movie that’s showing publicly. You can, however, find out what the film is by joining the Deuces Live email list. We’re allowed to share the movie that’s screened on our email list and on posters in participating businesses on the corridor.

Are you an organizations or a non-profit interested in hosting a movie? Call us at 727-4DEUCES! See you on the 26th!