Not long ago, this neighborhood was a wide green expanse — the fairways of a historic golf course. In the mid-1950s, bulldozers cleared the greens, sand traps, and bunkers, and Azaleaville was born. Over time, the name was shortened to Azalea. When we call this newsletter Inside Azaleaville, we honor the neighborhood’s original name and spirit while looking forward to the promise of Azalea’s future.
Cover art: The Tocobaga Weather Machine (2025), Inside Azaleaville Studio
Digital print on archival substrate
The fabled Tocobaga “hurricane shield” is reimagined as a shimmering dome of energy preserving
St. Petersburg from tropical chaos.
There are many toy drives around the country at this time of year, but this one is specifically for underprivileged children in St. Petersburg public schools. St. Petersburg Fire Rescue coordinates with counselors at the schools to determine how many gifts are needed, so each child is sure to get at least one gift at Christmastime.
Please consider donating a new, unwrapped gift in the $5 - $10 range - something simple that might mean the world to a child this winter.
For more information and how to donate visit Margie's Toy Drive page.
MORE THAN A BILLION SNOWBIRDS ARE HEADED THIS WAY
On its live migration map, BirdCast tracked more than 1.2 billion birds streaming toward their wintering grounds after sunset on September 25—the largest single-night total recorded since the project began mapping live migrations in 2018.
“These numbers are almost inconceivable,” said Andrew Farnsworth, a visiting scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and longtime BirdCast researcher. “They’re enormous… even for people that study migration regularly. The scale of how many organisms that this represents, is just mind blowing.”
🌿 Azalea Neighborhood Meeting
Wednesday, November 5 | 6:00 PM
Azalea Recreation Center | 1600 72nd St N
- Refreshments: Einstein Bros. Bagels
- Meeting Chair: Logan Sykes
- Neighborhood news, city updates, and open floor for questions and discussion
- Police Update: from our Community Service Officer
- City Update: from Councilman Gerdes’ office
- Guest Speaker: Shelley Vickery from Birds in Helping Hands – assists and protects injured wildlife
- Guest Speaker: Lindsey Sykes – Beekeeper on how bees benefit the environment
- Open discussion
Free and open to the public — come as you are, and bring a neighbor!
Join your neighbors — learn, connect, and enjoy bagels!
Feast · Friends · Family Film
Azalea Outdoor Family Movie Night
Saturday, November 8th
🎉 Block Party with FREE food begins at 6:30 pm
🎬 Family Movie starts at 7:00 pm
Hosted by Loren and Vee
Stay for the movie — or just enjoy the food and fun with neighbors.
All are welcome!
History: 1968
The Science Center Revival float glides down Farragut Drive like a glowing dream of mid-century optimism reborn. Neon rockets hum above bubbling glass beakers, pink and turquoise plasma coils pulse in rhythm, and four young “scientists” in white coats wave solemnly from the platform.
Out front, a man in a gray suit and fedora walks with his hands in his pockets; physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, or at least someone who looks like him, leading a squad of silver-suited astronauts holding glowing atomic symbols. His expression is caught somewhere between pride and foreboding, as if even here, amid the confetti and children’s cheers, he’s aware of the power that science can unleash.
You can view more images from the parade here. (https://insideazaleaville.blogspot.com/p/azalea-virtual-halloween-parade.html)
