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Summer Street Party Will Have Tropical Punch

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By CHERYL BENTLEY

The Suncoast News

Published: August 14, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - It's going to be a hot time in the old town Friday as Bright House Network's Night in the Tropics comes to New Port Richey.

The Key West-style street party with a Caribbean flavor will sport three stages of entertainment, classic car cruise-in and food vendors. It also will feature two beer gardens and a cigar hut where people can enjoy their stogies.

Child-friendly activities include a rock climbing wall, bungee jumping and a bounce house.

"It's a fun night in the middle of the summer and a great way to get ready for the rest of the summer," said Judy DeBella Thomas, executive director of Greater New Port Richey Main Street, the event's organizer.

The Caribbean Chillers, billed as "Florida's Premier Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show," will be the headline entertainment.

The band will make its fourth appearance at the annual Night in the Tropics. The group is usually invited back to festivals, said Jason Webb, the band's leader.

"The audience is always part of the show. They're singing and dancing," Webb said. "That interaction with the audience is one of the main reasons people hire us back again and again."

He and Jimmy Buffett have uncanny similarities, Webb said. Both have the given names of James William. Both are 5 feet 7 inches tall. Their ages are only four years apart.

"People say from 100 feet away when I'm dressed in stage attire, they can't tell me from Jimmy Buffett," he said.

The band was formed in 2004 and plays more than 100 times a year. Street festivals such as Night in the Tropics are its specialty.

"That's where we shine," Webb said.

Their repertoire suits the New Port Richey event perfectly, he said. "We do mostly Jimmy Buffett with some other songs added in. We do anything that's tropical, and '70s and '80s rock 'n' roll."

The Chillers will be on the Margaritaville stage on Grand Boulevard between Missouri and Montana avenues from 7 to 11 p.m., with 15-minute breaks between sets.
Hurricane Gordon will open the evening with Florida-themed music from 6 to 7 p.m.

On the Cavalaire Stage, one block east of Grand Boulevard between Nebraska and Missouri avenues, steel drummer Terry Baber will perform his Pan Caribe show from 6 to 9 p.m.

"I've had a passion to play pans since I was a baby," Baber said, using the alternate name for steel drums.

Baber's musical menu will include reggae, calypso, Buffett and a little Lynyrd Skynyrd thrown in for good measure.

Baber has played his steel drum solos across the country. He has been a musician for 30 years.

On the Havana stage on Nebraska Avenue between Grand Boulevard and Bank Street, behind Juan's Black Bean Cafe, The Latiners, a Cuban band from Tampa, will add Latin sizzle to the evening beginning at 6.

A popular feature of the event is the Island Hoppers Club. For a membership fee, members receive gifts including custom commemorative T-shirts and two tickets for either Land Shark beer or the festival's own Island Hoppers punch. They also can participate in a hunt for a treasure chest with prizes worth more than $300.

During the evening, top dogs and cool cats can enjoy Wags, Whiskers and Wine Tasting, a fundraising event for Suncoast Animal League, Pasco County Animal Services and other local animal rescue groups. The event is hosted by Advanced Healthcare Alternatives in New Port Richey.

It will feature a fashion show with talented pooches and their people, a live auction, snacks and wine. Attendees can also meet Angels, adoptable pets in need of homes. Tickets are $15 per individual and $25 for a couple.
NIGHT IN THE TROPICS
WHEN: 5 to 11 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Downtown New Port Richey

TICKETS: Call (727) 849-2277 or e-mail advhealthcare@hotmail.com.

FOR INFORMATION: Go to www.newportricheymainstreet.com.

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