Green Bench Monthly

Hello! We appreciate you visiting our site. I'm Ashley, and together with my husband Tony, we started Green Bench Monthly, a community magazine for St. Petersburg. Our journey into storytelling and community journalism began after college when we both worked for the same media group in West Central Florida. After getting married in 2014, we moved to St. Pete, drawn by its beautiful parks, unique architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and flourishing local businesses. However, what truly makes St. Pete remarkable is its wonderful community. Our magazine launched its first issue in September 2016. Inside, you'll find stories about local personalities, businesses, non-profits, St. Pete’s history, food, art, news, events, and much more. Every article is crafted, photographed, and polished by local talent. Thanks to the support from our readers, Green Bench Monthly has also become a powerful advertising platform for local businesses looking to reach their audience effectively.

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Articles

ListenUp! | Green Bench Monthly

May 7, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Nanette Wiser

Exclusively for Green Bench Monthly readers, RadioStPete.com Sunshine 96.7 FM shares local radio shows. Sign up for the free newsletters on RadioStPete.com to be the first to know what our music hosts are spinning and sports guys are dishing. Tune in every week for ‘Let’s Go Guide’ that curates the best Tampa Bay arts, entertainment, dining and events. Listen to the Interviews at bit.ly/greenbenchmaySUNSHINE SISTERS Producer/reporter Karen Carmichael interviews women making a difference.
People of St. Pete: Kelly Kress

May 6, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Lynn Waddell

Paddling the mangrove tunnels of Weedon Island with Kelly Kress is a little like traveling with a mashup of Eugenie Clark, Rachel Carson, and Ruth Gates. Every piece of sea life – flora and fauna – is an almost magical curiosity that she can cheerfully explain or share some insight about. Not surprisingly, Kress was drawn to formally study marine life. In May, she graduates with bachelor’s degrees in marine science and animal studies from Eckerd College.
Forty Years of Good Food and Family at Harvey’s Fourth Street Grill

Apr 9, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Monica Kile

After 40 years, it’s still a family affair at Harvey’s Fourth Street Grill, and we’re not talking just about the eponymous Harveys who started the restaurant. Business manager Rosie Meyer, herself a member of the Harvey family, estimates that most of the people on the payroll at the beloved St. Pete institution have been working there for at least five years, not counting the young hostesses and busboys who come and go according to their school schedules.
People of St. Pete: Margaret Murray

Apr 9, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Lynn Waddell

Margaret Murray has played a leading role in more than a half-dozen arts organizations in Tampa Bay and beyond. When the position opened to head Creative Pinellas, she was a natural fit to lead the county organization that supports and connects artists with the community. Over the past 25-plus years, she’s been a dynamic player at the Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg (MFA); the Morean Arts Center, freeFall Theatre, Madstone Theaters, and One in Ten (in Washington, D.C.).
The Greatest St. Pete Story Ever Told

Apr 9, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Monica Kile

How many American cities have been perfectly captured at a precise moment in their history by a gifted storyteller? There’s Hannibal, Mo., forever immortalized by Mark Twain in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” and Monroeville, Ala., fictionalized as Maycomb by Harper Lee in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”I would submit that we can add St. Petersburg to that list.
Becoming God’s Waiting Room

Apr 2, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Monica Kile

We’ve all heard the jokes. “God’s Waiting Room.” “World’s Largest Above-Ground Cemetery.” “Home of the newly wed and the nearly dead.”St. Petersburg was once world famous as a haven for old people. Heck, they even made a movie about it, a blockbuster at that: CocoonBut where did this image come from? Welcome to GerontovilleThe 1960 United States Census helps tell the story.
History: Becoming God’s Waiting Room

Mar 10, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Monica Kile

We’ve all heard the jokes. “God’s Waiting Room.” “World’s Largest Above-Ground Cemetery.” “Home of the newly wed and the nearly dead.”St. Petersburg was once world famous as a haven for old people. Heck, they even made a movie about it, a blockbuster at that: CocoonBut where did this image come from? Welcome to GerontovilleThe 1960 United States Census helps tell the story.
People of St. Pete: Erica Sutherlin

Mar 10, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Lynn Waddell

St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world- class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete unique. A Renaissance woman, Erica Sutherlin is a filmmaker, actor, poet, and bourbon entrepreneur.
People of St. Pete: Olga Bof

Mar 3, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Lynn Waddell

As the founder of Keep St. Pete Local, Olga Bof may be the most ardent champion of businesses started and operated in St. Petersburg. On Feb. 24, her nonprofit’s signature event, Localtopia, returns to downtown with a community celebration of all things St. Pete. Hosted annually in Williams Park, Localtopia is a showcase for St. Pete businesses, makers, nonprofits and organizations that is peppered with live music, food trucks, and local brews.
The Gas Plant District Lodge is Long Gone, but Not Forgotten

Feb 4, 2024 | greenbenchmonthly.com | Monica Kile

As discussions progress on the future of the Historic Gas Plant district and Tropicana Field, it is worthwhile to reflect on some of the important institutions that were displaced when the historically African American neighborhood was demolished in the late 1970s and early 1980s.