ST. PETERSBURG, FL \u2014 For more than a decade, Brandy Stark, a St. Petersburg artist, curator and paranormal investigator, has celebrated the darker side of Valentine\u2019s Day through art and community events. <\/p>\n
Now in its 11th year, this celebration, which she\u2019s dubbed Valentwe\u2019en<\/a>, has expanded with a series of events scheduled throughout February. <\/p>\n Inspired by memes that were shared on social media at the time, Stark launched Valentwe\u2019en in St. Petersburg in 2015. <\/p>\n \u201cThese memes came out saying that Valentine\u2019s Day was being replaced by second Halloween and it got me thinking,\u201d Stark told Patch. \u201cI thought the two holidays made an interesting mashup, and for folks like myself, who remain quite single, maybe it would resonate and offer something more off-beat to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Valentine\u2019s Day already has dark macabre origins, she added. <\/p>\n St. Valentine \u2014 the holiday\u2019s namesake and a priest in the Roman empire during the third century \u2014 performed secret marriage ceremonies despite a ban on them at the time. When he was caught, he was clubbed to death<\/a> and had his head cut off. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was killed for performing marriages for people illegally in Rome,\u201d Stark said. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t realize the really morbid story of St. Valentine.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, her Valentwe\u2019en events kicked off with a presentation, \u201cLove, Spirits and Lore,\u201d by Stark on Jan. 29 at Eckerd College as part of the OLLI program. She also hosted a metaphysical Crystal 101 workshop on Feb. 7.<\/p>\n The centerpiece of Stark\u2019s Valentwe\u2019en celebration is an art show at her studio space at ArtLofts in downtown St. Petersburg. The opening takes place Saturday, Feb. 14, 5 to 9 p.m., during the Second Saturday artwalk. <\/p>\n All pieces in the show are inspired by this year\u2019s theme, \u201cthe Siren and her Song\u201d this year. <\/p>\n In addition to the art exhibit, members of her paranormal investigation group, the Spirits of St. Petersburg<\/a>, will be on hand to share ghost stories. <\/p>\n Lady Darjuxena\u2019s Bats and B.R.E.W.S. Show featuring the gothic goddesses of cosplay belly dance will also perform, and there will be oracle, tarot, and bone readers on hand and live body painting. Costumed members of Krampus Verein Pinellas<\/a> will also mingle with those attending the show. <\/p>\n Other upcoming Valentwe\u2019en events include: <\/p>\n Haunted History Trolley Tour<\/a>, Feb. 11, 6:30 to 8 p.m.St. Petersboo Walking Ghost Tour<\/a>, Feb. 13, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.Roser Park Walking Ghost Tour<\/a>, Feb. 21, 5:30 and 7 p.m.Art Show Closing<\/a>, Feb. 28, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at ArtLofts, includes a gothic vow renewal and a presentation on Dump Duke, a grassroots campaign for public power in Pinellas County. <\/p>\n The growth of Valentwe\u2019en this year is a step toward Stark operating her art and paranormal business full-time. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m expanding my offerings and having more events to hopefully get the community backing me,\u201d she said. \u201cValentwe\u2019en is a good way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n She hopes to eventually find a permanent home to launch a paranormal museum to showcase local and Florida ghost stories. <\/p>\n A similar museum already exists in St. Augustine, Stark said. \u201cSo the idea is there would be the one on the east coast and then St. Petersburg on the west [coast]. In West Central Florida, we\u2019ve got our haunts, too. There\u2019s not one here, but I think it would be a lot of fun. There\u2019s a definite need for it. And if I\u2019m lucky, having it in a haunted location, that would be even better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. 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