Some of the region’s Gasparilla krewes are barely hanging on, having lost dozens of members over the last two years due to inactivity or fear of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not the Tampa Rough Riders.
The mostly male krewe representing the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War have managed to not only successfully run the gauntlet of fear and frustration but also grow in the process.
For the first time in its history, the Rough Riders now have over 600 members.
“People are wanting to get out and do stuff, that’s for sure, and the Rough Riders, we’ve been doing plenty of stuff,” said club President Billy Hogan. “We kept going all through COVID. We scaled back and shifted from inside to outside. We shifted to conduct parties by having them outside, so people felt comfortable. We pulled our floats out and set up screens for last year’s Super Bowl and did a barbecue to feel a little bit more comfortable in the days of COVID.”
Changes during COVID
When they met, they did so on Zoom, or wearing masks and using hand sanitizer at their Ybor City clubhouse. And people came out.
So far, this fiscal year, which began in October, the Rough Riders scored 37 new members. It lost 17 before that, leaving a net gain of 20 new members, Hogan said. In 2020, it gained 41 new members, some from other krewes.
“We got on the phone last year and asked people to rejoin. We made sure they understood we were not shut down, that we were active and engaged and doing more activities.”
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The non-profit’s members dress up in the uniforms of the original Rough Riders and ride or walk in parades all over the state, including Tallahassee, Key West and Fort Walton Beach. They hold a military ball once a year.
“We have a really dedicated group of people that are some of our heroes,” Hogan said. “Some just do so much for the club.”
For example, while some krewes stopped parading altogether, the Rough Riders broke out their seven motorized floats and put on mini parades. “We wore masks and rode around Tampa making noise, tooting the horn. Everyone loved getting out and seeing us doing stuff.”
The club would post their mini parades on social media to advertise that they were up and at it. “People love the stuff we’re doing,” Hogan said.
The group still pays homage to President Theodore Roosevelt and the members of his famous volunteer cavalry, which sailed with him to liberate Cuba from Spain. The krewe provides activities to educate people about that history and to help local charities.
Tampa Rough Riders still spreading joy
Every Gasparilla krewe has philanthropy. For the Tampa Rough Riders, its children and veterans from groups all over the area. They collect thousands of Teddy bears–stuffed animals that first honored Teddy Roosevelt. Then they distribute them to Veteran’s Administration facilities and kids at Ronald McDonald houses, hospitals, orphanages and assisted living facilities.
“Pre-COVID, we were a fixture making those deliveries all the time,” Hogan said. “We have had to make adjustments,” but the party has continued.
Even during this rough period, he said, Madeira Beach Middle School collected 1,000 Teddy bears for the Rough Riders. Some kids even used their own Christmas money to buy the stuffed animals for those who need a bit of cheering up.
“When you have a bunch of guys take a bunch of bears and going into an assisted living facility and that resident they see might not see anyone else for the whole week, well…”
“We did over 30 Teddy bear events just in the month of December,” Hogan said. “Sometimes, we did two or three in a day.”
The club also offers financial help to local folks through college scholarships, home restorations and academic achievement awards. They also look after the Spanish-American war monuments, including one on Egmont Key.
Hogan said he is not aware of any krewes actually folding because of the coronavirus pandemic, but many are on the brink, having lost so many members. For most, the party continues in March with the St. Patrick’s Day parade, headed by the Rough Riders.
The parade takes place on Saturday, March 12, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Ybor City. They call it the perfect setting for spotting leprechauns and saloon girls.
To learn more about the Rough Riders, visit their website.
