Ybor City To Celebrate Founder's 200th Birthday Sept. 7

TAMPA. FL – On Friday, Sept. 7, the man who gave Ybor City its unusual name will be honored when the Ybor City Museum Society and the Ybor City Museum State Park hosts a celebration of Vicente Martinez-Ybor's 200th birthday.

The celebration will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. in the museum garden,1818 E. 9th Ave., Tampa. The event is free and open to the public, however, reservations are required and can be made through Aug. 29 at Eventbrite or on the Ybor City Museum Society Facebook page.

The celebration will include a dedication and special comments by Martinez-Ybor's great-grandson, Rafael Martinez-Ybor, as well as other noted speakers to be announced later.

Attendees will enjoy light refreshments, live music by the HCC Ybor Campus Alumni Jazz Band, representation from several Ybor City organizations, domino games and instruction, a Bolita-style game of chance with prizes, a celebratory cutting of the birthday cake and more.

The cigar industry in Tampa and the city's eventual moniker as the "Cigar Capital of the World" can be attributed to Martinez-Ybor who arrived in Tampa in 1885 at the age of 67, bringing the industry to the region and founding what is known today at Ybor City.

By the turn of the 19th century, Tampa had grown from a few hundred residents to a population of nearly 16,000, a lot of which can be attributed to the cigar industry.

"In a short span of about 10 years, Don Vicente' led the development and growth of a town that welcomed immigrants from Cuba, Spain, Italy, and other countries," noted his great-grandson. "They came to work in the cigar industry or provide goods and services to those who did."

In honor of Martinez-Ybor's birthday, there will be free admission to the Ybor City Museum State Park on Friday, Sept. 7 from 1 to 5 p.m. The park includes the museum in the historic Ferlita Bakery, a re-created cigar-workers "casita" or home, and the garden.

The museum is open every week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 per person.

The Ybor City Museum Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is preserving, promoting and celebrating the unique cultural heritage of Ybor City and supporting the Ybor City Museum State Park.

Image via Ybor City Museum Society

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