By Mary Jane Park, Times Staff Writer
Friday, November 26, 2010
Delma Booth festoons one of 70 Christmas trees at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in 2004. Gold Productions was hired this year.
ST. PETERSBURG — For nearly half a century, Delma Nichols Booth has designed and overseen the holiday decorations at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
This year, the work went to someone else, and neither Booth, the 80-year-old proprietor of Delma's, the Flower Booth on Fifth Avenue N, nor club officials would talk publicly about why.
"I can't remember when I didn't do it," says Booth, who started working with the club in November 1962. "It's kind of like I spent my whole life there. It's been — golly, it's been a long time."
Members and guests at the yacht club have been discussing the change among themselves, but no one would speak publicly about the transition.
For this season, at least, the work went to Vickii and Victor Gold of St. Petersburg's Gold Productions, who have designed events large and small nationwide.
Vickii Gold says their team plans for a 5-foot-tall Santa to greet guests in the club lobby, which will have a tree decorated in red, green and gold. The lounge will have two large nutcrackers and garlands with multicolored lights. The Regatta Room will feature two trees, wooden sailboats and ship netting with garlands and lights.
Santa's workshop will set up on the landing of the stairway that leads to the second floor, and the Dockside Room will have a candy theme and several trees.
"The Commodore Room is all white with icicles," Vickii Gold says.
It'll look as snowy as any room in west-central Florida can manage this time of year.
Mary Jane Park can be reached at mjpark@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8267.