By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Stripped to its core and newly rebuilt, the S.S. Yucatan float rode in its first Hillsborough County parade with a proud showing of Rough Riders of Tampa Bay in step.
It’s been a labor of love for the Rough Riders, who spent the past almost three years renovating the S.S. Yucatan, one of four floats in its fleet used in community parades and events. Last week it debuted at the Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade.
“We went down to the frame and refurbished the whole thing,” said Art Mendel, who since 2009 has been driving floats for the Rough Riders, a group he joined in 2015. “We just pulled it out of the gate, and here we are on our maiden voyage.”
Tampa Rough Riders Michael Cauger, front, with Jason Baer, left, and Greg Eckley, incoming president
Indeed, “It was a mad scramble to get the S.S. Yucatan float ready for this parade,” said Rough Rider John Lochner, before the start of the parade, one day after the float’s dedication at the Rough Riders headquarters in Ybor City. “There were a lot of volunteers who did a lot of work on it, which is part of the fun being in the club, that you get to do stuff like this.”
A membership-based charity, Tampa Bay Rough Riders is driven to commemorate the memory and values of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, the Rough Riders’ original commander, and the important role his 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment played in the Spanish-American War in 1898, having departed from the port city of Tampa. A politician, soldier, conservationist, naturalist and writer, Roosevelt served as the nation’s 26th president, from 1901 to 1909.
Founded in 1978, the Rough Riders in Tampa reportedly has 560 members, including its club founder, Charlie Spicola; chairman of the board, Bob Moeller; and president, Joe Dato. The club contributes to and participates in a wide variety of charitable and civic events, including Teddy Bear Runs, Special Olympics, Roosevelt Elementary School support, academic scholarship awards and 14 parades annually, including the Memorial Day parade in the nation’s capital, the Ruskin Veterans Day Parade in November and the club-hosted St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Tampa.
The Rough Riders through its four floats present living history to the community at large. The S.S. Yucatan, with its hand-painted number “8” sign, is billed as “a rolling celebration and remembrance of the ship that transported the Rough Riders from Tampa to Cuba in 1898.” The original ship also had a hand-painted number.
A parade viewer’s look at the Rough Riders of Tampa Bay’s S.S. Yucatan float.
The signature float is the “Teddy Roosevelt” (known as the “TR”), with art work that stands in testament to the life and legacy of the original Rough Rider commander.
Rounding out the floats are the “Little Texas” (known as “Lil’ Tex”), the Rough Rider Train and the Rough Rider Coal Car, also reminiscent of the transport of Rough Riders from Tampa to battle in Cuba.
Club records note that confusion ensued with poor planning when Rough Riders left their temporary camp, nine miles from Port Tampa, for transport aboard the S.S. Yucatan. The regiment eventually commandeered engine and coal cars to complete their mission to arrive at the Port of Tampa on time, ready for deployment.
Tampa Rough Riders showed up in force for the 2024 Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade.
The Little Texas, according to club records, gives testament to the 1,060 Rough Riders who on May 29, 1898, with 1,258 of their horses and mules, rode the Southern Pacific railroad to Tampa, where they later departed for Cuba. “Lil Tex” and “Rain-in-the Face,” belonging to Roosevelt, were the only two horses allowed on the S.S. Yucatan for troop transport.
As for the train float, it’s billed as “a rolling tribute to the regiment’s ingenuity and ‘never quit’ attitude exhibited under extremely stressful conditions.” Likewise, the coal car float “serves to memorialize the ‘adapt and overcome’ spirit of a regiment eager for battle and avenging the loss of the sailors and Marines aboard the U.S.S Maine,” which sank in Havana Harbor on Feb. 15, 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April.
Linda Chion Kenney
In step with the Rough Riders of Tampa Bay, at the 2024 Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade.
As for having the newly refurbished S.S. Yucatan at the Brandon parade, Lisa Rodriguez said it was an honor.
“The Rough Riders truly are a hit in this parade, and in all the parades they participate in,” said Rodriguez, president of the Greater Brandon Action Network, which staged this year’s parade. Under the auspices of the Presidents Roundtable of Greater Brandon Charities, the parade debuted 67 years ago. Later known as the Community Roundtable, that group disbanded earlier this year.
Rough Rider Michael Cauger said it was an honor to serve as the officer in charge for debuting the S.S. Yucatan at the Brandon parade, which he attended for decades as a youngster and adult.
“To represent such a great man and organization brings great pride,” Cauger said, “and exuberance as well, seeing people enjoy the parade as much they do.”
For more on the Rough Riders, visit www.tamparoughriders.org/.