By LINDA CHION KENNEY
In a story of new beginnings, a chapter most definitely could be set aside for Terry Malo, who with her husband, Aaron, helped grow a 23-year-old krewe that has built a legacy for generations to come.
Should that legacy endure, krewe and community members will celebrate the 2002 founding of the Krewe of the Southshore Marauders (KSSM), when Terry Malo, newly divorced, heeded the call of a friend and dental office co-worker to “go out there and have some fun.”
Malo attended meetings for the krewe’s formation, encouraged by Elizabeth Albritton, whose vision and commitment played a significant role in establishing the organization, emphasizing community involvement, inclusivity and creating a vibrant atmosphere at Mardi Gras celebrations. That’s how Malo met her husband, Aaron, and they married on Bay Shore Boulevard atop the KSSM float, at the 2005 Gasparilla Parade of Pirates.
The Krewe of the Southshore Marauders poses with its ship and Frankenstein’s monster and friends at Trick or Treat Street (TOTS) in Riverivew on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The couple is the last of the founding members still active with the krewe, which made its presence known on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Trick or Treat Street (TOTS) at Riverview High, presented by the newly merged Brandon Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
“Trick-or-Treat Street is part of my heart because I’ve lived in Riverview for 38 years,” Malo said, as she remembered the early efforts of Wayne Otto, of Ottos Doors, who was instrumental in building TOTS in its early years in various locations, including YMCA Camp Cristina.
Board members of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, before it changed its named to Central Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce (CHCC), opted to end its years-long affiliation with the event after the COVID years. As the newly renamed Central Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce, the board last year stepped back in with a Halloween candy giveaway, fashioned after TOTS, at Spoto High in Riverview.
Thanks to the newly merged Brandon Riverview Chamber of Commerce, TOTS this year was back in business at Riverview High, drawing a sizeable crowd of people eager to extend the run of a favored community tradition, with businesses and nonprofits manning booths to hand out treats.
For the KSSM, its TOTS participation started in 2013, when Terry and Aaron Malo footed the bill for entry, to further support the krewe’s mission to support and give back to the community.
Terry Malo’s pirate hat is adorned with pins she has designed and feathers she has kept, including the one she wore during her wedding on the Krewe of the Southshore Marauders float at Gasparilla in 2005.
“We started out with just a small booth and some decorating,” Terry Malo said. “It eventually led to bringing the float out and being one of the biggest attractions out here.”
Indeed, the boat that can accommodate up to 125 pirates was gaily decorated last Saturday with larger-than-life animatronic monsters, including Frankenstein, waving to the onlookers walking by with open bags to receive candy. The float, built, owned and launched by the krewe in 2015, after years of renting floats, served as a perfect Halloween backdrop for family photos and social media posts.
TOTS is just one of the parades in which the KSSM participates, most notably both the day and night parades at Tampa’s Gasparilla Pirate Festival, set to return January 24 and 31, respectively. Also on the calendar are the Tampa Dye the River Green Parade (March 14), which is part of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and the DeSoto Grand Parade (April 25), at the Hernando de Soto Heritage Festival in Bradenton. Malo said the krewe is considering as well the Brandon Parade of Lights (set this year for December 13) and the Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade, if the route’s tree coverage can accommodate its float.
“We’re a fun club, but yes, we give back to the community by being out there and showing up for events,” Malo said, noting as well the krewe’s foundation, which raises money at the krewe’s annual ball. Money raised, she added, supports “deserving B-average students who don’t necessarily have the means to go to college because they’re working to help support their families.”
Linda Chion Kenney’ Photos
With their niece and her husband, Layla and Dylan Giloy, and their son, Atlas, Terry and Aaron Malo enjoy TOTS.
As membership chair, Malo said would-be pirates should reach out on the krewe’s website or Facebook page, contact a krewe member or show up at a monthly meeting. The 45-member krewe typically meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month at the Egypt Shriners Club, at 5017 East Washington St., Tampa. Krewe events include parades and other outings, which in 2006 included a preview viewing of Johnny Depp in the blockbuster film “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“We all dressed up in our krewe stuff, and it was so special,” Malo said. “Johnny Depp nailed it!” Decking out in pirate gear for krewe members includes fanciful clothes and hats to boot, decked out with pins and feathers that have meaning. One such “feather in her hat” for Malo marks her pirate ship marriage aboard the KSSM float in 2005.
Krewe life has become a legacy for the couple’s children, Dominic, 19, and Mia Melo, 17, who have attended parades since birth. Two for two is her husband, who has both a successful marriage and an enduring krewe to his credit, thanks to those kickoff meetings more than 20 years ago.
“I like krewe life,” Aaron Malo said. “For me, it’s really a way to get out there and have fun.” As for his membership pitch, “Life’s too short,” he added. “Be a pirate.”