Inside a former St. Petersburg railroad station awaits a classy date night that just turned dirty.

  • Morean Center for Clay is in St. Petersburg
  • Couples can get BYOB, create works of art
  • Participants return later to pick up kiln-fired sculptures
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Admittedly, there's bubbly.

"I brought champagne. You also brought champagne,” said Tommy Garvin, a computer IT engineer as he turned to his girlfriend, both wearing athletic shorts and an old T-shirt.

Here, you don’t need to come dressed to impress.

"We geared up for it,” Tommy said with a grin while getting in touch with his sensitive side next to girlfriend Jess Montero.

"I guess we could have brought snacks,” Jess thought aloud. “But I'm sure at one point, they would have had some clay on them."

The pair visited the Morean Center for Clay for "Friday Night Clay," where adults wind down the work week at a BYOB event.

"You forget about everything else around you, and you focus in on this one thing that is in front of you,” shared Matt Schiemann, the programming manager at the Morean Center for Clay.

Matt suggests participants leave their smart phones behind and pick up a paintbrush.

"An appreciation for the arts is what we're looking for,” he said about the event, which starts promptly at 7 p.m. each Friday.

"I have way more clay than I need,” Tommy admitted while straddling a potter’s wheel.

Tommy and Jess joined about 40 others spending time sculpting, sipping drinks, painting clay creations and spinning the potter’s wheel. The evening ends with a toast when folks leave their art behind.

Two to three weeks after Friday night, the artists will return to pick up their items, which have been fired and are returned with a coat of gloss on them.  A return visit guarantees a creative start as another weekend begins anew and an opportunity to get it right.

"It didn't come out nearly as well,” Tommy admits of the bird he sculpted, opting to toss the clay into a recycling bin. "There is so much more I want to do.”

And Tommy will have the chance again next Friday.

Know Before You Go:
The Morean Center for Clay limits the amount of participants each Friday night. Therefore, reservations are needed. Cost is $25 per artist. Adult beverages are not provided. Artists wishing to sip must furnish their own drinks and glasses. Classes start right at 7 p.m. and wrap at 9 p.m. sharp. Registration details here.

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