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Submitted by DanielCabrera on Mon, 2021-12-20 12:12
Friday, Oct 15, 2021 - 04:00am
Tampa
Florida
By Dave Hutchinson:  I was thrilled with the great turnout to our Ybor City event at the J.C. Newman Cigar factory October 15. Thirty five Tampa Bay Section members and guests joined us for a tour of the last operating cigar factory in Ybor City, El Reloj. Opened in 1910, it was the largest cigar factory in the world and is an important part of Tampa’s heritage. Our tour included all three floors and the basement of this immense building with its historic clock tower, hence the name El Reloj. In addition to watching craftsmen hand roll cigars on the second floor, we were able to see workers using 100 year old rolling machines to create as much as 60,000 cigars daily. We also were shown the basement where the tobacco was fermented and aged. Our large group was split up into four groups with a docent for each group. Ours, Melia, was so knowledgeable and informative. All bases were covered by the folks at the factory. Masks were worn by all. There were elevators and ramps for those that needed a bit of extra help. We were given plenty of time to enjoy this true landmark and take pictures. Following our tour we split our group in two to dine at 2 wonderful Ybor City restaurants…the iconic original Columbia Restaurant and the newer Casa Santo Stefano Restaurant. The beautiful Casa Santo Stefano restaurant featured Sicilian fare in a historic macaroni factory. Of course, the Columbia has always been a favorite with our group with its delicious Spanish dishes.You are missing out if you aren’t taking advantage of our club events. We always try to come up with places that our members have never visited before. And, we are open to all new ideas for events which we discuss at our monthly meetings.