Looking for weird Tampa lore? Depths of Wikipedia to uncover local oddities
It doesn’t take long to find strange stuff about Tampa on Wikipedia. Just ask the Wiki queen herself, Annie Rauwerda. She’ll be in town, PowerPoint in hand, this Saturday to share her funkiest findings.
Rauwerda, a 23-year-old Brooklyn comedian, internet-famous brewer of perpetual stew and Wikipedia editor, has spent countless hours scouring the world’s free online encyclopedia for unusual nuggets. She shares her finds with 1.2 million followers on Instagram, with nearly a million more combined on TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter).
On her social pages you will find screenshot after screenshot of absurd Wikipedia excerpts: obscure traditions such as ugly men contests; haunting controversies, like the time the Dave Matthews Band tour bus dumped 800 pounds of human waste onto unsuspecting tourists cruising the Chicago River; and photos of animals in all sorts of situations and outfits, including taxidermy frogs playing pool.
The live version of this show Saturday will take the form of a comedic slideshow, including a hyper-local trivia portion. Topics will include Outback Steakhouse’s local origins, Guavaween, the mafia and Busch Gardens roller coaster drama.
“Just Googling around and keeping a running list, I feel like I’ve just been stumbling around all this goofy Tampa lore,” she said. “The more I read about it, the more I’m excited.”
If you go
Depths of Wikipedia Live with Annie Rauwerda takes place 6 p.m. Saturday at Side Splitters Comedy Club (12938 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa). Visit depthsofwiki.com for tickets. Prices range from $24 to $35, plus fees.
