ST. PETERSBURG -- A few detours, a large police presence, and
thousands of feet of barricade surrounding the newly renovated Mahaffey
Theatre have interrupted daily life in the downtown area as
preparations continue for tonight's presidential debate.

Joggers and cyclists, forced away from the waterfront, are now
sharing a stretch of road with the homeless as they continue to their
ongoing sidewalk protest.

Well-groomed reporters have begun to funnel from the arriving local news vans.

Hundreds of people, many displaying national media credentials
around their necks, usher to and from the theater, thumbing feverishly
at BlackBerry's and cell phones, maintaining constant contact as
showtime draws near.

Citizens, meanwhile, are relegated to outside the barricades, where
a small smattering has started to arrive on the corner of First Street
and Fourth Avenue S. Some are curiosity seekers. They don't have to
look far.

On the corner, a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln slips a business
card in his jacket, behind the "Vote for Lincoln" button pinned to his
black topcoat. The same man exchanges business cards and debates the
meaning of faith with an older man dressed in a blue blazer and khaki
pants.

"I know you sir," he tells the fake Abe. "I know your background."

Down
the street and clad in her trademark white-and-silver sequins, local
protester "Princess Yahweh" tows a toy unicorn atop a makeshift
skateboard, campaigning against balding men and dark forces. News
crews, approaching her for an interview, quickly retreat.

Curiously absent this afternoon, however, are protesters and college
students, said 26-year-old Andrew Yadzyn, a recent University of South
Florida graduate.

"To see the lack of young people really is a surprise," said Yadzyn,
pointing toward the nearby USF St. Petersburg campus. "There's a
college campus less than a mile away."

Fielding several calls while sipping a large coffee drink from a
nearby Starbucks, Yadzyn is trying to get friends to join him for the
scheduled Ron Paul rally later this afternoon. He's offering to by them
dinner.

"I want people to get enlightened," he said. "Or, at least have an opinion."

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer