MacDill Happenings

Get your children ready for summer fun and protect them at the same time! Sign up for swimming lessons at the MacDill AFB swimming pool. The pool will be the one near the Family Service Center near Ration Ave and Cypress Stand Rd. Cost is $35 and you can sign up at Outdoor Recreation Bldg 60 which is on the way to Seascapes Beach Club at the MacDill AFB beach. Pre-school lessons are for 3-5 years. Level 1 Water Exploration and Level 2 Primary Skills are for 6 yrs and older. These classes are a half-hour long and are offered 17-20 Jun and 24-27 Jun. Level 3 Stroke Readiness and Level 4 Stroke Business are more advanced and each class is an hour long also offered during Jun. If you’re new to MacDill AFB, this is a great way to meet people!

On your actual birthday, you can receive free admission to Lowry Park Zoo and a free meal from Garden Grille, Paradise Café or Grub & Grog! Guests must present acceptable proof of birthday: driver’s license, birth certificate, passport or military ID. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. The Lowry Park Zoo is open each day from 9:30am to 5pm.  There are over 2,000 animals to see in a lush natural habitats.  There are also a variety of rides for adults and children to enjoy.  For the children, there are interactive exhibits from giraffe feeding to the Wallaroo Petting Center to the Discovery Center for smaller animals.  Have your children beat the heat by going to the two water play areas.  The Lowry Park Zoo is the number #1 family friendly zoo according to Child magazine.  The zoo is about 30 min north of MacDill AFB off of I-275.

If your high schooler or college student is looking for a job this summer, then have them attend the Youth Job Fair at MacDill AFB this Thursday 22 May.  Applications will be accepted from ages 14-21 years old.  The job fair is sponsored by The Airman & Family Readiness Center and Youth Activities.  The job fair starts at 3pm and ends at 5pm and will take place at the Youth Center at Bldg 382 which is at the corner of Bayshore and Hanger Loop Dr.  NAF and MWR will be looking for employees.  Besides MacDill AFB activities, there will also be civilian partner agencies looking to place you in a job off base.  If you want a job, make sure that you are dressed for success!  Don’t wear jeans, shorts or flip flops.  Make sure that you dressed in neat clean pressed clothes!  Consider bring a resume.  Applications may be filled out on the spot, so have references handy.

One of the best MacDill AFB MWR deals is the Bay Palms Golf Complex at MacDill AFB.  This summer First Tee Classes is offering Summer Junior Clinics is being offered 23-26 Jun, 14-17 Jul and 4-7 Aug by the YMCA.  Call the YMCA at 984-8655 for prices and availability.  Golf 4 Kids Class is sponsored by the Bay Palms Golf Complex from 30 Jun-2 Jul from 9am-12pm for 8-16yrs old.  Prices are $59 for the class or you can pay $139 which includes a set of Wilson golf clubs and the class.  Lunch is included each day.  Call the Pro Shop at 840-6904 for questions and for registration.  Special pricing after 2:30pm for 18 holes and a cart for E1-E4 is $10, E5-O3 is $13, O4 and up is $15 and Guests are $18.  Juniors pay $5.  There is also a 3 Guest and 1 military special for $125 after 11am on Sat, Sun and holidays which includes a hot dog lunch.  A bucket of balls is only $1 and the driving range has lights and is open 24 hrs a day.  Remember that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from noon to 1pm active duty military get free range balls and instruction!

On Sunday 18 May, checkout the YMCA Camp Cristina in Riverview on Balm River Rd from 1pm to 5pm. This is a great opportunity to try out all the activities available this summer at Camp Cristina and to also meet the staff. Try out the archery range, wall climb, horses, high ropes and more! You can see what programs are available and sign up if you are interested! Camp Cristina offers full-day programs for youth ages 6-15 as well as teen leaders in training, a program that helps teens prepare to work with and lead youth programs. All programs are available from 7am-6pm, June 9-August 15. Transportation to Camp Cristina is available free of charge from YMCA locations in South Tampa, Valrico, and New Tampa. YMCA Camp Cristina is a 66-acre outdoor adventure facility with unique features and programs in a beautiful natural setting. Exciting programs include teambuilding for corporations and organizations, a complete high ropes course, after school programs, a huge outdoor pool, youth sports, teen activities, summer programs, and much more. If you can’t make it this weekend, then stop by any weekday between 9 and 5 for a tour.

Watch the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” at Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, on the downtown waterfront, as part of Tampa Theatre’s Sunset Cinema series this Saturday 17 May. Fort Brook Park is behind the St Pete Times Forum. This is a free show and will be displayed on a 40ft screen! The movie starts at 8pm, but you probable want to come early to get a good seat. Enjoy the outdoors with friends and don’t forget to pack dinner! Alcohol is not allowed! Remember to bring some chairs or a blanket! Popcorn, soft drinks and candy will be available for sale. Pets are okay to bring along also. If you want to eat at restaurant before the show, there is a large varied selection at Channelside. For some great barbeque, there is Stump’s in Channelside. Also on the outside part of Channelside, you can help but not miss Hooters and don’t forget about Bennigans. The most inexpensive place to park is probably the multi-level parking structure across from Channelside. Parking there is $1 an hour.

You can’t beat the price of admission at the MacDill AFB movie theater! Admission is only $3.25. Snacks are also available at a great price, a medium soft drink and popcorn only costs $6. This Saturday at 7pm, watch the Leatherheads starring George Clooney and Renee Zelleweger. It is rated PG-13 for strong language with a run time of 114 minutes. In 1925, Dodge Connolly a charming, brash football hero is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse. The captain hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country’s attention. Carter Rutherford, a golden-boy hero, joins the team. This new champ is almost too good to be true, and Lexie Littleton, a cub journalist aims to prove that’s the case. But while she digs, the two teammates start to become serious off-field rivals for her fickle affections. Dodge must both fight to keep his guys together and to get the girl of his dreams. On Saturday at 3pm watch Superhero. It is rated PG-13 for crude/sexual content, comic violence, drug references, and language with a run time of 85 min. After being bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly, high school loser Rick Riker develop superhuman abilities like incredible strength and armored skin. Rick decides to use his new powers for good and becomes a costumed crime fighter known as “The Dragonfly.” However, standing in the way of his destiny is the villainous Lou Landers. After an experiment gone wrong, Lou develops the power to steal a person’s life force and in a dastardly quest for immortality becomes the supervillain, “The Hourglass.” At 7pm on Saturday watch Run Fatboy Run. It is rated PG-13 for rude/sexual humor, nudity, language, smoking and has a run time of 100 min. Dennis is a clueless and slightly overweight guy, who left his pregnant fiancée five years earlier. Every day, Dennis tries to persuade the woman he loves to accept him back into his life, but everyday he fails. When he discovers that Libby has found a partner in the form of American Whit, frustration grows, and Dennis vows, that for once in his life, he will finish something. This something ends up being a Nike River-run in London. With his friends Gordon and Mr. Ghoshdashtidar by his side, Dennis begins training for the marathon he must finish.

On Tuesdays at Walgreen’s in the Tampa Bay area, active duty military personnel receive a 15% discount on the cost of their purchase. Although you don’t see any mention of the discount on their website, there is a discount poster at stores in Tampa on Kennedy and Platt Streets, in Brandon on Brandon Blvd, and in Riverview on Providence Blvd and on at the corner of 301 and Gibsonton. The Riverview store on 301 and Gibsonton had the discount displayed on their electronic billboard. Stop by your local Walgreen’s and look for the poster advertising the discount at the entrance to your nearest store. With the price of shopping increasing each day, Tuesday can be a day to plan for shopping when you know you will get a good price on something. All items may not be subject to the discount. Prescription medicines will probably not receive the 15% discount. Milk is normally $3.99 a gallon, so with the discount the final cost should be about $3.39! Seems like there is a Walgreen at every other corner in Tampa, so no matter where you live in Tampa there should be a Walgreen’s nearby!

If you want to learn more about the Brandon community, then you might consider checking out the 2008 Brandon Business Expo and Taste of Brandon on Thursday 15 May. This event runs from 3:30pm to 8pm at the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Visitors will have the chance to sample delicious foods and explore local business exhibits. See the more than 200 exhibitors and 20 restaurants. Advance tickets are $10 or they can be purchased at the door for $15. Admission includes a beverage ticket, entry for prize drawings and vote in the “Taste Off” contest. Parking is $5 per car and $10 per RV or bus. Visitors should enter the Fairgrounds via the MLK Jr. Blvd entrance.

Try out the 6th Annual America’s Kids Run at MacDill AFB on 17 May. This run is free. The run takes place on the Bayshore Running Trail. Check in at the pier at 7:30am and the run starts at 8am. This is open to all families and children, 5-18 yrs old. 5-6yr olds will run 1/2 mile. 7-8 yr olds will run 1 mile. 9 yr olds and higher will run 2 miles. This is a great fun way to spend some time together. Everyone gets a t-shirt, but you have to register by 9 May at the Youth Center. Volunteers are still needed for this run. You can call 828-7956 for more information. This event is the largest children’s running event with world wide participation. This event was started in 1986 as way to get children to participate in running in Seattle, WA and is now a worldwide event. As part of Armed Forces Day activities in May each year, military dependents here in the United States, in Bahrain, Greece, Puerto Rico, Germany, Japan, Iceland, England, and Italy will participate in America’s Kids Run.