MacDill Happenings

The owners of Give A Dog A Bone in Apollo Beach on US 41 will be hosting a dog wash fundraiser for Critter Adoption and Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) this Saturday. The fundraiser will run from 11am to 2pm.  Give a Dog A Bone carries specialty products for dogs and cats using all natural dog/cat food and treats. Their products contain human grade meat, fruits, and vegetables with no by-products. They also bake all natural bones in the store daily using the freshest human ingredients. CARE is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter for abused and abandoned cats and dogs located in Ruskin. Save a lot of money, help out other animals and have a clean dog! You just can’t beat that! A washing costs $5, a conditioning treatment and afterbath spray is an additional $2. Cruzin’ K9 will clip doggy’s nails for $5. All the money raised will be donated to C.A.R.E. For more information, call (813) 641-3734.

If your looking to do something this weekend, then check out the MacDill AFB movie theater.  On Friday night at 7pm, “Made of Honor” starring Patrick Dempsey is playing. It is rated PG-13 for sexual content, and language. Run time is 101 minutes. Tom leads a good life; he’s sexy, he’s successful, and he knows he can always rely on Hannah, his delightful best friend and the one constant in his life. It’s the perfect setup until Hannah goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip… and Tom is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her. He resolves that upon her return, he’ll ask Hannah to marry him, but is floored when he learns that she has become engaged to a handsome and wealthy Scotsman and plans to move overseas. When Hannah asks Tom to be here “maid” of honor, he reluctantly agrees to fill the role… but only so he can attempt to woo Hannah and stop the wedding before it’s too late. Saturday night at 7pm, “Speed Racer” is playing.  This movies is rated PG for violent action scenes, language and smoking. Playing times is 98 minutes. Speed Racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win The Crucible, a car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer. Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents Pops and Mom. Speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend Trixie and enters The Crucible in a partnership with his one-time rival, Racer X, seeking to rescue his family’s business and the racing sport itself. Admission is $3.25 for all ages. A medium popcorn and drink is only $6!

This Thursday from 7pm to 9pm enjoy the concert series Music on the Beach at Sunset Beach Park at the end of Gulf Road in Tarpon Springs. Listen to Ron and The Classics who will be playing classic oldies from Frank Sinatra to Jimmy Buffett to Fleetwood Mac. There will be popcorn, hotdogs, chips and drinks for purchase or you can bring your own. However, alcohol is not permitted. You can bring your own food and enjoy dinner, music and the beautiful sunset. Bring your friends and family along! Don’t forget to bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Parking is free and there will be volunteers to assist with parking. These concerts can draw a few hundred to up to one thousand spectators, so don’t be late. Tarpon Springs is about a 45minute drive north of MacDill AFB.

All 9 Chipotle Mexican Grill locations in the Tampa Bay area are hosting a FREE DAY to show appreciation for those serving our country. Everyone with a military I.D. or wearing a military uniform is invited to visit the restaurants from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18 for a FREE burrito. Chipotle Mexican Gril’s main menu includes burritos, fajita burritos, tacos, salads and burrito bowls with a wide selection of tasty meats, fresh vegetables and beans! This is a great place for fast food that is healthy, doesn’t taste like fast food and is very affordable. The nearest Chipolte Mexican Grill to MacDill AFB is on Westshore Blvd near Kennedy Blvd across the street from Westshore Plaza.

Hurricane season started in 1 June in Florida and runs until the end of November. MacDill AFB will be hosting a Hurricane Awareness Night at 7:30pm this Wednesday at the MacDill AFB theater. After the presentation on hurricanes, Speed Racer will be shown for free! You can also have dinner at the theater with a hot dog and medium drink special available for $4. Although there are no major hurricanes forecasted to hit Florida this year and none have hit for the past 3 years, hurricanes are a fact of life in Florida. Families need to prepare themselves and their families, their homes and their pets. It is a good idea to have hurricane supplies like food, water, batteries, radios, lights and maybe a generator, ready in the unlikely event of a hurricane. Since power will probably be affected by a hurricane, it is also a good idea to have cash in case the ATM’s are down. You also need to map out your evacuation route. If you do have to evacuate, the roads will be probably crowded with other people evacuating.

If you want to take Dad out today and celebrate Father’s Day, there are a few free things to do in Tampa. At the Lowry Park Zoo, Fathers admitted free with purchase of full-price child’s ticket. Zoo hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm Sat.-Sun. Prices for adults are $18.95, seniors are $17.95 and kids from 3-11 are $14.50. At the Florida Aquarium in the Channelside District, Fathers gets in free with one full paid admission and make sure that you mention the discount before purchase. Sunday hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm. Adults pay $17.95, seniors pay $14.95 , and kids 3-12 pay $12.95 . After the Aquarium, you can treat Dad to dinner at on of the many excellent restaurants at Channelside. At the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Fathers ride vintage trains free with paid child admission. Sunday hours are 11 am to 2 pm. Sun.

Today from 9:30am to 2pm, come and meet the Buccaneers. Meet the 2008 Buccaneers, cheerleaders and Captain Fear at FanFest which features interactive games and attractions on the RayJay field. It’s free! Come and meet players and cheerleaders and engage in games and other activities on the field. It gets hot, and the autograph lines can be long for hot stars like Ronde Barber and Cadillac Williams, so get there early. There are two autograph periods. The first period is from 10am to noon and from noon to 2pm. FanFest annually draws more than 20,000 visitors to the stadium, but the well-organized autograph system allows most fans to get the signatures they desire. During each two-hour session, specific groups of players are stationed at four spots inside the air-conditioned Club Lounges, while another, much larger group of players and coaches are available in the Main Concourse between Gates A and D. Autograph voucher distribution begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Buccaneers ticket office outside the stadium between Gates C and D. Fans may enter the stadium through Gates C and D on the south side of the stadium. Free parking will be available in Lots 5 & 6 to the south of the stadium, with parking for disabled guests in Lot C. Raymond James Stadium is located at 4201 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa.

The Tampa Bay Rays are having a great year! They are in second place only two games behind the Boston Red Sox! The Florida Marlins are in town for a 3 game series starting Friday at 7:10pm, Saturday at 6:10pm and on Father’s Day at 1:40pm. Friday night is $1 hot dog night while supplies last. Fans also receive a Dioner Navarro poster, the young hot hitting catcher who is batting over .300 this year. After Saturday’s game, catch the Gilberto Santa Rosa concert. It is included with the price of your ticket as part of the Saturday Concert series. Sunday’s game includes a free Carl Crawford ticket. Every game includes free parking for cars with 4 people or more! It would be great time to come out support them . Come early and watch batting practice. The good thing about Tropicana Stadium is it is a domed stadium so that you don’t have to worry about the rain or the heat. Make sure that you buy your tickets at least 5 hours before the start of the game, because tickets bought within 5 hrs of game time get charged an additional $2. Tropicana, in St. Pete, is easily accessible from I-275 and is about 30 minutes away from MacDill AFB.

If you want to see the latest movies at a great price, then stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater.  Admission is only $3.25 a person.  On 13 Jun, the new comedy, “Baby Mama” is playing at 7pm and stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.  This movie is rated PG-13 for crude/sexual humor, language and drug references and has a playing time of 99 min. The story of two women, one apartment and the nine months that will change their lives. Successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook has long to put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, she’s finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly worker girl Angie Ostrowiski to become her unlikely surrogate. But the executive’s well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live.  On 14 Jun, “Deception” plays at 7pm starring Jack Hughman. This movie is rated R for sexual content, language, violence and drug use, and has a run time of 107 min. An accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance and multi-million dollar heist.

There a couple of great concerts at the St. Pete Times Forum the next two nights. On Wednesday, The Cure plays at the St. Pete Times Forum. 65daysofstatic opens the concert at 7pm. Tickets are $45 and $65. On Thursday night, Pearl Jam plays the Forum. Tickets are $69.75. Kings of Leon opens the concert at 7pm. The St. Pete Times Forum is located in the Channelside district of Tampa. Across the street from the Forum is Andrychek’s, a great bar and grill owned by the Tampa Bay Lighting hockey great. Newk’s Cafe has changed owners and has been re-named the Pit. Newk’s Cafe was great large bar and grill with a fun party atmosphere but calm enough to bring the family. If the Pit keeps the tradition then it should be worthwhile to eat at. Channelside right down the street from St Pete Times Forum and less than a 10 minute walk is packed with restaurants and bars and is great place before or after concerts. Across the street from Channelside is a multi-story parking structure that normally charges $1 an hour for parking. Picture compliments of Tampa Bay CVB