MacDill Happenings

Walt Disney World Resorts is offering special room rate for active duty and retired military personnel. On most nights until 27 Sept rates for a standard room will start at $64.00 per night plus tax for select Walt Disney World Value Resorts. Call IT&T at 813-828-1860 to book your room. Don’t wait as they will fill up quick. If you need a ticket to Walt Disney World attractions or any attraction in Orlando, then don’t forget to buy them at IT&T. You get a discount and don’t pay any sales tax. ITT is located at the MacDill AFB Exchange Mall. IT&T is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 10am to 3pm and closed on Sunday.

Sign up by Sept 19 for a Level 3 Kayak Training class on Sunday , 28 Sept from 9 am – 1 pm. Cost is $40 per person. This is a level 3 beginner’s introduction course to canoeing/kayaking. Meet at the Marina Activity Room, board a bus, and travel to Ft. De Soto. Ft. De Soto is not only beautiful, but an excellent place for beginners to hone their skills. The class will briefly review the canoe/kayak, equipment, strokes, and wet exits. Following the review time, students will load up equipment, go down to the beach, and put new found skills to the test.  Students will practice wet exits,basic self-rescue, and new additional strokes. Register NLT Fri, 19 September at the Outdoor Recreation office on the way to the base beach at 9909 Marina Bay Drive, Bldg 60.

The University of Tampa presents “Emerging Directors,” a showcase of the films by the most the promising young directors in the 2008 Independents’ Film Festival. The showcase includes a murder mystery in which two paparazzi pursue a mysterious figure caught on film near the scene of a murder in “No One Doubts the Camera Eye.”  “Fatal Love,” a film by  creating a love story with a twist. Other films include “Animal Instincts,” “Shy,” “Focus,” “W and the Freedom Fighters,” and “Blow’d Away.”  The University of Tampa is located on the bank of the Hillsborough River along Kennedy Blvd.  Free for UT students, faculty and staff and $7.50 for all others.  This event will take place at the Reeves Theater in the Vaughn Center.  Pay attention to parking signs. The University of Tampa is a medium-sized comprehensive, private university located on approximately 100 acres of prime riverfront land in the heart of downtown Tampa with more than 5000 students.

Hillsborough County Public Schools has events on the same date district wide to make it easier for the district to manage and plan events. For all elementary schools, Open House is Thursday 18 Sept.  For all middle schools, Open House is Monday 15 Sept.  This is great opportunity to see what your child has done so far, see their classrooms and more importantly see your child’s teacher.   Start times may vary by school but usually start anywhere from 5pm to 6pm, your child should receive a flyer on specific times or check your child’s school website.

Stop by Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Friday 12 Sept at 8pm and watch “The Wizard of Oz” for free displayed outside.  There will be refreshments available for sale, so no coolers are allowed.  You can bring chairs and blankets!  The Wizard of Oz is the 1939 classic movie with Judy Garland singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as she, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow search for a way for her to get back home to Kansas.  TBPAC is located along the banks of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa.  Parking is plentiful with several parking lots, a parking structure and limited parking along the streets behind TBPAC on E Polk near W Cass St.  Bring the whole family for a free fun event!  Since this will take place outside, the show could be cancelled if there is a lot of rain.

For an inexpensive night out, then check out the MacDill AFB movie theater this Friday.  “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” starring Brendan Fraser and Jet Li is playing at 7pm. This movie is rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence with a run time of 120 minutes. Brendan Fraser reprises his role as explorer Rick O’Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor, played by Jet Li, in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex, wife Evelyn and her brother, Jonathan. The O’Connell’s must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service. Admission for patrons 12 years and older is $4 and those 11 years and under pay $2. Don’t forget a large popcorn and two medium soft drinks is only $10.

If you want to get tickets at a great price for shows at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, you have until 20 Sept to buy them at 50% off!  These tickets are for select seating area and select performances, but you can’t beat the price.  Come watch Broadway shows like Stomp, Annie and the Wizard of Oz.  Listen to opera performances or listen the performance of Three Mo’ Tenors.  Watch the Russian National Ballet perform Giselle.  There are more than 45 performances to choose from!  Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center or TBPAC is located in downtown Tampa along the Hillsborough River. Parking is plentiful and nearby.  If you are thinking of eating before the show then there is a restaurant available with indoor and outdoor seating. 

Get ready for some fun entertainment this Saturday for free!  The USO and Sesame Street are teaming up to bring the muppets to MacDill AFB Theater at 2420 Florida Keys Rd.  The 60 minute show includes free giveaways and outreach material.   This show is open to active duty, Guard, reservists, DoD civilians, contractors, retirees and their families.  There are two shows: 3pm and 6pm.  Doors open 30 minutes before showtime.  Reservations are required!  Call A&FRC at 828-2721 or MFRC at 655-9281.  Photos taken for this show will be posted online at the Sesame Street website. 

To help celebrate Literacy Month in Florida, Florida State Parks is offering free admission visitors who bring a library card, library book or who donate a new or gently used family book until 13 Sep.  Florida’s state parks, along with local libraries and schools, will host a variety of events during September including book readings, author appearances and book exchanges. Books donated during Literacy Month will go to schools and libraries in need or be used for permanent book exchanges within state park collections.   In Tampa area, there are several parks including: Alafia River State Park, Collier Seminole State Park, Egmont Key State Park, Hillsborough River State Park, Little Manatee River State Park, Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, and Ybor City Museum State Park.  These parks offer the opportunity for fishing, camping, hiking and great sight seeing. 

If you are looking for a job and want to work on MacDill AFB, then one type of employment is Non-Appropirated Funds (NAF) jobs.  6th Service Support Squadron employs up to 400 people in NAF jobs on MacDill AFB.  Jobs that are open are updated each week online.  NAF jobs are typically jobs that support recreational activities and MacDill AFB community services like the Child Care Center.  Requirements for employment  include U.S. citizenship, two pieces of ID and minimum age of 16 years old.  There are some jobs that require a minimum age of 18.  Job applications can be submitted online or in person at the Human Resource Office on base at 1904 Golf Course Ave, Ste 104.  If you are unable to come on base due to lack of a military ID, then usually there is a Human Resource representative at the Visitor’s Center at the entrance to the Dale Mabry Gate on Tuesday’s from 8am to 10am.  The Human Resource Office can be reached at 813-828-2911.