MacDill Happenings

Today the largest bicycle festival in Tampa Bay, Bicycle Bash by the Bay, will take place in Vinoy Park from 11 am to 4 pm on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront. This festival is for all type of bicyclists from bike commuters and roadies; mountain bikers and single-speeders; fat-tire cruisers and recumbent cyclists.  Highlights include a drawing for two free bicycles, a bicycle donation station, the city’s bike rodeo where the City of St. Pete will pass out free bike helmets for children from noon to 2pm and several demos on topics such as fixing a flat and bike commuting. Check out the swap meet where you can buy inexpensive used bikes and gear. Drop off your old bike that you no longer want to pedal at a bike donation station and get a free prize. Of course there will also be music, and food!

This weekend checkout the 29th Annual Marine Max Clearwater Jazz Holiday in Coachman Park in Downtown Clearwater. On Saturday, gates open at 2:30pm. The schedule is:
3:45pm to 5:00pm Ken Loomer Big Band
5:30pm to 6:45pm Grace Kelly Quintet
7:15pm to 8:45pm Brubeck Brothers Quartet
9:15pm to 10:45pm Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
10:45pm Fireworks show
On Sunday, October 19th, the gates open at 1pm. The schedule on Sunday is:
1:45pm to 2:30pm REH/CJH Jazz Youth Band with Billy Norris
3:00pm to 4:15pm The Venturas
4:45pm to 6:00pm Eldar Djangirov Trio
6:30pm to 8:00pm Joey DeFrancesco Trio
8:30pm to 10:00pm Patti Austin and the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Orchestra
The admission is free! Vendors will be selling sausage and peppers, pizza, deep fried turkey drumsticks, beer, wine, ices and ice creams, etc. – all of the foods you’d typically find at a fairground and then some.  There will be some seating available.  Because of the popularity of this event, you might want to bring some of your own chairs or blankets.

Come out with the children and enjoy the Fall Festival at Old Hyde Park Village in South Tampa this Saturday from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Enjoy activities like a moon bounce, balloon sculptors, trick-or-treating, and more! There will also be a pumpkin patch which is open until the 31st! For two weeks, you will find plump pumpkins, pets in costume and fun photo opportunities. This benefits the Humane Society of Tampa Bay so bring your pets and children enjoy all the activities and fun! Parking is free!

If you want to check out some inexpensive movies this weekend, then stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater.  On Friday at 7pm, “Bangkok Dangerous” starring Nicholas Cage is playing. This movie is rated R for strong violence,and sexuality with a runtime of 99 minuites. Nicholas Cage stars as Joe, a remorseless hitman is in Bangkok to execute four enemies of a ruthless crime boss named Surat. He hires Kong, a street punk and pick pocket, to run errands for him with the intention of covering his tracks by killing him at the end of the assignment. Strangely, Joe, the ultimate lone wolf, instead finds himself mentoring the young man while simultaneously being drawn into a tentative romance with a local shop girl. As he falls further under the sway of Bangkok’s intoxicating beauty, Joe begins to question his isolated existence and let down his guard just as Surat decides it’s time to clean house. On Saturday at 3pm is the action movie “Traitor” starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. This movie is rated PG-13 for violence, thematic material, and language with a run time 114 minutes. When straight arrow FBI agent Toy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samic Horn. The inter-agency task force looking into the case meets with Carter, a veteran CIA contactor who seemingly has his own agenda and Max Archer, a fellow FBI agent. The task force links Horn to a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, but a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his quarry is a disaffected former military operative or something far more complicated. On Saturday at 7pm is the comedy “Disaster Movie“. This movie is rated PG-13 for crude/sexual content, language, drug references, and comic violence with a run time of 90 minutes. Comic misadventures of a group of ridiculously attractive twenty-something’s during one fateful night as they try to make their way to safety while every known natural disaster and catastrophic event — asteroids, twisters, earthquakes, the works — hits the city and their path as they try to solve a series of mysteries to end the rampant destruction. Admission is only $4 for patrons 12 years and older and $2 for those 5-11 years old. Remember a large popcorn and 2 medium soft drinks is only $10.

Get ready for Fall and Halloween at the Hunsader Farms 17th Annual Pumkin Festival on 17, 18, 19 and 25 Oct.  The events runs from 9am to 5pm each day. There will be more than 150 craft booths selling a wide variety of goods.  Come out and see the corn maze, butterfly experience, scarecrow displays, children’s train ride, circus tent, clogging shows, and charity pumpkin games.  Walk through the pioneer trades village and see the antique engines.  There will be hayrides and pony rides.  There will be a farmers market will fresh produce for sale.  For the childrnen, there will be a barnyard playground and petting zoo.  Admission is $7, but children 12 years old and younger are free. Parking costs $4. Hunsader Farms is located 10 miles east of I-75 in Bradenton. 

During the month of October, MacDill AFB Bay Palms Golf Complex is offering any in-stock golf club or set for 15% off!  If don’t see anything that you want, then they are also offering 10% off any special order golf club or set, excluding Pings.  If you have children that you want to introduce to golf, don’t forget that on Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 there is a Junior Golf Clinic available for $3 per child.  They will be shown the basics of the game, putting, chipping and driving.  And depending on the instruction timeline, the golf pro will also take the children onto the 17th & 18th hole of the North course and parents are welcome to follow along. If you have any questions, call the Pro Shop at 840-6904.

All you bowlers out there MacDill Lanes is holding a bowling tournament this Saturday starting at 5:30pm!  Don’t wait till the last minute to practice or sign up.  The bowling alley is open Monday from 11 am – 5 pm,Tuesday thru Thursday from 11 am – 8 pm and Friday from 11 am – Midnight. During the weekend, hours are Saturday from 1pm to Midnight and Sunday from 1pm to 8pm.  There are 12 lanes to chose from. The Pro shop has the latest balls, bags, shoes and other bowling accessories to meet your bowling needs. The ball measuring and drilling are also available. And of course there is a Snack Bar in the bowling alley with some very reasonable prices for food and drinks. The entry is fee for the tournament is $15.  For more info call 828-4005. MacDill Lanes is located right across the street from the MacDill Fitness Center.

Although school just started, believe or not the school year can go by pretty fast especially as kids study for exams, participate in after school activities, and finally get to enjoy being upperclassmen!  The school year will also seem faster if you don’t plan for the future!  Seniors are getting ready to go out and become young adults.  Believe it or not, Juniors also need to prepare to ensure that they graduate and get ready for their senior year in high school.  Hillsborough County Public Schools has developed a checklist to help parents and students plan and prepare for key events during the school year.  This checklist can be used no matter school district your child attends.  There are separate checklists for Juniors and Seniors. Two important timeframes on the Senior checklist are when to apply for college and when to apply for financial aid.

If you’re looking for something to do with the whole family on Sunday, then stop the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in downtown Tampa to watch Rumpelstiltskin with shows starting at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.  Tickets start at $7.50!  You can’t beat this price for a live show the entire family will enjoy. In this entertaining show, Gracie, the baker’s daughter, learns valuable lessons in this original musical. It isn’t nice to brag or boast. And never make promises you can’t keep. TBPAC is located on beautiful Hillsborough River right off of I-275. As the largest performing arts complex south of the Kennedy Center, the 335,000 square-foot TBPAC provides an environment for a wide variety of world-class events. It boasts one of the nation’s leading Broadway series and is nationally respected for producing grand opera, as well as presenting a wide variety of concerts, performances and events. Parking is convientently located next the theater.

The Asia Pacific Rim Festival takes place at the England Brothers Bandshell Park at 5121 80th Ave. N Pinellas Park from 10am to 10pm this Saturday and 11am to 8pm on Sunday.  Admission is free.  The festival includes samplings for small fee of ethnic Asian cuisine, displays, arts and crafts, fashion shows, martial arts demonstrations, music and an Asian beer garden. Represented cultures include Chinese, Fijan, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Thai, Tongan, Taiwanese and Vietnamese.  Come out and enjoy the delicious food and learn about other cultures.