MacDill Happenings

The Tampa Convention Center will host 8 On Your Side Health and Fitness Expo on 27 & 28 Feb.  The Expo is free! You will find the latest offerings in running shoes and clothing. The Nike Gait and Stride Analysis to help you take a look at your running form and how to improve and be more efficient will be available.  Leading health and fitness professionals will be on-hand to help you with your decision on your health and fitness. Tampa General Hospital will offer complimentary blood pressure testing and total screenings for blood surgar and cholesterol to the first 1,000 people.  There will be plenty of free goodie giveaways.  The Expo is being held in conjuction with the Gasprilla Distance Race Weekend.  Runners can pickup their packets at this event.  If you haven’t registered for the races, you can still register online or at the Expo.  The 15K and 5K runs will take place on Saturday 28 Feb and the Marathon and Half-Marathon will take place on Sunday 1 Mar.  Race packets include your race bib which ChronoTrack timing tags, final race instructions and safety pins.  To pickup your bib, make sure you bring a copy of your e-mail confirmation and photo ID.  Parking is available across the street from the Convention Center at the Tampa Convention Center Garage.

A Florida tradition since 1930, the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City is open from 26 Feb to 8 Mar. This annual event is one of the top strawberry festivals in the country and ranks as one of the top 50 fairs in North America.  The Festival has something for everyone from headline concerts to rides on the midway to delicious foods found only at a fair! There are exhibits of agriculture, commerce, industry, livestock, fine arts, horticulture, and crafts. And don’t forget the ripe delicious strawberrys!  Enjoy strawberry ice cream, strawberry pies, strawberry preserves and strawberrys and cream!  Playing during various days during the Festival are: George Jones, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brohters, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kellie Pickler, Jake Owen, Third Day, Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, Jim Ed Brown/Helen Cornelius, Randy Travis, Marty Stuart/Connie Smith, Travis Tritt, Brenda Lee, Ray Stevens, Mel Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Ronnie McDowell, Jeff Foxworthy, Mark Lowry, Kool & the Gang, Trent Tomlinson (free with gate admission!) and Jessica Simpson.  Tickets to the concert range in price from $10 to $30 and can be purchased online. Gate admission is $8 for adults and $4 children ages 6-12.  Stop by your local SWeetBay supermarket and purchase tickets for for $2 cheaper!

http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/

Stop by your favorite IHOP on 24 Feb to celebrate National Pancake Day!  From 7am to 10pm, you can receive one free short stack, 3 buttermilk pancakes, for free. National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.  You are asked to consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through the Children’s Miracle Network, or other local charities.  Last year, IHOP raised more than $875,000 during National Pancake Day.  This year’s goal is $1 million! There are 10 IHOP locations to choose from in the Tampa Bay area!

Get ready for the start of a new season! This has to be the most anticipated season for the Rays as they get ready to defend their American League Championship. The Rays are starting their first workouts at their new spring training facility in Port Charlotte. For the first time in Rays history, all Rays major and minor league players  will be training at the same facility. You can imagine what a positive effect this could have for minor league players as they learn from the veterans and develop that unique Rays team mentality.  Until Feb 24, the Rays will have a daily workout starting at 9:30am.  Parking lots open at 9am.  Admission to the workouts is free.  The Rays open their Grapefruit League play on 25 Feb against the Cincinnati Reds in Port Charolotte with the opening pitch scheduled for 1:05pm.  Tickets cost from $9 to $23.

John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa presents its annual Musical Explosion Tour at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. Featured musicians and entertainers include Venus Jones, accomplished author, speaker, poet, feminist, actress, and Myron and Natalie Jack. Admission is free. This annual library event showcases some of Tampa’s finest musicians and entertainers celebrating the roots of Blues, Jazz, Soul, Rock and Gospel, all the way down to Hip-Hop. Featured musicians and entertainers include Venus Jones, Myron & Natalie Jack. The 140,000 square foot John F. Germany Public Library serves as the reference hub and resource center for all citizens of Hillsborough County and as the flagship library of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System. The staff will be answer your basic information requests and assist you with in depth research for school, business or personal projects. The John F. Germany Public Library is home to several in-depth research and local history collections. There are also computer labs and PCs for electronic access and learning. Meeting rooms are available for public use. A permanent art collection enhances the ambience of the facility, and rotating exhibits in the Louise & Arnold Kotler Art Gallery on 2 East exhibits the works of local and regional artists. You can also purchase bargain books at Grover’s Corners, the Friends of the Library Bookstore, located on 1 East.

Stop by the University of Tampa on Feb 20 & 21 for the Spring Dance Concert. On Friday, the concert starts at 8 pm with a Saturday matinee on Feb. 21 at 2 pm. Admission is free. All performances are at UT’s David Falk Theatre, on Kennedy Boulevard opposite the campus. The annual Spring Dance Concert features choreography by UT faculty and guest artists, with performances by UT students. Dance styles include ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and tap. 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. It is the school of choice for 5,800 students from 50 states and U.S. territories and almost 100 countries. More than half of undergraduates are from Florida. Approximately 70 percent of full-time students live on campus. The University offers more than 120 majors, minors and pre-professional programs through a strong core curriculum rooted in the liberal arts. An Evening College presents degree programs to adults who want to study part-time at night. Graduate degrees are offered for Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Marketing, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Innovation Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management. The MBA program is one of the largest in Florida and is one of the elite private schools in the Southeast to have AACSB accreditation.

Spring time is around the corner in Florida. This cold spell won’t last forever! If you look at your lawn and garden and wonder if the grass will ever get green or wonder if the flowers will every bloom, then ask the experts at the Pinellas County Extension’s Lawn and Garden Department.  On 19 Feb, they are presenting a Landscape Design Clinic from 6pm-8:30pm.  The class will have landscape designers will be on hand to review your plans and ideas as well as assess plant selections based upon the design principle of Right Plant/Right Place. The Pinellas County Extension’s Lawn & Garden Department provides educational programs and publications to encourage the use of Florida-Friendly landscape practices and promote conservation of our precious natural resources. Through the combined efforts of Urban Horticulture, Florida Yards & Neighborhoods, Pinellas County Master Gardeners, and Commercial Horticulture the Lawn & Garden Department provides research based information to help citizens improve the quality of life in their community. Check ou their website for help information or consider taking a class.

Come out and support USF basketball on 18 Feb at the USF Sun Dome.  Tip off time is 7pm against perennial basketball power Georgetown.  USF just had the biggest upset in school history when they defeated No. 8 Marquette 57-56 on 6 Feb.  Look for the Bulls to continue to fight to end in every game!  The University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.  If your going to be a freshman or looking to transfer, now is the time to apply!

As the high school and college graduation season approaches or for any upcoming special event, Bayside Catering on MacDill AFB may be the prefect solution for your catering needs. If you want to hold a celebration on MacDill AFB, there are 3 unique facilities: The Bayshore Club, Surf’s Edge Club and Seascapes Beach Club. The Bayshore Club offers fine dining in a classic, casual environment with several large rooms or a large dining area that can be tailored to your needs. The Surf’s Edge Club is a blend of modern and traditional with a Boomer’s Bar and Grill and an elegant ballroom. Seascapes Beach Club offers a Floridian cafe located on the water with great view of the scenic view of the bay. You don’t have to use any facility on MacDill AFB, your food items can be delivered to your off-base site as well. The food prices on the website can help you build your own complete menu that fits your budget. Start planning today if you want to use a facility on base you can reserve for the exact day you want it!

Come out and support the hometown team against the Chicago Blackhawks at the St. Pete Times Forum on 17 Feb. Game time is 7:30. Before you go to the game, stop by the MacDill AFB ITT office for discount tickets. ITT office hours are Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-3pm and closed on Sundays. After a rough start, the Lightning are starting to gel and are playing more competitively. If you want to make it a complete night, then there are plenty of outstanding eating establishments near the Forum. Right across the street, there are two great bar and grills, The Hut and Andreychuk’s. Both places should be packed with fans getting ready for the game. Just east of the Forum is Channelside with a wide range of offerings from Hooter’s to Gallagher’s with everything in between. Parking is available right next to the Forum at the Regional South Garage or at the parking structure across the street from Channelside.