MacDill Happenings

The Tampa Comic Book Convention takes place in Largo this Sunday from 10am to 4pm at the Minnreg Building, 6340 126 Ave.  This will be the ultimate place to be on Sunday if you are a comic book collector.  There will be 85 tables of comics, videos, toys, action figures, anime, Star Wars memorabilia, artwork, trading cards and more. Wear a costume you’re your favorite character and enter the costume contest. Meet Herb Trimpe (Wolverine artist), Georges Jeanty (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Gambit artist), Dick Giordano (Batman artist), Amanda Stevens (Web model) and more! There will be convention cash giveaways!  Parking is free.  The will be a snack bar in case you get hungry.  Admission for adults is $5 and 12 and younger are free.

If you’re thinking of taking a cruise, here is an offer from Disney that will require a quick decision. The catch is that you need to make your reservation by 22 Mar 09. Disney Cruise Lines is offering military discounts for active and retired members of the military. This offer is also good for the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and NASA (Kennedy Space Center and Houston). You can book up to 3 staterooms can be booked on one ID. Discounts are good from 3, 4 and 7 night cruises. Three night cruises run from $399-$499 per person. Four night cruises cost $549 per person. Seven night cruises run from $599-$999 per person. The ports of call on the 3 and 4 day Disney cruises are Nassau in the Bahamas and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. If this is your first cruise, then a 3 or 4 night cruise is great selection to make sure that you’ll like cruising. Since it’s Disney, this is a family oriented cruise. You’ll find kid, teen, family, and adult activities and first-rate amenities. Children and teens have their own exciting supervised activities and spaces. There’s even a nursery for infants to toddlers. There is a teenager only club and they enjoy their own excursions and activities. Adults can visit the spa and fitness center, or lounge by the adults-only quiet pool. There is an intimate music lounge and an elegant restaurant Palo. Prices are all inclusive so everything on the ship including food is included in the price. Dinner is served at three different restaurants and early seating is available for families with young children. Alcohol is not included in the price and must be bought separately. Watch a Broadway-quality musicals or an intimate lounge shows, family movies and talent nights, a thrilling on-deck pirate party and dazzling fireworks. On a 7 night cruise, you’ll visit three destinations. The first stop is  St. Maarten, anisland that is divided between the French and Dutch. You’ll also visit the island of St. Thomas (part of the U.S. Virgin Islands), with excursions to St. John. Finally, you’ll stop on Disney’s private island paradise at Castaway Cay. Don’t forget that you will need a U.S. passport!

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center will be presenting a musical performance of Junie B. Jones on Sunday 22 March. Based on Barbara Park’s Junie B. Jones books, this entertaining new musical follows Junie to first grade where she meets new friends and her new teacher. Junie B. Jones is a best selling series following Junie B. Jones adventures from when she first entered kindergarten to her present class in first grade. Junie B., as she is called, tells the stories of the comical aspects of childhood: fear of monsters, grammatical errors, dealing with siblings, the first day of school and innocent crushes. This series is an excellent way to get your children excited about reading and this musical will bring the stories to life! TBPAC is located on the eastern bank of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa and easily accessible from I-275, I-4 or the Crosstown Expressway. Tickets for this show are $8.50, $10.50 and $12.50. Show are at 2pm and 4pm and run approximately 90 minutes. Parking is available at several nearby lots or at the William F. Poe parking structure next to the German Library for about $4. If you can find a spot on the road on the north side of TBPAC, you can park at a metered spot. Metered spots are free during the weekends in Tampa.

Until May, on Friday’s from 10am to 2pm the Tampa Downtown Market will be open at Lykes Gaslight Square Park. Local farmers, producers, and artisans offer fresh agricultural and related products for sale. You’ll find a wide variety of vendors from Joes Oat Patties offering organic, vegan meat alternative mix, freshly squeezed organic limeade & lemonade, gluten free snacks to La Petite France offering gourmet French food featuring buckwheat crepes with assorted ingredients, sauces & specialty sandwiches to Fox & The Fig Catering offering a whole foods kitchen that brings all natural, gourmet soups and delights that are ready to eat or take home to The Proper Pie offering unique, handcrafted British & European Pies to The Dancing Goat offering fresh from the farm goat milk products, eEggs, handmade soap & organic produce from Sweetwater Community Farm. There’s also live music playing! There’s too many vendors to list, so stop by and take in the funny atmosphere and great products for sale!

MacDill AFB will open up its gates to AirFest 2009 on 28 & 29 Mar.  This is open to the public with free admission.  The headline performers will be the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds displaying their aerial prowess in F-16’s.  The tenative schedule for the Thunderbirds performance is 3pm to 5pm each day. On the tarmac, there will be dozens of static displays of planes and displays from the F/A-18 to the CH-53 to the V-22 to the C-17 to the U.S Army’s interactive combat simulator.  You can walk through or sit in most of the aircraft. Talk to a pilot or the crew and find out what it is actually like to fly in the planes.  Last’s total audience was around 250,000, so be prepared for a little bit of traffic.  The only entrance into the base will be the main gate on Dale Mabry.  Tampa police and MacDill AFB Security Police do a great job with traffic so that everything flows pretty smooth. Just have some patience in traffic, the show will be worth the wait. You can bring a cooler, but alcohol is not allowed.  There will be plenty of food concessions available if you don’t want to bring your own.  Make sure you bring chairs if you want to see the shows as well as sunscreen and hats.  A good idea is to use your children’s wagon to tote thing around if you plan on bring a lot of stuff.  The tarmac area is very large and you won’t be crowded.  

The Tampa Convention Center will host Florida’s Largest Golf Show from 20-22 March. Meet manufacturers and check out the latest equipment. Test the latest equipment and learn about new technology that will improve your game, all on Florida’s Largest Indoor Driving Range. You will have the opportunity to participtate in interactive clinics and seminars by PGA Professionals, as well as participate and win great golf prizes and vacation getaways in exciting golf challenges like long drive, putting, and closest to the pin contest. If you wanted to see what you look like when you swing, Golf Tec will be on hand demonstrating the latest technology in video swing monitoring. This is the first step to perfecting your game. Of course, you will also be able to buy hundreds of golf products at huge show discounts from clubs, shoes, apparel, to  accessory. Florida’s Largest Golf Show will offer something for everyone whether you are just learning the game or you have been playing for years. Parking is available at the Convention Parking Garage or at the South Parking Garage next to the Forum.  Hours on Friday and Saturday are 11am to 8pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.  Admission for adults is $10, seniors $9 and children under 12 are free.

Tampa Theatre’s Traveling Outdoor Picture Show will present Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Ark as part of their Sunset Cinema on 21 Mar at River Tower Park. Admission is free. Gates open at 6pm with the show starting at 8pm. This is the 1981 movie is the first movie of the Indiana Jones series starring Harrison Ford. Set in 1936, Indiana Jones, played Harrison Ford, battles Nazis who are searching for the Ark of the Convenant which they believe will make their army invincible. This movie co-starred Karen Allen who return in the most recent 2008 movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This a great time of year for an outside show. It’s not too hot and there aren’t a lot of bugs out either! Bring out your lawn chairs or blankets and food and drinks and make it a fun family night! Remember no alcohol is allowed in the park. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay will be on site holding a Pet Supplies Drive to accept donations of pet foods or supplies. Established in 1912, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay has helped millions of animals and their efforts grow each year. River Tower Park is on the banks of the Hillsborough River just west off of I-275 in the north part of Tampa.

The Chick-fil-A in St. Pete at 4241 Fourth St. N. is celebrating their 10th Anniversary this week with special offers and giveaways. On Monday you can receive a free miniature Chick-fil-A “Eat Mor Chikin” Cow with the purchase of a Chick-fil-A Meal while supplies last and they will have a bounce house set up from 5:30pm to7:30 pm. On Tuesday, every 10th customer will receive a free Chicken Biscuit from 6am-10:30 am or a free chicken sandwich from 10:30 am–10 pm. From 5:30-7:30 pm, the Family Night activity will be a Mad Science experiment with green slime and customers can get a free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult meal. On Wednesday, celebrate March Madness by playing a basketball shooting game for the chance to win free food or prizes from 11 am– 2 pm and 5:30–7:30 pm. On Thursday, you can receive free Chick-n-Minis (three-count) with any purchase from 6–10:30 a.m. On Friday, every customer who donates a canned food item gets a free chicken biscuit from 6–10:30 a.m. or a free chicken sandwich from 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m.

The Henry Plant Museum invites the community to bring lunch, coolers, chairs and blankets to enjoy an old fashioned Picnic in Plant Park on Sunday, March 15, from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Relax under the shade of the DeSoto oak tree in the old gardens of the Tampa Bay Hotel. Enjoy the old fashioned melodies of a Barber Shop Quartet, and see the live models dressed in authentic Victorian clothing. Test your Victorian sporting prowess with the challenges of hoops and sticks, horseshoes, badminton, checkers, jacks or tiddlywinks. Blue Bell Creameries will provide complimentary ice cream. Perhaps the highlight of the day in the park will be a 1:15pm outdoor performance by The University of Tampa Band’s Wind Ensemble. The 30-minute concert will conclude with 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky complete with cannon fire provided by the Gunners Guild Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. They will also play soundtracks from King Kong and Strategic Air Command March by Clifton Williams. At 2 pm enjoy live theater in the bamboo garden. It’s $1 Day at the Museum. Normal admission price is $5 for adults and $4 for children. Stroll through the Museum and see the complimentary video The Tampa Bay Hotel-Florida’s First Magic Kingdom or take the $4 audio tour. The Henry B. Plant Museum is housed in the 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel, now a National Historic Landmark and home to The University of Tampa. The Henry Plant Museum is located on the western bank of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa on Kennedy Blvd. The Museum closes at 4pm.

The Blue Wave Swim Team at the The Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center (BSAC) will host team tryouts on 14 Mar starting at 10:30am. All ages and skill levels are welcome. BSAC is the premier swim center in central Florida home to several U.S. Olympic team members and collegiate swimmers who have won 4 Olympic titles, 3 World Championships and 27 NCAA Championships. The Blue Wave team trains year-around, competing in approximately 15 meets per year. Swimmers train in groups based on age and level of proficieny. BSAC is a community-based non-profit organization that has been serving the Brandon area for more than 40 years. They provide not only athletic training but they also work on character development, physical and mental wellness. If you’re just looking for swim lessons, then The Peter Banks Gold Medal Swim School at the Brandon Sports and Aquatics Center offers a fully comprehensive learn-to-swim program beginning with students as young as 18-months old. An all encompassing mom-and-tot program for infants and toddlers is also available.