MacDill Happenings

The Manatee Festival of the Arts is back in Apollo Beach from 14 to 15 Mar. Artists from around the country will be exhibiting a wide variety of art from painting, sculpture, wood craving, leather to jewelry. Stop by the Children’s Art Show and the Children’s Creativity Center! There will be performing arts with great local musical talent providing live entertainment throughout the event. Stop by the Culinary Arts venue featuring top chefs from around the Tampa Bay area as well as Culinary Arts competitions. Of course, there will be wide variety of food available to purchase from BBQ to jambalaya to burgers. And since this the Manatee Festival of the Arts, there will be a shuttle to the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center to see the Manatees in their winter habitat where warm water is discharged from the eletric plant. The Festival will take place at the Tampa Electric SouthShore Community Events Center, 302 Noonan Branch Rd. This just a 1/4 mile south of the Electric Plant. Hours on Saturday are noon to 5pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Apollo Beach is located on the eastern side of Tampa Bay. Located just off of I-75, it is about a 40 minute drive from MacDill AFB or there is a nearby HART Express stop to take to downtown Tampa or MacDill AFB. With plenty of access to Tampa Bay, Apollo Beach is a perfect place for the boating or fishing enthusiast. Like all cities in Hillsborough County, all the schools in Apollo Beach are part of the Hillsborough Public School District.

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center continues their free Scene on the Green series with the movie “Annie” on 13 Mar.  Scene on the Green will get you ready for the stage version of “Annie” that will coming to TBPAC from 12-14 Jun.  Albert Finney and Carol Burnett star in the  1981 film version of the Broadway hit, Annie. In the film, Annie searches for her parents, but learns to love Daddy Warbucks instead, while singing her heart out about “Tomorrow.”  The movie will be played outside so in the event of rain or inclement weather the film could be cancelled or rescheduled.  Food and drinks will be available at concessions for purchase.  Sorry, but coolers are not allowed.  But you can bring your own chairs or blankets!  TBPAC is in downtown Tampa along the beautiful eastern bank of the Hillsborough River.  It is easily accessible from I-275 or the Crosstown or a 15 minute drive from MacDill AFB.  Parking is available in nearby lots or on the street on the northside of TBPAC.

The 22nd Annual Bark in the Park takes place on 14 Mar at Al Lopez Park from 8:30am to noon. Help raise funds for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and have a doggone good time while doing it. Collect donations to help the Humane Society of Tampa Bay provide shelter, food, spay/neuter services and medical care for the thousands of dogs and cats that are relinquished to shelters in our county each year. There will be pet costume contests, demos, vendors and more. Bring your pets out so that they can enjoy time with other pets. There is a one mile walk fundraiser begining at 10 am with a pet costume contest immediately after the walk.  The Humane Society of Tampa Bay was established in 1912 as the Hillsborough County Humane Society with the mission “to enforce the law applicable to the prevention of cruelty to children and cruelty to all animals of any description, capable of suffering, and to do everything and anything which is legal to prevent cruelty and harsh treatment to children and animals.” It is one of the oldest corporations in the state of Florida. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay has a “No Kill for Space” program which means that no adoptable animal will be enthanized to make room for another coming through the door.

The Tampa Bay Fossil Club is sponsoring the FossilFest at the Florida State Fairgrounds this weekend with fossils and artifacts from Florida’s prehistoric people, as well as gems and minerals. The mission of FossilFest is to introduce to the public, Florida’s prehistory and the wealth of fossils that our state has to offer. Seminars will be conducted on Saturday and Sunday when fossil club members will teach how and where to legally hunt for fossils and artifacts, and how to identify them and prepare them for display. Check out the children’s fossil mine. Kids can to dig through a sand pit and recover authentic fossils donated by club members. Children can have their fossils identified and bagged for the ride home. There will also be door prizes, raffle prizes, and a silent auction. FossilFest will host Florida Blood Services who will be on hand to accept donations for the communities blood supply on Saturday, March 12th. FossilFest will appeal to anyone who frequents the Discovery Channel, loves science and nature, or has a penchant for history and adventure. The Tampa Bay Fossil Club is a family oriented organization focused on paleontology, archaeology, and the natural sciences in general. Meetings are held monthly at the University of South Florida and feature prominent speakers from many areas of science. The Tampa Bay Fossil Club awards two annual scholarships to University of South Florida students working in the field of paleontology and geology.Show hours are from 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm Sunday at the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds.  The Fairgrounds are easily accessible and are located at the southwest intersection of I-4 and U.S. 301 in northern Tampa. Admission is $5, 12 and younger free.

Take a unique ride on the Tampa River Taxi this Friday as it turns into a floating happy hour!  Take a little mini-cruise with your friends enjoying the sights and sounds of the beautiful Hillsborough River.   Meet the boat at Cafe Dufrain, 707 Harbour Post Drive on Harbour Island, at 5 pm or at one of the stops on the Hillsborough River as it makes it way to Rick’s on the River, a Tampa institution. Rick’s on the River has the experience of old Florida just minutes from downtown Tampa.  With its own marina and dock, Rick’s large outdooor deck is perfect for enjoying the great Spring weather with food and a drink. You’ll find a mix of local residents and boaters on their way back from the Gulf. Listen the live music, usually classic rock, and enjoy the selection of food from American to oysters on the half shell.  The taxi boat will stay at Rick’s for about an hour before returning.  Stop on the river with approximate arrival times are Tampa Convention Center at 5:15pm, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center at 5:25pm, and then the Heights of Tampa Bay at 6 pm before the final stop at Rick’s on the River. Cost is only $5.  There is a limit of 40 passengers,  so call (813) 369-8294 to reserve a spot. Learn more at their website www.TampaRiverTaxi.com.

Stop by the Florida State Fairgrounds to see the Home Show!  Held in the Expo Hall, the Spring Home Show provides a one-stop marketplace to see the latest products and services in remodeling, decorating, landscaping and furnishings for the home. If you planning to build, remodel, decorate, landscape or just want some new ideas, then this is the place to be.  There will be more than 950 exhibits and a chance to talk one-on-one with the experts.  If you’re thinking of landscaping, this is the perfect time of year to do it in Florida, before it gets too hot!  If you’re interested in new ideas, then bring a pad and pencil or even a camera to help you remember all the innovative ideas.  Show hours are Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Ticket prices are $8 for adults; seniors ages 55 and up pay $7 each, and children under 12 enter free with an adult. Parking is $5 per car or $10 per RV or bus. Visitors should enter the Fairgrounds via the U.S. Highway 301 entrance. 

This weekend is the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in downtown Tampa at Franklin St and Lykes Gaslight Square Park. This event is free. The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts showcases 300 of the nation’s and world’s most talented artists who setup an outdoor art museum in downtown Tampa.  Over 100,000 visitors come to the free festival to take in art displays, live entertainment, children’s activities and food vendors.  This festival is one of the country’s premiere outdoor art events.  This first show took place in 1971.  Art that will be displayed includes ceramic, digital, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor and wood. There is a total of $75,000 of prize money to be awarded. Performers for 2009 include: North2South, Kraig Kenning, Bus Stop, John Bennett, Folk by Association, The Line, Ocean Road Band, Blake School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble and Opera Tampa. Coordinated by the Tampa Museum of Art, the Children’s Activity Area provides children the opportunity to learn techniques from artists. There will be hands-on activities for children including clay, printmaking and 3D scultpture.  FOTA (Friends of the Arts of the Tampa Museum of Art) sponsors the “FOTA Food Court.” Many other specialty vendors are also on site providing food and beverages, with all proceeds benefiting the Festival and the Tampa Museum of Art. On Saturday, hours are 9am to 6pm and on Sunday from 10am to 5pm.  Metered parking is free during the weekends in Tampa, but there are some nearby parking lots.

Every Tuesday the Tijuana Flats restaurant in New Port Richey hosts “Yappy Hour”.  “Yappy Hour” runs from 4pm to 7pm and takes place on the outside patio.  Pets and pet owners are welcome to come out socialize together with other pets and share a meal.  Please have you pets on a leash and be prepared to pickup after your pet. If you haven’t been to a Tijuana Flats then you will find good food, reasonable priced, served quickly, friendly employees and a fun atmosphere.  When you enter a restaurant you’ll go straight to the register and place your order. The food is served in a basket lined with paper. Cups are styrofoam.  You’ll also throw away your own trash at the of meal.  However, a server will bring your meal to your table, and refill your drinks. The menu is not too large and intended to be quick.  Portion sizes are generous and the food is made with fresh ingredients.  A great appitizer choice is the nachos which are also refilled for free.  There is a free salsa bar so you can chose mild to hot to go with your meal.  The meals are pretty inexpensive from $5-$7 and is a great place to bring the kids.  Alcohol is served, so of course you can get that margarita if you really want to get in the mood!  You can also order takeout if you can stay.

There aren’t a whole lot of things free or without a catch.  But Quiznos is offering free subs! The original offer was for 1 million subs.  So far a little less than 500,000 subs have been given away. There is a little tracker on Quiznos web page that shows how many subs they have given away. To get the free sub, you need to register online for a coupon and then print out the coupon. You also have to use the coupon within 5 days of printing it out. You will receive an e-mail with the coupon. You can send out the e-mail to your friends so that they can get their free food. Quiznos is usually a pretty inexpensive choice when eating out with 20 subs under $5. They have 37 items on their menu including salads. Quiznos is known for toasting their sandwiches.  There are at least 28 stores in the Tampa Bay area with some locations offering delivery. Don’t wait, print out your coupon now to get that free sub!