MacDill Happenings

Tampa Bay Rays Family Fun Days will place on Sundays this 2009 season. This Sunday come out to Tropicana Field to watch the Rays battle the Boston Red Sox at 1:38pm. The Family Fun Day ticket offer is $25 for an outfield seat and a voucher for a hot dog, soft drink and a snack. On all Fun Days, there will be a face painter, clown, stilt walker and mascots in the Rotunda. This game’s promotion giveaway is a Rays Baseball Card Team set. And the first 10,000 kids 14 and under can run the bases after the game. During any game, there are plenty of activities for the kids along Left Field Street and Right Field Street. At the Louisville Slugger Wood Shop you can get your own Louisville Slugger with your name engraved on it. Or step into the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone and try playing some stickball. There is the Raymond’s Art Studio where kids can make their own arts and crafts including signs to cheer on the Rays! If you can’t make during a Fun Day and you are in the military, then military personnel with an ID can purchase up to 4 half-price outfield seats to any regular game. If you have a total of 4 people in your car, remember to come out early and park for free at Tropicana Field. It’s a great place for a tailgate party before the game. If you get there early enough, you might be able to park near a patch of grass.

On 1 May, start your May right and stop by SeaScapes Beach Club on MacDill AFB for free live entertainment outside at the Tiki Hut. From 5:30pm and 9pm Tommy “Bahama” Arnold will be playing beach music, new country, Motown and classic R&B. Take in the scenic view of Tampa Bay, while dining in the tropical atmosphere of SeaScapes. You don’t have to face the traffic or crowds like you find at other waterside venues. Sip delicious cocktails, or dine on delectable fare, while enjoying a magnificent view of the setting sun on the bay. A wide selection of menu items for dinner include grouper, seafood platters, coconut shrimp, grilled chicken and much more! You can’t beat the bar prices! SeaScapes is located at the MacDill AFB base beach and next to FamCamp. It’s a real casual atmosphere so beach wear is fine, remember this is Florida! It’s a great place to enjoy as a couple or bring the whole family!

Blake High School, the Hillsborough County Public School District’s Magnet Performing and Visual Arts high school, is presenting “Gypsy” on Thursday and Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 2pm and 7pm. Musical theater departments students will be performing and are in charge of stage management. The Arts program includes Visual, Performing and Communication Arts. Blake HS is located near downtown Tampa and easily accessible from I-275 with bus transportation from all locations in Hillsborough County. Hillsborough County Public Schools provides bus transportation to all Magnet schools from any location in the county. Gypsy is based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with “the ultimate show business mother.” The musical contains many songs that became popular standards, including “Small World,” “Everything’s Coming up Roses”, “You’ll Never Get Away from Me,” and “Let Me Entertain You.” It is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-20th century’s conventional musical theatre art form, often called the “book musical.” Ticket prices are $12, and $7 for students and Seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at the school the day of the show.

This year’s free Fun N’ Sun concert takes place in Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater on 1 May from 7pm to 9:30pm.  This is the 56th edition of Clearwater’s Fun N’ Sun Festival.  The festival had its origins in parade to keep the tourists around a little longer. Due to budget cuts, there is no parade, but there is plenty of entertainment. Venders will be serving food, beer and other refreshments. Whether you enjoy jazz, oldies, or country music, Coachman Park is the place to be.  On Friday, come out listen classic performances by Tommy James & The Shondells, Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits and Thelman Houston. The gates open at 5 pm. The event is free, but limited reserved seats can be purchased for $20 at Ticketmaster.   Coachman Park is located on the waterfront in downtown Clearwater and is accessible from Drew Street or via Cleveland Street (State Road 60). Clearwater is the county seat of Pinellas County and is located on the highest coastal bluff in Florida and has a population of over 108,000 residents. The city is a gateway to some of the most beautiful beaches on the west coast of Florida and about a 40 minute drive from MacDill AFB.

Club Art for Teens program is sponsored by the Tampa Museum of Art. The program is held at Jefferson High School and runs from 3:30pm to 5:30pm on 29 Apr. This free program offers high school teens a chance to meet and work with art professionals, learn about careers in the arts and experiment with a wide-range of media and techniques. Activities include guest lecturers, workshops, behind the scenes visits to museums and galleries and the opportunity to create art in a studio environment. This week work with fiber/textile artist Patricia Velazques. Snacks provided. The Tampa Museum of Art is currently located in an interim facility at 2306 N. Howard Avenue in Tampa, while construction of the new museum is completed in downtown Tampa.

MarineQuest 2009, the annual open house at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in St. Petersburg takes place today from 10am to 4pm. There is no admission fee. This is your opportunity to learn aobut Florida’s fish and wildlife and new research. Tour the facility and talk to staff members to learn about their research. The labs will be open and you can see displays that will show the cutting-edge research being conducted. Hands-on displays include a touch tank filled with marine life from Tampa Bay, marine animal origami, fish printing, face painting and construction of a manatee skeleton. Kids can dive into the water with their hands and pick up horseshoe crabs, sea stars, spiny lobsters, and other marine critters commonly found in Florida’s waters. Through the age-old practice of “gyotaku,” or fish printing, they can create their own artwork. Kids can also learn how to make marine-related origami—such as fish and whales—have their faces painted, put together a manatee skeleton, touch sharks and rays.  Researchers will conduct seminars to discuss current research on topics such as sharks and rays, black bears, manatees, whooping cranes and crocodiles throughout the day. FWRI is located at 100 Eighth Ave. SE, at the waterfront in St. Petersburg near Whitted Airport and USF St. Pete.

If you’re new to Tampa and MacDill AFB and are wondering what to do in South Tampa, then stop by the Taste of South Tampa.  This is all-inclusive tasting event has the best of South Tampa’s restaurants and live music from 1pm to 5 pm Sunday at Old Hyde Park Village, 1622 Snow Ave, about a 10 min drive from MacDill AFB. Attendees will get the opportunity to sample menu items from a number of South Tampa restaurants, such as returning participants Rigatoni Tuscan Oven, Pei Wei, The NoHo Bistro and Pitmasters BBQ. Among new restaurants this year will be Datz Delicatessen, a newly opened deli that has quickly become a South Tampa favorite. Water and soft drinks will be available, as well as beer provided by Dos Equis for those of drinking age with proper identification. Hyde Park Village is an open-air shopping center located in the neighborhood of Hyde Park in. The center is situated in several buildings located between Swann and Rome Avenues. Although are national retailers, the majority of tenants in the center are independent boutiques and eateries. The neighborhood of Hyde Park is located near the University of Tampa and close to Tampa’s business and cultural arts district. The boundaries of the neighborhood include the Hillsborough Bay to the east, Kennedy Blvd to the north, historic and picturesque Bayshore Boulevard to the south, and Armenia Avenue to the west. Major thoroughfares within the historical district include Kennedy Boulevard, Bayshore Boulevard, Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, Howard Avenue, and Swann Avenue. Tickets costs are $35 21 and above, $20 ages 11-20 advance, 10 and younger free, and on the day of the event ticket price are $40 21 and above, and $25 ages 11-20 day. Call (813) 637-0156 for more info.  There are 3 free parking structures available in Hyde Park.

This Saturday in Lakeland is the New & Used Band Gear Expo from 10am to 4pm.  No admission fee.  Find anything and everthing music and band related!  From guitars to amps to trailers to software to hardware to music sheets, there will be anything you would ever need for your band or for your individual needs. If you have something that you want to sell, you can also do that.  No pre-registration required for sellers.  If you have something to sell, show up between 10am and 11am to check in.  Although there is no charge to seller, a 5% donation is requested.  The Expo will be at Kathleen
Community Church at 7315 Kathleen Rd in Lakeland. The city of Lakeland is located along Interstate 4 and about midway between Tampa and Orlando. With a population of around 89,000, Lakeland is the largest sized city between Tampa and Orlando.  Florida Southern College, a national ranked college well known for its Fine Arts department, is located in Lakeland.  Florida Southern with 9 buildings built and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Besides being home to the spring training camp for the Detroit Tigers, Lakeland also has an airport that hosts one of the country’s largest private air shows during the spring, the Sun N’ Fun Fly In. Lakeland is about a 45 minute drive from MacDill AFB.

The 35th annual Lakeland Sun-n-Fun Fly-In at the Linder Regional Airport is going on right now and runs until Sunday 26 Apr. This event is the second largest convention of its kind. Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is about a 40 min drive from MacDill AFB. The Sun-n-Fun participants include aircraft owners who fly their own planes to this event including vintage, home built and restored military aircraft.  The U.S. Army’s elite parachute team, The Golden Knights, will headline this event with performances Friday through Sunday.  There will be many static displays of aircraft including vintage military aircraft. There are more than 500 commercial exhibits. There is a Parts Exchange (PX) if you are looking for something for your plane or want to cosign some parts for sale. There will be daily airshows. There are over 400 educational seminars and forums. There is nightly entertainment with a night airshow on Friday 11 Apr. Admission is $35 for a daily adult ticket. However during the weekend, military members can get in for $15 and $5 for dependent children 13-18. Children 12 and younger are free the entire event.

Celebrate National Car Care Month during April at the MacDill AFB Auto Shop.  Keep your vehicle running in top condition by having regular check-ups on all its vital parts.  The Auto Shop personnel can perform a variety of services including oil changes, filter replacements, checking belts & hoses, replacing brakes and more!  Prices are much lower than you would find out in town.  To make an appointment, call 828-4553. If you want to do your own car work, then stalls and lifts are available Tue-Fri from 11am-7pm and Sat from 9am-7pm. Stalls and lifts are on a first come, first serve basis. Stalls cost $2.50 an hour and lifts cost $2.50 per half hour. On 23 April from 4:30pm to 6pm, the Auto Shop will hold a free class on tire rotations.  Unevenly worn tires can put your vehicle in danger.  Auto Shop technicians will show you how to recognize tire wear, how to use a wheels-free lift and how to remove and replace tires.  There is also a 24/7 car wash right next to the Auto Shop so you can keep your car looking good.