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!

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.

This time of year brings perfect golfing weather to Florida, it’s not too hot and the rainy season hasn’t started yet! If you haven’t been to the Bay Palms Golf Complex at MacDill AFB lately, then this is perfect time to go! During the month of April all in-stock golf bags are 10% off the marked price! This is a great deal because you never pay sales tax on anything at the pro shop! You can also play 18 holes with a cart and then get 9 more holes for only $5!  There is also a twilight special after 2:30pm each day ranging from $15-$22 per person depending on rank that includes a cart.  The golf course is open everyday 6:30am to 6:30pm and the driving range is open 24 hours a day.

The 16th Annual Taste of New Tampa takes place on Sunday 19 Apr from 1pm to 4pm at the New Tampa Community Park behind the USAA building. Enjoy the great Tampa weather and try the great food and check the businesses in New Tampa. It’s a great way to get familiar with New Tampa and see what the community has to offer! The proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the community’s public school Parent Teacher Associations, Parent Teacher and Student Associations, the NTCC Scholarship Fund as well as community projects. Ticket prices are $10 bought in advance and $15 at the gate. Tickets for children 6-12 years old cost $10 and children 5 and under are free. New Tampa is an area that encompasses both a 24-square-mile (62 km²) area within the corporate limits of the City of Tampa as well as a larger land area that is in unincorporated Hillsborough County but retains a Tampa mailing address. New Tampa is bounded by Lutz to the west, Wesley Chapel to the north, Morris Bridge Road to the east, and the University community and the USF to the south. New Tampa is considered the fastest growing “community” in Hillsborough County. This area contains thousands of beautiful acres of award-winning master-planned communities in a spectacular natural setting. New Tampa offers a lifestyle that includes sports, recreation, nature parks, excellent golf courses, tennis and swimming facilities, nature trails and more. The ZIP Codes serving the neighborhood are 33559, 33592, 33612, 33613, 33617, 33620, 33637, 33647. New Tampa is served by Hillsborough County Public Schools, which serves Hillsborough County. Schools which are located within the neighborhood are Benito Middle, Chiles Elementary, Clark Elementary, Freedom High, Heritage Elementary, Hunters Green Elementary, Liberty Middle, Pizzo Elementary, Tampa Palms Elementary, USF/Patel and USF/Patel Intermediate. New Tampa is about a 40 min drive to MacDill AFB by taking I-75 to I-4 to Dale Mabry Blvd.

The Tampa Stamp and Coin Expo takes place this weekend on 18 and 19 Apr.  The Holiday Inn Express at 4732 N Dale Mabry will host the Expo. Buy and sell stamps, picture postcards, covers, coins and paper money. Appraisals are available. Hours on Saturday are 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 10am to 3pm.  Admission is free. If you’re new to collecting, then this is a great way to spend some time with your children doing doing something fun and inexpensive. Learn about coin collecting and stamp collecting. The American Philatelic Society offers a number of services and educational opportunities online to help you learn about stamp collecting.  Stamp collecting can be lifelong hobby that does not cost a lot of money to start.  You can start by buying regular stamps from the US Post Office!  Although coin collecting can be costly, it’s also easy to start with regular everyday money! How about starting off by collecting the quarters with the states on the back.  Or how about just collecting a coin that happens to touch your eye?  An album and a couple of protective plastic sheets can put you on your way to a something new and exciting!