MacDill Happenings

This Sunday is Family Fun Day at Tropicana Field as the Tampa Bay Rays play the Cleveland Indians.  Game time is 1:38pm.  Don’t wait till the last minute to buy tickets because Family Fun Day is popular game for baseball fans.  Military personnel with an ID card can purchase 4 outfield tickets at half-price from the box office window for any game.  The first 10,000 kids 14 year and under will receive a free Matt Garza t-shirt! 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. 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 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.

The Brandon High School Choir concert will hold their end the year concert this Friday. The performance begins at 7pm. Admission is $5. Brandon High School is located off of Brandon Blvd. They will be presenting pieces from Phantom of the Opera, Wizard of Oz, Bohemian Rhapsody, West side story and much more. The Concert Choir is the centerpiece of the Brandon Choral Program. This choir, consisting of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses, performs music from the art repertoire, as well as a variety of music from other sources such as the pop field, musical theatre, and traditional and contemporary holiday music. Students in the Concert Choir study vocal technique, music theory, performance etiquette, stage presence, music history, etc. They perform from 30 to 50 selections each year, from memory. Many of the songs the Choir sings are in foreign languages, and the students learn the pronunciations and meanings of all these song texts. In the last two years the Choirs sang in English, German, French, Latin, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Japanese, and Gaelic. Choir members may also choose to participate in Solo and Ensemble, All-County Honor Choir, All-County Honor Jazz Choir, All-State Honor Choir, Harmony Explosion, Barbershop Workshop, and other opportunities for enrichment as they arise.  The Concert Choir is open to sophomore, junior, and senior female singers by audition, and all male singers without audition. Freshman female singers have the same opportunities through the Brandon Chorus. The City of Brandon is a eastern suburb of Tampa with access to downtown Tampa or MacDill AFB by the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. Time to downtown Tampa from Brandon on the Expressway is about 15 minutes and to MacDill AFB about 20 minutes. Brandon is a very popular location for MacDill AFB employees due to the convenient access to the base and it’s location right off of I-75. Brandon has one of Tampa Bay’s largest mall, Brandon Towne Center, and a satellite medical clinic of MacDill AFB Hospital.

The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg on Thursday evenings from 5pm to 8pm only charges $5 for admission!  Normal general admission is $17!  The museum is showing a documentary on Dali’s life and art that features extensive interviews with people who knew him through the years. The film starts at 6 pm. Salvador Dali, a surrealist painter born in Spain, was best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí’s expansive artistic repertoire includes film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. The Dali Museum is the flagship of cultural tourism on the West Coast of Florida and welcomes over 200,000 visitors each year from around the world. The mission of the Salvador Dalí Museum is to educate the public and promote understanding, enjoyment and scholarly examination of art through the exhibition of works by Dalí and artists of similar vision. Started by a local art collector, the Dali collection now consists of over 2,140 total pieces including 95 oil paintings and over 100 watercolors and drawings. Admission is $17 for adults, $13.50 seniors, U.S. military, police and fire personnel, $10 students.

It’s Adventure Night at Movies in the Park sponsored by the City of Largo Recreation Department at Largo Central Park. Pack a picnic and bring blankets and chairs and don’t forget to bring the family out for an outdoor viewing of “The Tale of Despereaux” which starts at 8pm. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed, but you can bring all the non-alcoholic drinks you want! Before the show, there will be rock climbing wall, hoola hooping, jump roping, free goodie bags and health tips by Diagnostic Clinic starting at 6:30pm. If you don’t bring your own refreshments, then there will concessions available for purchase from a local non-profit organizations, so be sure to come hungry! Largo Central Park is a beautiful, 70-acre park located in the heart of Largo. Its rolling grounds, fountains and landmark clock tower have set it apart as one of the finest parks in the county. Rainbow Rotary Playground is one of the only playgrounds in the Bay area completely accessible to disabled users. Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, and is part of the Tampa Bay Area. Centrally located, it is the crossroads of the county and about a minute drive from MacDill AFB. It is centrally located in Pinellas County, touching the Intracoastal Waterway to the southwest and Tampa Bay to the northeast. Clearwater is Largo’s neighbor to the north. To the northwest are the towns of Belleair and Belleair Bluffs. The City of Pinellas Park lies south of eastern Largo. Seminole lies south of western Largo. The community of Ridgecrest forms a large enclave between western and central Largo. A number of county enclaves pepper the City of Largo.

Every Monday, from 11am-11 pm, show your YMCA membership card at Chili’s and receive a 10% discount on your bill! This discount is only applicable at the Chili’s in Valrico at 3422 Lithia Pinecrest Rd just south of Bloomingdale Ave. Not only do receive a discount, but the Campo YCMA in Valrico, near Chili’s, will receive 10 percent of your sale. Only one card is required per party. Food and beverages are included and the restaurant and bar are participating. Right now Chili’s is also offering 10 entrees for $7. Like all Tampa YMCA’s, the Campo YMCA is offering a discount for military families to join! The Campo YMCA has something for all family members from swimming to dancing to gymnastics to sports to exercise to golf! There are also plenty of classes that parents and children can do together.

The Florida Orchestra will have a free outdoor spring concert tonight at the Lowry Park bandshell, 7525 North Blvd. in Tampa, starting at 6:30 p.m. Pops in the Park is a great to spend a beautiful Friday evening in Tampa. Bring a blanket, chairs and food for a great picnic! Alcohol is not allowed, but you can bring all the non-alcoholic beverages you want! The Florida Orchestra is recognized as Tampa Bay’s leading performing arts institution, one of the leading professional symphony orchestras in Florida, and one of the best regional orchestras in America. The Pops conductor of the Florida Orchestra is Richard Kaufman, a guest conductor to the orchestra. Lowry Park is bordered on one side by the Hillsborough River. The 0.9-mile asphalt Lowry Park Trail runs along side the River. The trail meanders along the riverfront and through beautiful oak woodland hammocks. Park amenities include picnic tables, shelters, restrooms, fishing docks, a canoe and boat launch, and grills. Lowry Park is located in the Lowry Park Central neighborhood of Tampa. Lowry Park Central boundaries are Riverbend to the south, the Lowry Park North to the north, Sulphur Springs to the northeast, the Seminole Heights area to the southeast and the Armenia Gardens Estates to the west

On Friday 8 May, the MacDill AFB Vet Clinic is hosting the Woof & Whisker’s Pet Fest from 10am to 2pm.  There will be games for pets and owners and make sure you sign up for the free give-aways!  The 6th Security Forces will put on a military working dog demonstration.  The clinic will be providing information on animal health care.  There will be free refresments and free pet products. The MacDill AFB Veterinary Treatment Facility offers a great price on veterinary service! They specialize in providing immunizations, heartworm testing, microchipping and outpatient services for the control of animal diseases transmissible to people. Health Certificates are also available for animals that will be traveling. Medications and over-the-counter items available include flea & tick control treatments, heartworm prevention medication, shampoos, tartar control chews, vitamins and prescription medications. Services are by Appointment Only, call 828-3558. Hours are Monday-Friday 8am to 4pm, closed on the weekends. The Veterinary Treatment Facility is located on the road behind the commissary and exchange. You must have an ID card to use this service.

On Saturday and Sunday,in honor of Mother’s Day, moms receive FREE admission  at Lowry Park Zoo with the purchase of a full-priced child’s admission ticket. Child’s ticket must be purchased on May 9 or 10 only. Offer not combinable with other discounts. Park hours on Saturday and Sunday are from 9:30 am-5 pm. The normal admission price is $18.95 for adults.  Lowry Park Zoo has been voted the #1 Family Friendly zoo by Child magazine.  Extras like the train ride, camel rides and giraffe feedings are available at an additional cost from $2 to $5 each.  But with your admission fee you can visit more than 2,200 animals. See the animals in their native habitats at Asian Gardens, Primate World, Free-Flight Aviaries, Wallaroo Station children’s zoo, and Safari Africa.  The zoo is open 9:30 am to 5 pm at 1101 W Sligh Ave. in Tampa just off of I-275. Parking is free.

Tour Tampa Theatre on 6 and16 May from 11:30am to 1pm each day. A $5 admission benefits Tampa Theatre’s continuing restoration and operations. Kids 12 and under are free. Built in 1926, the lavishly ornate Theatre is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a Tampa Landmark. Take an entertaining balcony-to-backstage tour of Tampa Theatre, where art, mythology, and history are interwoven through one of America’s best-preserved examples of grand movie palace architecture. The tour also includes a demonstration of the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ by Central Florida Theatre Organ Society volunteer Bob Baker. Parking on the 6th will require the use of metered parking spots. On the 16th, the metered parking spots can be used free of charge.

This Tuesday is the 5th, so get ready for some Cinco de Mayo parties! The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day and is not a national holiday in Mexico. It seems like Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo actually celebrates the defeat of a French army by a Mexican army. The aptly named Cinco de Mayo Restaurant, 1919 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City, is celebrating with an all-day party with mariachi bands, a DJ, dancing, food and drink specials and other live music. They will be open from 11am to 3am and there is no cover charge. The Hut, in the Channelside District and directly across from the St. Pete Times Forum, is having the self-proclaimed “Tampa’s Largest Cinco de Mayo Party” with games, prizes, contest for best decorated sombrero, jalapeno eating and limbo, drink specials and live music by Spy vs. Spy. This party runs from 4pm to 11pm with a $5 cover charge. Tijuana Flats restaurant in Brandon is having their annual Cinco de Mayo party. Part of the parking lot will be roped off to make room for more tables. With reasonable priced food and drinks, Tijuana Flats is always a great choice for singles, couples and families.