MacDill Happenings

Universal Studios Military Salute promotion is getting ready to end on 28 Jun. Only the purchasing of tickets end on that day. Any tickets that are purchased under the Military Salute are good until 18 December. The promotion provides one free 2-park admission ticket for U.S. active duty, National Guard, reservists and retired military member with a military ID card or CAC card. There are two parks to visit: Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Islands of Adventure is centered around 5 islands based on favorite well known myths, legends, comic books, cartoon heroes and children’s stories. Universal Studios is a movie and TV based theme park with actual film and televison studios. At the entrace to both parks is CityWalk with restaurants, nightlife and a movie theater. The MacDill AFB ITT office can provide the ticket. Once activated, the ticket is good for 6 consecutive days. The promotion also allows the military service member to purchase discount tickets for dependents. The dependents must have a valid dependent ID card. There is no limit of how discounted tickets can be purchased. With a military ID, you can receive a 10% discount on the price of your meal at any Universal Studio restaurant. Park hours vary depending on the day. The park is about a 70 minute drive from MacDill AFB depending on traffic. Parking before 6pm is $12 for cars but after 6pm the price drops to $3. Ticket prices are $89 for all ages. The normal price at the gate is $133.11. The MacDill AFB ITT office is located in the BX Mall. Hours are Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm and closed on Sunday and all holidays. If you have any questions, please call the office at 828-2478.

As part of their Summer Family Film Festival, the Starlight 20 in Tampa will have a free showing of “Sponge Bob Square Parts”. Show time is 10am with seating first come first sit until the theater is full. There will be special kids combo for sale that includes popcorn, a drink and a fruit snack for only $3! The Starlight 20 has stadium seating and Dobly Digital Sound for a great entertainment atmosphere. With 20 screens to chose from, this is also a great theater to enjoy a wide range of the latest movie offerings. Follow your favorite characters from Sponge Bob Square pants when there’s trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune’s crown, and it look like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob’s boss, is the culprit. Though he’s just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab’s life.

Get ready for the NFL football season and support your local team! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers FanFest is today! Free admission! It runs from 9:30am to 2pm at Raymond James Stadium. This annual meet and greet will have Buccaneers cheerleaders, pirate ship tours and interactive games, but get there early and be prepared to stand in line to get your favorite player autographs. Remember, it will be hot so bring some sunscreen and a hat! There will be refreshments for sale. Meet the new coaches and listen in on the Coaches Corner Panel Discussion. You’ll need to pick up a voucher at a designated spot before you can get in the autograph line. Vouchers can be picked up at all open ticket windows outside the stadium between gates C and D while supplies last. One autograph per person in all areas, no posed photos or personalized autographs. This year the Buccaneers are now offering deals such as partial season ticket packages and discounts for kids.

The Tampa Bay Rays play the Washington Nationals on Saturday with a 6:08pm start time. The Rays are still looking for that magic they had last season, but they still have all the tools to win the division. There is still that excitement in the air and anticipation of a great winning streak just waiting to happen! After the game, Ludacris will provide more excitement with a concert! The concert mainstage will be in right field, so make sure you choose good seats to watch the concert after the game. When the concert starts, you can sit almost anywhere. Come out to Tropicana Field early and have a tailgater! Bring a food and a cooler and enjoy the atmosphere! There are good spots to park near grass with shade trees! Bring the bug spray because you know that with all the recent wet weather there will be some bugs flying around. Remember, if you have 4 or more people in your car, you don’t have to pay for parking at the Trop!

On 11 June at the Tampa Convention Center, the Hillsborough County Small Business Information Center (SBIC) will offer free one hour workshops throughout the day. Workshops include “Improving Your Cash Flow Understanding,” “Budget Marketing Strategies,” “Financing Your Business in Today’s Economy,” and Conducting Business with the Government.” Sub-contractors will have an opportunity to meet and network with General Contractors, Construction Management, Engineering and Architectural firms from the Tampa Bay Area. Advance registerion is not required for the workshops. If you’re a current small business owner or thinking of opening a small business, then this a prefect event for you! Everything is free! SBIC was created to facilitate and promote the growth and development of the fastest growing business sector of the economy, small business. At SBIC, current and potential business owners have access to small business information and can obtain referral information to appropriate technical and financial assistance providers as well as general information. The Tampa Convention Center is located in downtown Tampa along the Hillsborough River. There is plenty of parking at the Center and nearby.

With the slowing down in the economy, it’s easy to feel a little guilty for lavishing yourself with spa treatments. But there is nothing that feels better like a spa treatment! Pamper yourself and help out someone else at the same time, by going to the Florida College of Natural Health in Bradentonfor a massage and skin care. They have a clinic that offers discount massages and skin treatment performed by students with supervision by instructors. Enjoy the healing properties of massage therapy for only $25! You will receive a full body massage for 50 minutes. The student massage therapists are trained in acupressure, cranial sacral therapy, injury massage, reflexology, sports massage, Russian sports massage, structural bodywork, Swedish massage, and trigger point therapy. For $30, you can receive a 1 hour European facial that includes cleaning, skin analysis, exfoliation, extractions, massage and mask therapy. Take advantage of this offer to help yourself retreat from the daily stresses of life and help in someone else’s education! Massage clinic hours are 9am – 5:30pm on Saturdays only. Skin care treatments are by appointment at various times throughout the week, but please call for an appointment for either service at (941) 744-1244.

To help students keep reading during the summer, the MacDill AFB Library along with MacDill AFB Youth programs is sponsoring the “Novel Idea for Teens/Tweens” reading program from 11 Jun – 13 Aug. Stop by the MacDill AFB Library for more information and to register. The grand prize is an iPod shuffle! The program is open to students affiliated with the MacDill AFB community ages 11-18 or in grades 6th through 12th. Books must be selected from the High School & Middle School Summer Reading Lists for Hillsborough County Public Schools. Books from both reading lists are available at the base library for check-out. In order to check-out a book from the library, the participant or their Sponsor must have a valid base library card. Participants mus read 7 books from the approved reading lists and be able to answer a couple of questions about the books they have read. Each participant who successfully completes the program will receive a prize and will be entered into a drawing to win the Grand Prize—an iPod shuffle!

This Sunday the Dunedin Brewery hosts Suds on Sunday, a fundraiser for the Dunedin Doggie Rescue. There will be dog washes, ear washes, nail trims, live music by Leigh and Steve Humes, treats for dogs, a Doggie Depot and more. Leashed dogs are allowed anywhere in the parking lot or on the patio. Owners receive a free Dunedin brew for every dog wash. It runs from noon to 5 pm at 937 Douglas Ave in Dunedin. Washes $6-$12 depending on the dog size; nail trims $7; car cleanings $3. Dunedin is located across Tampa Bay from MacDill AFB, just north of Clearwater. Dunedin is located in Pinellas County. The name comes from the Scots Gaelic Dùn Èideann meaning Edinburgh. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 36,632. Dunedin is home to several beaches, including Dunedin Causeway, Honeymoon Island, and Caladesi Island State Park, which is consistently rated among the best beaches in the world. Dunedin is one of the few open waterfront communities from Sarasota to Cedar Key where buildings do not completely obscure the view; a 1-mile stretch of Edgewater Drive (also known as Alternate US 19) south of downtown offers views of St. Joseph Sound, Clearwater Beach, and Caladesi Island. The quaint, but thriving downtown business district has become a model for many other west-central Florida cities. It is striking in comparison to neighboring Florida communities for its absence of commercial signage and corporate franchise restaurants and retail stores.

Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs celebrates National Trails Day with a behind the scenes sneak peek at the new Wilde Tact this Saturday starting at 9am.  Events include educational programs on bald eagles, stories by Jeff Klinkenberg, a children’s self guided scavenger hunt, birds from the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, music, silent auctions and more.  The Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, open from 9am to 4pm, has a 6,000 square-foot Exhibit Hall. Visitors here are encouraged to immerse themselves in the various habitats found within the preserve.  The Exhibit Hall features 22 discovery-oriented experiences revolving around natural Florida and our local history.  There are a variety of hands-on displays designed to be as fun as they are informative.  There are 4 miles of hiking trails which open at 7am each day.  Saturday Guided Hikes start at the Education Center.  They start at 9am and last about two hours.  There is a self-guided hiking trail with a 1 1/2 mile loop.  Come out and enjoy the great outdoors of Florida!

With summer just around the corner, if you’re like me then you’re trying to figure out something affordable and fun for the kids to do. Well, MacDill AFB provides some reasonable outdoor activities for children. Golf, Fishing and Bowling activities are available for children. These activities are only fun for the summer, but it will teach them some activities that they can do for the rest of their lives! For Golf, on Saturday’s 8:30am to 9:30 am between June 6 and Aug. 22, the Base golf club, Bay Palms Golf Complex, will have a Junior Golf Clinic for ages 8 through 17. The cost is $3 per child and includes the use of clubs. Stop in any Saturday, you don’t have to make the first session. Something new is taught each Saturday. During the week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon to 1 pm, June 9 through Aug. 20, the free active duty golf clinic will be open to children. Tuesday through Friday, June 5 through Aug 21, special open play rates for youths 8 to 17 will apply on the golf course. A round including greens fees and a pull cart will be $5, with junior rental clubs provided free of charge if available. Children may play unescorted if they have a certificate showing completion of a junior golf camp or instruction. Youths with drivers licenses may rent a golf cart, though they will have to pay cart fees. For Bowling, Monday through Friday between 11 am and 5 pm for youths 8 to 17 looking to beat the summer heat,the bowling alley may be the place to be at. Between June 5 and Aug 22, a Kids Special for open bowling will be just $1 per line bowled. Shoe rental is $1.50. The special is based on lanes being available. There will also be a teen bowling league from Jun 8 to Aug 10 on Mondays at 1pm. Those looking to participate must sign up at MacDill Lanes no later than noon, June 5. The league is for youths 12 to 17, and a minimum of 18 youths) (six teams with three each) is required. Cost is $5 per week, and includes three games, shoes and a $2 prize fund. Prizes will be announced. For a perfect Florida activity, you can’t do better than Fishing! Every Monday from 9am to 11am starting 8 Jun until 17 Aug, there will be a shoreline fishing day for kids 10 to 17 years old. The cost is $2 per child and includes rod, reel and bait. There is no minimum number of participants and no need to sign up in advance. Kids will meet at the base marina and head to the day’s fishing destination from there.