MacDill Happenings

One of the best summer ticket value is at Adventure Island in Tampa. The weekday pass is only $39.95 for adults and $35.95 for a child 3-9 years old. The weekday pass provides unlimited admission on weekdays. Adventure Island is a 30 acre water park that is part of Tampa’s Busch Gardens. Adventure Island is easily accessible from I-275 or I-75. Check out the corkscrew slides, waterfalls, a giant wave pool, a long lazy river and just enjoy the sun. Take a ride down one the 10 major rides on a mat, inner tube or raft! A great way to beat the heat. Enjoy one of the 6 attractions, the Endless Surf 17,000 square foot wave pool is a must! Every few minutes ride a wave that gets up to five feet high. The countdown clock will tell you when the wave is going to hit! Of course, there are plenty of affordable food options. There are lockers available at the entrance for rent and changing rooms with showers. Instead of keeping your money with you during the day, you can use a Carribbean Coin wristband and load it up with money to use during the day. Any remain money left on the wristband will be refunded. You can also rent a cabana or Chiki Hut during the day to use as the official family meeting place throughout the day. Parking is $10. Coolers can be brought in, but must be 16 quarts or less in size and cannot exceed 15 inches in length of width. Glass and alcoholic beverages cannot be brought into the park. There are also picnic areas available to use.

BayWalk in downtown St. Pete is hosting its free Friday Night Wine & Music series from 5pm to 8pm. Open to the public, listen to live music with complimentary wine from Barefoot wine & Bubbly. BayWalk is the anchor location for entertainment in downtown St. Pete. With plenty of dining, shopping and entertainment opportunity, BayWalk is a must see place in St. Pete. There is 150,000 sq ft open-air themed plaza and a 20 screen Muvico Theater complex. This is great place to stroll around and enjoy the evening. On-street parking is available around the BayWalk property for short term visitors. Garage parking is available for parking stays over an hour and a half. The Mid-Core parking garage is conveniently located across from BayWalk at Second Street and First Avenue N. St. Petersburg is directly west of Macdill AFB and easy to get to by taking the Gandy Bridge. St. Pete has 244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and intra coastal waterways. The city has an average temperature of 73.7 degrees with 361 average days of sunshine per year. With cultural venues galore, St. Pete is home to world-famous Salvador Dali Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg Museum of History, Great Explorations, Florida International Museum, Florida Holocaust Museum, the Florida Craftsmen Gallery, American Stage, the Arts Center and Palladium Community Theater.

For an entertaining night at a great discount, stop by the MacDill AFB Movie Theater this weekend. The newly refurbished theater is located on Florida Keys Ave. You can’t beat the price of the ticket or the cost of refreshments! On Friday at 7pm, the animated Disney movie “Up” will be playing. This movie is rated PG for some peril and action scenes and has a run time of 96 minutes. In the movie, the 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to this house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. On Saturday, there are 2 movies playing. At 3pm, the action comedy “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” starring Ben Stiller and Amy Adams will be playing. This movie is rated PG for mild action and brief language and has a run time of 105 minutes. Night guard Larry now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum of Natural History to visit his friends, the exhibits that come to life at night, only to learn that they are being shipped off into deep storage at the Smithsonian Institution. Larry rushes to Washington, D.C. and makes his way into the inner workings of the largest museum complex in the world. He finds himself with spunky Amelia Earhart as a co-conspirator and love interest while General Custer leads the battle for the Smithsonian. The stakes are high as the paintings on the Smithsonian walls come to life at night. Larry finds purpose again while helping his friends. At 7pm the action comedy “Land of the Lost” starring Will Ferrell will playing. This movie is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language and drug reference and has a run time of 102 minutes. Dr. Rick Marshall, a has-been scientist, along with a research assistant Holly, and a survivalist, Will find themselves sucked into a time warp. Marshal has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond. Chased by T-Rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestak Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally a primate called Chaka to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone away and there’re heroes.

This Wednesday as part of the Summer Movie Camp at AMC Theaters, “Horton Hears a Who” will be playing. This is the cartoon version of the classic Dr. Seuss story, with Jim Carrey providing the starring voice. The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called ‘‘Who-ville’’, inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos and led by a character known as the mayor. The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, which Horton happily agrees to do, proclaiming throughout the book that ‘‘even though you can’t see or hear them at all, a person’s a person, no matter how small’’ In the Tamapa area, the participating AMC Theaters are the Regency 20 in Brandon, the Veterans 24 in Tampa and the Woodland Square 20 in Oldsmar. Admission is only $1! All admission and concession proceeds from the Summer Movie Camp will benefit Variety-The Children’s Charity and the Will Rogers Institute. The movie starts at 10am. This is great and inexpensive way to spend the morning with the kids. Usually, snacks take a big bite out your wallet. During the movie, the AMC KidsPack is only $3! It includes a kids’ size drink, popcorn and snack. You save $2.75 off the regular price.

If you’re looking for a little bit of money this summer and you’re a piano player, then check out this possible job at MacDill AFB. The gig is only for 3 days, 29-31 July. The Missoula Children’s Theatre will be performing for 3 days at MacDill AFB and will need a piano player for the performances. You will have to play all day during those 3 days. You will have to be an accomplished piano player and be able to take cues. You’ll have to call the MacDill AFB Youth Center at 828-7956/7957 to find out about the gig and the compensation. What a great opportunity to get some experience, earn some money and help out others! If you’re new to MacDill AFB, then check out the MacDill AFB Teen programs. From bowling to fishing to golfing to the library, there are many activities for your teens to stay busy and productive during the summer and have the opportunity to make new friends!

Hillsborough Community College Brandon Campus is hosting a week long Robotics Camp from 20-24 July. The cost is $50 and is for ages 11-14 years. Students will learn how to reconfigure the Lego Mindstorm Robots, program them to follow specific command be part of “robotic team challenges”, learn how to program and operate CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) equipment at the USF Engineering Labs and examine careers in modern manufacturing. In addition, they will also be sharpening their skills in math, in physics and in the application of scientific principles and new technologies. Campers must bring their own lunch and snacks daily. The camp runs 8 am to 4 pm each day. HCC Brandon Campus is located at 10414 E Columbus Drive, Tampa. For more information call (813) 259-6581. HCC has 4 main campuses, 2 satellite locations and an online eCampus. Campuses are located in Brandon, Ybor City, in Tampa near Raymond James stadium and in Plant City. Satellite locations are at MacDill AFB and SouthShore. HCC, the 9th largest community college system in Florida, is over 40 years old and has a little over 21,000 enrolled students. Graduate with an Associate of Arts Degree and you are guaranteed admission as a junior to any state university and to many private colleges.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will host “Beat the Heat” at St. Pete Times Forum this Sunday. The ice will be open for free skating from 3-5pm. Listen to music while you skate on the same ice as the Tampa Bay Lightning. There will be hot dogs, popcorn and other refreshment available for $1! You can also enter a drawing to win Lightning memorabilia. See the Lightning mascot, ThunderBug, and the Lightning Girls! See Brian Bradley, the first Lightning star during the team’s first year! Also see the captain from the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Champions, Dave Andreychuk. Unfortunately, rental skates are not available. You must bring your own ice skates. Skaters under 18 years must have a parent sign a waiver once inside the Forum. Located in the Channelside district of Tampa, the Forum is near downtown Tampa and easily accessible from the Selmon Expressway as well at I-4 and I-275. Parking is available at several public parking lots and the VIP West Lot will be available for parking for $5. To access the Forum enter through the XO VIP club entrance. Before or after skating, there are plenty of nearby eateries, including Andreychuk’s directly across the street from the Forum. The Channelside complex is within walking distance of the Forum. At Channelside you can find a wide variety of restaurants from Hooters to Bennigan’s and everything in between.  Across the street from Channelside is a multi-level parking structure.

This Saturday the Rays take on the A’s with the game starting at 6:08pm at Tropicana Field.  The Tampa Bay Rays are playing great baseball again with the All-Star break coming up.  The Rays still have the magic!  They are not going to settle for the wildcard.  Their goal is winning the American League East again!  There are 4 Rays who made the All-Star team with Joe Madden as the American League team coach.   The All-Stars are Bartlett, Crawford, Longoria, and Zoborist.  After the game as part of the Rays Summer Concert Series, Smash Mouth is in concert.  The Rays have never lost on Saturday game followed by a concert.  Get to the game early and have a tailgate party!  Listen to a live band and enjoy attractions at Lot 7.  With a military ID, you can purchase 4 outfield tickets for half off!  However, tickets have to be purchased at the box office!  If you do get to the game early, then a car with 4 people or more can park for free in the Trop parking lots.  Normal parking price is $15 at the Trop.  The Trop is easily accessible from I-275.  Inside the Trop, check out the Ray tank in centerfield. In the Left Field Street area, fans can participate in a baseball-themed game show, take their picture on a Topps baseball card, have their name inscribed onto a Louisville Slugger bat, touch and feel real game-used equipment, and broadcast play-by-play of baseball highlights. At Right Field Street kids can experience the magic of baseball in the Rays Baseball Carnival, a real working carnival that includes plinko, spin the wheel, ring-a-bat and skee ball. Or take a swing against a computer images of real Major League pitchers in a batting cage or test their arms in the speed pitch, both found in the T.G. Lee Rookie Challenge area of the Carnival. There is also kids-themed areas such as “Bats, Balls, and Brushes”, “St. Petersburg Times Pressbox” and “The Science of Baseball.” Centerfield Street has the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar, baseball’s first in-stadium cigar bar, as well as the Batter’s Eye Restaurant, located in the “batter’s eye” in center field. Centerfield Street also has the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall-of-Fame.

For some great entertainment at a great value, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater this weekend. Admission prices are about 50% cheaper than out in town and you’ll also find great value at the snack bar! This Friday starting at 7pm is Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins starting Christian Bale. This movie is rated PG-13 forintense sequences of sci-fi violence/ action, and language and has a run time of 115 minutes. John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. On Saturday, there are two movie playing. At 3pm, Dance Flick starring Damon Wayans Jr. is playing. This comedy movie is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content and language and has a run time fo 83 minutes. Street dancer Thomas Uncles is from the wrong side of the tracks, but his bond with the beautiful Megan White might help the duo realize their dreams as the enter in the mother of all dance battles. Later that day at 7pm, the horror movie, Drag Me to Hell, is playing. This movie is rated PG-13 for horror violence, terror, disturbing images, and language and has a run time of 99 minutes. Christine is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, Professor Clay. Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. In an attempt to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks and get a leg-up on a promotion, Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home. In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell.

The free summer movie series featuring “Barnyard” continues this Wednesday at the Starlight 20 in New Tampa. Seating is first come first sit until the theater is full. Barnyard is computer-animated film produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures first release in August 2006. Otis is a carefree bull who prefers to goof off than accept responsibility. His father Ben is that type, he watchs over everything, known as the leader of the barnyard when the farmer is away, giving the animals the safest moment to spring up on two legs. After interrupting a barnyard meeting performing his wild antics, Ben has a talk with his son, in which he tells him that he will never be happy if just goofs off, and that he should grow up. Otis runs against those words and leaves to continue having fun with his friends, Pip the mouse, Pig the pig, Freddy the ferret, and Peck the chicken. Otis, along with his friends, has to travel the long to responsibility.  The New Tampa area is about a 40 minute drive from MacDill AFB.  Located off of I-75, New Tampa has mainly freeway access to MacDill AFB using I-4 or the Selmon Expressway.