MacDill Happenings

La Nouba is Cirque du Soleil’s newest production in Downtown Disney West Side. La Nouba is a presentation of a world where dreams and reality intertwine as the urban and circus worlds meet on stage. Blending acrobatics, dazzling choreography, whimsical characters and live music, the show will stretch your imagination from beginning to end. La Nouba is a circus-like performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers. The first time I went to a show I could not believe how amazing it was! The artistry was fantastic! All music is performed live at La Nouba by six musicians and two singers. Florida residents who buy an adult category 2 ticket for $83 can buy a second ticket for $25! Before or after the show enjoy the restaurants, shops or just the atmosphere of Downtown Disney. Choose from Planet Hollywood to the House of Blues to Raintree Cafe and everything in between. A great place for a reasonable price desert is the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop which can get crowded but service is always quick and the deserts are excellant. If you just want a quick bite, there is also a McDonalds! Parking is always free. Downtown Disney is about a hour drive from MacDill AFB.

For an inexpensive night out this weekend, stop by the MacDill AFB Movie Theater to see the latest movies at a great price! Not only do you get inexpensive admission, but the refreshment are cheaper here also! This Friday at 7pm is the new action movie “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra“. This movie is rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem and has a runtime of 120 minutes. From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos. On Saturday there are two movies playing. At 3pm, the musical comedy “BandSlam” is playing. Teenager Will Burton lives in his head, and his head is filled with music. When his mother, Karen Burton, gets a new job in New Jersey, Will starts his junior year at a new school only to find the old cliques still apply, but rock-n-roll rules the scene. Perpetually a misfit, Will strikes up a friendship with like-minded outsider Sa5m (the 5 is silent). They are both surprised when the school’s “it” girl, Charlotte recruits Will to help assemble a band to compete in “Bandslam,” a battle of the bands that is “Texas High School Football BIG.” Charlotte’s ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatly is poised to win with his band Glory Dogs – Springsteen wannabes down to their hats. For the first time in his life, Will finds he is uniquely suited to not only participate in something, but to truly make a difference. At 7pm, the horror movie “A Prefect Getaway” is playing. This movie is rated R. Cliff and Cydney are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they’ve found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back. Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins.

On Saturday 26 September, the City of Largo will host a Military Family Appreciation Day at Largo Central Park. The event runs from 10am to 2pm. This event will consist of opening and closing ceremonies, speakers and dignitaries, live entertainment, food and beverages, train rides in the park, and family games and activities. Best of all it is free to attend and parking is also free! Attendees will have to register and provide proof of a military relationship will be requested. Largo Central Park is a 70 acre park in the center of Largo. Largo is a community of more that 74,000 residents and the 3rd largest city in Pinellas County. 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. Largo is about a 40 minute drive from MacDill AFB.

Get in free to the Florida International Museum at St. Petersburg College at 244 Second Ave. N in St. Pete on Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The free admission is courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine. You have to go to www.smithsonian.com/museumday to download a Museum Day Admission Card. Each card valid for two people. One card per household allowed. Originally an independent museum opening in 1995, the Florida International Museum became a part of St. Petersburg College in 2008. Past blockbuster exhibits include Treasures of the Czars in 1995; Splendors of Ancient Egypt in 1996, Titanic in 1998, and Diana, a Celebration in 2005. The current main exhibit “In a New Light” celebrates the recent acquisition of the Gulf Coast Museum of Art Collection by St. Petersburg College. In a New Light highlights more than 125 works by significant contemporary Florida artists and fine craftsmen from the Southeast. Many set the tone for today’s rich and diverse arts community in Tampa Bay by embracing this region’s history and beautiful landscape even as they broke barriers and stereotype of conventional “Florida” art. Museum hours on Tues to Sat are 10am to 5pm.
Sunday hours are noon to 5pm.

Get ready for Halloween with ZooBoo at the Lowry Park Zoo. Shriek Peek Weekend is the first weekend of ZooBoo on 25 and 26 September. Admission on these nights only is $10 for ages 3 and up. ZooBoo is a family-friendly Halloween time event. It gives kids and adults alike a fun, spooky and safe place to celebrate this time of year. It features top-notch haunted houses and trails, animal encounters, light displays, music, free rides and more! One admission ticket per person will provide entrance to the entire ZooBoo event. The cost of admission includes unlimited select rides! The regular price of a ZooBoo ticket is $17 for 12 and up and $14 for ages 3-11. Rides included in the price of the tickets are Haunted Carousel, Treetop Skyfari ride, Pony Rides, Boomer’s Flyin’ Bananas, Gator Falls flume ride and the all new Tasmanian Tiger family roller coaster. The “Hidden In The Mist” horse-drawn carriage ride is $4 per person, per ride. Most animals will have gone to bed during ZooBoo. The Asian Gardens, Primate World and Safari Africa will be closed. Don’t miss the special exhibit called “Creepy Crawler Lane,” the Flying Fox Bat House and the new ” Halloween Animal Show ” featuring a variety of animals. Little boys and ghouls are welcome to wear their favorite costumes (ages 11 and under please). Adults (ages 12 and up)–no costumes, make-up, wigs or masks allowed at this event. Guests wearing costumes will be turned away at the front gate. No toy weapons of any kind (children’s or adult’s) will be allowed into the Zoo. This event will be open from 7pm to 11pm each night. Parking is always free at Lowry Park Zoo. Located off of I-275 in Tampa, Lowry Park Zoo is easily accessible and easy to find.

There is nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon watching baseball! Come out and support the Rays against the Blue Jays this Sunday with game time at 1:38pm. Plus there is a Aki Rattle drum giveaway for the first 10,000 kids 14 and under. 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.

Town N Country will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary today! Come join the community in its celebration at the Jackson Springs Recreation Center at 8620 Jackson Springs Road. The party runs from 11am to 4pm. It’s free except for a small charge for some games. See the historic displays, listen to music, enjoy family entertainment with old fashion and modern day children’s games, and food. Gates open at 11:00 with the enterance for the parking area off of Hanna Aveneu. Onsite parking is limited so get there early if you want to park close. When you enter the grounds stop at the ticket booth and pick up activity and food tickets. All activities requre tickets for participation. No Money will change hands at any game, activity, or food vender. Tickets are 50 cents each, 10 for $5.00, 22 for $10.00, and 45 for $20.00. Considered part of Upper Tampa Bay, Town N Country is just a 30-40 minute drive from MacDill AFB depending on traffic. Locate west of Tampa International Airport, Town N Country offers an easy 20 minute drive to the beaches of the Gulf. Town ‘N Country extends from the Pinellas County line east to the Veterans Expressway, and from the shores of Tampa Bay north to about Linebaugh Avenue. It is a culturally – and demographically – diverse area, whose residents place great value on the outstanding quality of life which they’ve come to enjoy.

Stop by downtown St Pete this Saturday from 9am to 2pm and checkout the Saturday Morning Market. The Market has achieved an extraordinary degree of success since opening in November 2002. It was organized by a group of volunteers who share a vision of creating a strong spirit of community – a place with a colorful upbeat feeling, where you’ll find a unique selection of products, and where you shop with vendors that you know by name. The Market takes place at the Mahaffey Theater parking garage at 400 First St S in downtown St. Pete. The temperature is at least 10 degrees cooler in the garage. It feels even cooler than that because of the shade and the waterfront breezes. The market features a wide variety fresh food, plants and crafts including:
Fresh Produce – a wide selection of regular & organic fruits and vegetables
Prepared Foods – BBQ Turkey, smoked seafood, pickled vegetables, gourmet cheeses, fruit smoothies
Gourmet Baked Goods – crusty bread, muffins, pies, and desserts.
Greenery – Plants, Flowers, Orchids, and Fresh Herbs Hand-crafted House wares & Gifts
Parking is available on the second floor of the garage (over 200 spaces) is under cover from sun and rain. Parking is $1. Pets are welcome but must be on leash and please don’t let them go by the food tables.

For an inexpensive night out to watch a new movie, stop by the MacDill AFB Movie Theater this weekend. Not only will you save money on the price of admission, but the refreshments are offered at a great price! On Friday at 7pm the Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen comedy, “Funny People” will be playing. This movie is rated R for language, crude sexual humor throughout, and sexuality run time of 146 minutes. George Simmons is a famous stand-up comedian, who learns that he has a terminal illness and less than a year to live. When, he meets Ira, a struggling comedian at a comedy club where both the comedians are performing, George hires Ira to be his personal assistant and opening act at his performances. The two forge a close friendship as George helps Ira with his career and Ira helps George find closure in his legacy. However, when George learns that his disease has gone into remission and an ex-girlfriend re-enters his life, he’s inspired to reevaluate what is important to him and what truly gives meaning to his life. On Saturday afternoon at 3pm, the childrens animated movie “Aliens in the Attic” will be playing. This movie is rated PG for action violence, some suggestive humor and language and has a run time of 86 minutes. Kids on a family vacation must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders with world-destroying ambitions. At the same time, the youngsters work hard to keep their parents in the dark about the battle upstairs. It all starts as a meteor shower rockets across the dark galaxy. Four glowing pods sparkle and crackle while hiding behind the meteor show. A mysterious force makes the meteor shower turn a hard right towards a bright blue ball in the distance – planet Earth. On Saturday evening at 7pm, the action movie “The Hurt Locker” is playing. This movie is rated R for war violence and language and has a run time of 131 minutes. Three members of the Army’s elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal squad battle insurgents and each other as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad—in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear—protect and save—but the margin of error when defusing a war-zone bomb is zero. They have only 38 days left in their tour, but with each new mission comes another deadly encounter, and it seems only a matter of time before disaster strikes.

Come down to Sarasota on 18 September from 5pm to 9pm for the free FridayFest outdoor summertime music series on the bayfront of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Listen to Big Night Out, a 7 piece tropical style dance band who play a blend of Latin, Caribbean, Funk and Motown dance music! An explosive horn section and a pulsing conga add to the bouncing rhythm section and passionate Bi-lingual female vocals. Big Night Out has quickly become one of southwest Florida’s most exciting new dance bands on the scene. Since it is outdoors, please feel free to bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on. There will be food and beverages for sale. Outside food and coolers are not allowed, but at least the music is free! The show will go on rain or shine. However if it rains, the show will go on inside the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Set along Sarasota’s beautiful bayfront, the landmark Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has been entertaining audiences with a variety of music, dance, theater and comedy for more than 35 years. Built in 1968 with funds from a city bond referendum and a bequest from philanthropists Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel, the Van Wezel opened its doors in 1970 with a production of Fiddler on the Roof. Since then, the Hall has welcomed a broad range of performers and shows, including world-class symphonies, both classical and modern dance companies, jazz artists, pop legends, Comedy and Broadway.