MacDill Happenings

If your child is looking to learn how to play golf, then the Ace Golf driving range in Brandon and in Riverview has what you need.  On Saturdays, Ace Golf offers junior golf lessons in Brandon at 9am and in Riverview at 10:30am.  Lessons are for 60 minutes and costs $20.  Range balls are included.  Lessons are drop-in, so no need to pre-register and no long term contract.  Ages are 5 to 17 and all levels are welcome.  There is a maximum of 8 students allowed.  The instructor, Cole, is great with the kids.  No matter how kids are present for the class, he will spend a lot time with each child and make sure that they understand the correct form!  My son usually has a hard time hitting his irons.  But after a couple of tips from Cole, my son was hitting the ball pretty solid.  It was a huge change!  Instead of hitting just dirt in the air, the ball was getting loft from a 7 iron.  Ace Golf has pretty reasonable priced range balls with a small bucket of 34 balls starting at $4.  They have a well stocked pro shop with reasonable priced equipment including bags, clubs, shoes and all types of accessories.  There is a chipping and putting green.  If you want to try out something other than the driving range, then there is a minature golf course and batting cages.  You can also have birthday parties with minature golf and pizza!

If you need some help and some new and proven ideas on marketing your small business, then head over to St. Petersburg on 5 November for a free class on “Marketing Your Small Business“. The class runs from 6pm to 8pm. The class is sponsored by the St. Petersburg Business Assistance Center. To register or for further information, call (727) 893-714 or go online. The class will help you determine your target market, and competition and understand the business environment. You can also learn how to write and implement a marketing plan. You can have the greatest product to sell or provide the best customer service, but if no one knows about your business then the customers will not be there. Learn how to let potential customers know that your business exists! The St. Petersburg Business Assistance Center (BAC) is your one-stop facility for starting or growing your existing small business. It’s wonderful resource that can help assess your goals and plan your future. The BAC provides business counseling, training and access to capital and credit for startups as well as established businesses seeking growth or specialized assistance. The Business Assistance Center (BAC) provides case management and follow-up services for the creation, retention and expansion of small businesses.

Tops in Blue will providing a free concert tonight at the Florida Amphiteatre. The show starts at 7pm with the gates opening at 6:30pm. This show is open to the public and parking will be free! This world-renown production, Tops In Blue, is an all-active duty US Air Force special unit made up of talented amateur performers selected for their entertainment abilities. Each year, thousands compete in base talent contests and the most talented move on to higher levels of competition. The result is an elite group composed of 35 of the most talented vocalists, musicians, and dancers anywhere. Known as the Air Forces’ Expeditionary Entertainers; the group’s main mission is to perform for military personnel and their families throughout the world. The enormous popularity of the group has also made them America’s goodwill ambassadors around the globe. They put on great show that will be entertaining for the entire family. To date, TOPS IN BLUE has traveled over four million miles to military bases throughout the world, performed at six World Fairs, over 100 state fairs and festivals, and performed at countless air shows, military balls and special events.

To start the Week of the Family in Tampa, MOSI is offering free admission. The Week of the Famioy started in Orange County in Florida in 2003 as a way to bring the community together. It has now spread to Tampa. Families in the Tampa Bay area can enjoy family friendly events, offers and promotions so that they can sprend more time together. There will be events held throughout Tampa. Here is a great opportunity to experience more than 450 hands-on, a standard IXAM Dome film, “Kids in Charge!” and a 3-D film in the Coleman Science Works Theater. Take a ride on the High Wire Bicycle! You can take a chance on pedaling a bicycle on a 1-inch steel cable suspended 30 feet above the ground. See one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered! The sauropods that are in the lobby are 3 stories tall! See the permanent exhibit on health, wellness and prevention. Or experience hurricane force winds. The Saunders Planetarium now features a new projection dome, new seating arrangements and a state-of-the-art star projector—the GOTO Space Simulator Chronos projection system—capable of recreating the night sky from any time in less than 20 seconds from the past, present, and future from anywhere on the planet! In addition, the new interactive planetarium is capable of playing movies, ultra 3D graphics and live videos from NASA. Kids In charge! is a designed for children 12 and under and emphasizes the value of learning through play. Parking is always free at MOSI. There is a museum shop in case you want to bring home a souvenir and a restaurant to keep you going through the day. Plan on 4 hours to see all the exhibits.