MacDill Happenings

The St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport is hosting the Wings of Freedom Tour this weekend.   See a national touring flying tribute to the crews of bombers and fighter aircrafts including the WWII Vintage Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American P-51 Mustang. Planes will remain on display from through Noon Feb. 1. Get up close and explore the aircraft inside and out or try your hand at the stick for up to an hour!  The tour is sponsored by the Collins Foundation. The purpose of the Collings Foundation is to organize and support “living history” events that enable Americans to learn more about their heritage through direct participation.  Admission for the tour is $12 adults, $6 11 and younger.  You can take a B-17 or B-24 flight for $425, or take the stick of a P-51 for a half hour $2,200,  or one hour at the stick of a P-51 $3,200. The main airlines that fly into St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport include Allegiant Air, Vision Airlines, and USA 3000.

If you thought last weekend’s Gasparilla event was big, then get ready for an even bigger weekend.  This weekend’s Gasparilla Pirate Fest is huge! Last weekend’s event was focused on children so this weekend’s event will be for adults.  Just take this in mind when trying to decide if you should bring children.  People are little more rowdy during this event.   The Pirate Fest Street Festival, which will take place along Ashley Drive, from Kennedy to Cass Street, runs from 10am to 10pm. However throughout the downtown and Channelside district of Tampa, there will be huge number of Gasparilla events. The Gasparilla Invasion takes place from 11:30am to 1pm. The Jose Gasparilla pirate ship will be sailing into Tampa with cannons firing and flags unfurled accompanied by hundreds of smaller boats. The Jose Gasparilla sets sail at the south end of Hillsborough Bay at 11:30 am, sails north to Seddon Channel (between Davis Island and Harbour Island), continues north and docks at the Tampa Convention Center at 1 pm. The Gasparilla Pirate Fest Street Festival features stages with live entertainment, food, and the Gasparilla Midway. The Gasparilla Parade of Pirates begins at 2pm and is scheduled to end at 5:30pm. The parade begins at Bay to Bay Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard. It continues along Bayshore Boulevard to Brorein Street, turns east on Brorein Street, then north on Ashley Drive. The parade ends at Cass Street & Ashley Drive. Parking is big issue because there will literally be a hundred thousand of people attending this event. Make sure you get out early. Parking is available at lots throughout downtown Tampa and Ybor City. If you park in Ybor City, you can use the TECO streetcars to get to the parade. Parking at the Centro Ybor Parking Garage or the Palm Avenue Garage costs $1 for the first hour and $4 for over 3 hours. The TECO streetcar conductor sells a 1-day Unlimited Ride for $5.

For an inexpensive night out, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater this weekend. Admission is $4 for adults and for children 4-11 it is $2. This is the last weekend in January for the special admission offer where you buy one adult ticket, you get the second one free! On Friday at 7pm and again on Saturday at 3pm, the newest Disney animated movie “The Princess and the Frog” is playing. This movie is rated G and has a run time of 97 minutes. Walt Disney Animation Studios presents a musical set in the greatest city of them all, New Orleans. “The Princess and the Frog” marks Disney’s return to the warmth and grandeur of hand drawn animation. The film teams Ron Clements and John Musker , creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” with Oscar winning composer Randy Newman. From the heart of Louisiana’s mystical bayous and the banks of the mighty Mississippi comes an unforgettable tale of love, enchantment and discovery with a trumpet playing alligator, a love sick Cajun firefly, and a host of other charming characters at every turn. On Saturday at 7pm, the action drama movie “Brothers” starring Natalie Portman, and Tobey Maguire is playing. This movies is rated R for language and some disturbing violent content and has a run time of 160 minutes. Two siblings, thirty-something Captain Sam Cahill and younger brother Tommy Cahill are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace. Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. When his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains, Sam is presumed dead. Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming new found responsibility for himself, Grace, and their children.

The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight at 7:0pm. It’s also Ryan Malone hat night for the first 5,000 fans. The Lightning are in the third game of a four-game home stand. The Lightning play tough every night. The St. Pete Times Forum is located in the Channelside District of Tampa just south of downtown Tampa. The Forum has state-of-the-art technology and innovative design which combine to make the St. Pete Times Forum one of the best facilities in North America. In addition to NHL hockey, the St. Pete Times Forum hosts more than 150 events annually, including concerts, family events, ice shows, the circus and other indoor sports. The Forum has a full range of food available including a great restaurant with a buffet, The Medallions. The Lighting have been struggling, so they really need the fans out there to support them. With Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman playing the Lighting are always a fun team to watch. There is plenty of parking nearby at Channelside or directly across the street from the Forum. Channelside offers a variety of restaurants sure to please any palate from Hooter’s to Stump’s. Across the street is the Pit another great bar and grill. Tickets start at $8. But if you show your military ID card at the box office, you can get two free tickets!

If you want to play golf at a beautiful course, have a lot of fun and not spend a lot of money, then stop by the Treasure Bay Golf and Tennis facility at Treasure Island. This Wednesday at 6:30pm put on your best some neon golf shirts and tee up for Glow Golf. This glow-in-the-dark golf outing will let golfers sign up as a foursome or a single. Players are provided a golf ball that’s a little bigger than normal because a small glow stick is put inside the ball to make it glow. When deciding what club to use to hit the ball, players usually the next higher club instead of the normally used club.  Play is usually completed in 90 minutes.  Bring some friends along for a great evening of golf!  It’s $20 per player and all-you-can-eat hot dogs. Treasure Bay is a full service public golf and tennis center owned and operated by the City of Treasure Island. The golf course is a challenging nine hole par-3 course situated on the intercoastal waterways. The tennis center offers eight clay courts and two hard courts. Registration is required, call (727) 360-6062.

The Tampa Theatre is offering a backstage tour of the theatre on 26 January. Normal adult admission is $5 for adults and $2 for ages 12 and younger. The tour starts at 10:30am and last about 1.5 hours. Join in on the fun balcony-to-backstage tour of the historic Tampa Theatre. Built in 1926 as one of America’s most elaborate “movie palaces”, the Tampa Theatre today is a historical treasure of Tampa. Located in downtown Tampa, the Theatre is easily accessible from I-275 and I-4. Designed by famed theatre architect John Eberson, the Tampa is a superior example of the “atmospheric” style of theatre design. Inside the Tampa, audiences are transported to a lavish, romantic Mediterranean courtyard replete with old world statuary, flowers, and gargoyles. Over it all is a nighttime sky replete with twinkling stars and floating clouds. Tampa Theatre was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, is a Tampa City Landmark, and is a member of the League of Historic American Theatres. There is on street parking nearby and parking lots within walking distance. Remember the street parking meters are not in service during the Federal holilday so parking at street meters is free.  Just across the street from the Marriot Courtyard at Cass and N. Florida is a self-service parking lot that charges $5 for parking before 6pm and $3 after 6pm.  If you ever come to watch a show it’s a tradition to hang out at The Hub, downtown Tampa’s classic dive that’s located two doors down, before or after a theater outing.

Stop by Tropicana Field in St. Pete today and check out the Tampa Bay Home Show. If you’re looking for new ideas for your home or have ideas and you want to see if they will work, then the Tampa Bay Home Show will have hundreds of area home specialists - all in one location. Everything from furniture to decorating ideas to landscaping to remodeling to interior design, and the list goes on. See the latest in kitchen design and the hottest fashions in window coverings and flooring.  You will get a chance to the meet with the area’s top home improvement experts! They’re ready to meet you with great demonstrations, giveaways, tips and so much more. Whether you’re looking for new home ideas or just looking for a few creative ideas to dress up your current home, then the Home Show is the place to be! The Trop is easily accessible from I-275. Admission for adults 17 and older is $3. Children 16 and younger are free and parking is free also!

If you want to do something else this weekend that will probably be a little more relaxing and a little less crowded than the Gasparilla Parade, then head out to Treasure Island. The Treasure Island Sport Kite Klub and Sunset Flyers Kite Club is having a Kite Festival on Saturday and Sunday. With the current forecast, the weather should be great for kite flying. Also with the projected temperatures, this may be the first weekend of the year with perfect beach weather. With temps projected in the mid-70’s, it won’t be too hot and not too cold for the beach. The water may not be at normal summer temperatures, but it should be great opportunity to start working on the summer tan. The kite festival will feature performances by expert kite flyers from around the country, candy drops for kids, parachute tow races, kids’ kite battles and precision sport flying to music. The kites will be flying from 10 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday at the Thunderbird Beach Resort, 10700 Gulf Blvd., on Treasure Island. Treasure Island, Florida is located on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast and is blessed with miles of gorgeous white sand beaches that boast that “Old Florida” feel.

On Sunday 24 January, the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts will be offering free introductory classes in Dance, Theater and Music. These classes are for children ages 5-9. Ballet clases for grades Pre-K4-1 offers an introduction to movement and ballet training. Children learn dance vocabulary, participate in stretching and strength-building exercises, and use what they’ve learned to move across the floor and participate in creative dance activities. Creative Drama mini-classes give children a chance to play, explore and create through foundational theater exercises. Activities stimulate their imagination, spontaneity, and expressive use of the body and voice as characters and stories are invented. Children can have the opportunity to try a violin, guitar and piano in a special Music Petting Zoo. Children learn a couple of basics on each instrument, and then try making music themselves. SCAP is in downtown Tampa along the beautiful eastern bank of the Hillsborough River. It is easily accessible from I-275 or the Crosstown or a 15 minute drive from MacDill AFB. Parking is available in nearby lots or on the street on the northside of TBPAC.

For an inexpensive night out, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater this weekend.  Admission is $4 for adults and for children 4-11 it is $2.  During January, when you buy one adult ticket, you get the second one free! On Friday night at 7pm, the new Sandra Bullock hit movie “The Blind Side” is playing. This movie is rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references and has run time 129 minutes. This true movie is an inspirational story of a homeless black teenager, Michael Oher has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy and her husband, Sean, take him in, transforming Michael’s life and theirs. With help from his new-found family, tutors and coaches, he realizes his potential as a student and football player. On Saturday at 7pm is the new Robert DeNiro movie “Everybody’s Fine“. This movie is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language and has run time of 95 minutes. Widower, Frank Goode spent his adult life working in a local wire factory earning every dollar he can to support his family, his late wife was always his main point of contact with his kids but he decides that it’s now his responsibility to keep an eye on them. He is inspired to invite the whole extended family for a barbeque weekend. Preparations go well until one by one, they all have good reason to cancel. Frank sets out on a journey to make his own personal connection with his kids. Before long it becomes clear to Frank that his children are not quite as happy or successful as his wife had always reported.