MacDill Happenings

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the Gasparilla Races take place along Bayshore Blvd.  So make sure you plan to not take Bayshore Blvd those mornings.  Your best bets are to take the Crosstown or take Kennedy Blvd so that you miss the traffic and crowds.  The Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K starts at 7:05am Saturday near downtown Tampa at Platt and Parker Streets with the race extending along Bayshore Boulevard and back and ending by the Tampa Convention Center. The Gasparilla 5k starts at 9:30am at Little Bayshore next to Publix Super Markets. On Sunday, the Gasparilla Marathon and Half Marathon start at 6 am at Platt and Parker streets. If you want to race, then you can sign up today at the Tampa Convention Center from 10am to 6pm during the Health and Fitness Expo or starting at 6am on Saturday at the Convention Center.  Register early to receive a Nike dri-fit t-shirt!  The The Expo is free and open to the public and in addition to Late Registration & Packet Pick-up, will offer the latest in running shoes and apparel, Nike’s Gait & Stride Analysis and Nike+ Experience, as well as the latest in medical breakthroughs and information to help you take charge of your health. Parking during the Expo as well as during the races is available at the Convention Center parking garage and many other nearby lots.

For an inexpensive night out, check out the MacDill AFB movie theater this weekend for some of the best and latest movies.  On Friday at 7pm and again on Saturday at 3pm, the action movie “Avatar” is playing. This movie is rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences/ warfare, sensuality, language, and smoking and has a run time of 150 minutes.  A reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. Director James Cameron, first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story. On Saturday at 7pm, the horror movie starring Ethan Hawke and William Dafoe, “Daybreakers” is playing. This movie is rated R for strong horror violence and language and has a run time of 138 minutes.  Edward Dalton is a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.  The admission special for February ends this weekend.  If you buy a child’s ticket, you receive half off an adult ticket.  The normal price for an adult ticket is $4 and a child’s ticket is $2 for ages 4-12.  

The 5th Annual Ruskin PetFest will take place on Saturday 27 February from 9am to 2pm.  Dr. Ott’s Off-Leash Dog Park will host this event. This a full off-leash event. Come out and see the pet fashion contest, children’s activities and musical entertainment. All proceeds from this event will benefit C.A.R.E., a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter in Ruskin. The Festival starts at 9am with food, music and vendors selling unique items for your pet. At 9:45am the open ceremony kicks everything off. There is a Pet Fashion Contest at 10:30am so make sure your pet is dressed for success! The Sillly Pet Tricks contest starts at 11:330am so start training your pet now. If you think your pet looks like you, then enter the Pet Owner Look-Alike contest at 12:30pm. The festival concludes at 2pm. Most of the animals that come to C.A.R.E. need just a few weeks of special care before they are ready for adoption to a good home. Others, who are older or sick or have suffered extreme trauma, become C.A.R.E. ambassadors and find a special home at C.A.R.E. for the rest of their lives. C.A.R.E. also offers a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in the hopes of deterring the homeless pet population. C.A.R.E. is restricted in having the ability to house and care for a limited number of animals awaiting adoption because of our relatively small size, our no-kill mission and our limited resources. We can currently house between 15-20 dogs (depending on sizes) and 25-35 cats. C.A.R.E. is an all volunteer organization and is funded totally by donations, adoption and sign up fees, fundraisers and small grants.

Get ready to the world famous Harlem Globetrotters at the St. Pete Times Forum at 7:00pm on Thursday 25 February.  This is great family entertainment!  Watch the Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals play to win, with the Globetrotters doing their signature style of show basketball that will entertain all ages. After the game, the players are scheduled to sign autographs in the arena for a minimum of 15 minutes after the final horn sounds. Founded in 1926 by Abe Saperstein, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first-ever road game on Jan. 7, 1927, in Hinckley, Ill.  It seems like the Globetrotters have won every game that they have played, but in fact the Globetrotters have lost 345 games over the course of eight-plus decades.  They have over 22,500 wins with the best winning percentage (.985) in the history of professional sports. If you want to make it a night, then there are plenty of dining options available near the Forum. Across the street from the Forum is the Hut both very popular before any event in the Forum.  Within walking distance from the Forum is Channelside. Channelside has a wide range of restaurants from Hooters to Stump’s and everything in between.  Parking is available next to the Forum at the Regional South Parking Garage and next to Channelside. Stop by the MacDill AFB ITT office to get your discount tickets. Gate price starts at $25, but at the ITT office tickets are $20.75 with no tax!

Stop by your favorite IHOP on 23 February to celebrate National Pancake Day! From 7am to 10pm, you can receive one free short stack, 3 buttermilk pancakes, for free. National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday. You are asked to consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through the Children’s Miracle Network, or other local charities. Last year, IHOP raised more than $875,000 during National Pancake Day. This year’s goal is $1 million! There are 10 IHOP locations to choose from in the Tampa Bay area! Children’s Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals. More than 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind.  Help someone else out and help yourself to some pancakes!

Come out to USF today to experience the Engineering Expo! There is no admission charge! The Engineering EXPO is the USF College of Engineering’s Celebration of National Engineering Week. The goal of the Expo is to educate elementary, middle and high school age students on how math, science, engineering and technology affect our everyday lives. The EXPO will showcase exhibits from engineering student societies, organizations and local companies to illustrate the fun in engineering. If your child is interested in science or seeing how things work, then this is a great opportunity for them to learn something. See the robot demonstrations, laser light shows and more! Food, drinks and souvenirs can be purchased at the Expo. The Expo will take place at the Engineering Complex, University of South Florida Tampa Campus. The University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland.

For an inexpensive night out this weekend, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater. On Friday night, the romantic comedy, “Leap Year“, is playing at 7pm. This movie is rated PG for sensuality and language and has a run time of 97 minutes. When yet another anniversary passes by without a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Anna decides to take action. Aware of an Irish tradition that allows women to pop the question on February 29th, Anna plans to follow her lover to Dublin and ask him to marry her. Fate has other plans, however, and Anna winds up on the other side of the Emerald Isle with a handsome, but surly, Irishman named Declan — who may just lead Anna down the road to true love. There is a Saturday matinee at 3pm with the “Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel“. This children’s movie is rated PG for some mild rude humor and has a run time of 88 minutes.  Now in the care of Dave Seville’s nephew, Alvin, Simon and Theodore take a break from pop-music stardom and return to school. Almost immediately, the tiny tunesmiths are given the giant task of saving their school’s music program by winning a battle of the band’s contest. Though the boys think winning the contest will be easy, romantic and musical sparks fly when they meet Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette — also known as The Chipettes. On Saturday night, the teenage comedy, “Youth in Revolt” is playing at 7pm. This movie is rated R for sexual content, language and drug use and has a run time of 90 minutes. As a teenage fan of Albert Camus and Jean-Luc Godard, Nick Twisp is most definitely out of his element when his mother and her boyfriend move the family to a trailer park. When a pretty neighbor named Sheeni plays records by French crooners, it’s love at first sight for frustrated virgin Nick. Upon learning that Sheeni is already dating someone, Nick launches a hilarious quest to find his way into Sheeni’s heart, and bed. Admission is $4 for ages 12 and up and $2 for ages 4-11. A medium soft drink with free refills and a medium popcorn is $7.50.

Tonight the USF Bulls basketball team takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Sun Dome at 7pm.  The Bulls have been playing great basketball this season with wins over No.7 Georgetown and No. 17 Pittsburgh.  The last game at Cincinnati resulted in a loss, but the Bulls always play tough at home.  Hot shooting junior guard Dominique Jones has been shredding the nets all season. Teams are focusing on Jones, but he still getting his shots, rebounds and assists!  Ticket prices start at $8. There is a special for an all-you-can-eat ticket for $20! Make sure you bring an appetite! The University of South Florida is offering free tickets to all students, high school age and younger, to every men’s and women’s basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The tickets, located in all sections, must be purchased on game day at Gate 3 of the Sun Dome Ticket Office. The University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland.

On Fat Tuesday, Dunedin will be having a Mardi Gras celebration along Main Street in downtown.  Dunedin is closer than New Orleans!  The fun starts at 5pm with live music, drinks and Big Easy style food. There will be music from Lil’Malcolm & the House Rockers from 5:30-7:30 pm and Waylon Thibodeaux from 9-11 pm. In between will be the parade, complete with floats, bands and beads.   The event is free buy you can purchase food and drinks. 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.

If you’re trying to find something romantic to do with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, then how about a movie at the Tampa Theatre today! After the movie, it will be a perfect time for dinner! “Somewhere in Time” starring Christopher Reed and Jane Seymour is playing today at 3pm. Playwright Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) visits a posh hotel on Mackinac Island where he is mysteriously drawn to the photo of an actress (Jane Seymour) who had performed there in 1912. Obsessed with the mesmerizing actress Elise, Richard uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time to meet her. Unfortunately, even the slightest reminder of Richard’s modern time can jar him from his seemingly real existence in the past, so his wonderful love affair is constantly just a step from being stolen away. 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 Marriott 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.