MacDill Happenings

The Park Square Cellar in FishHawk Ranch continues its celebrating of the 5th Annual Spring Wine Fest today.  The Fest runs from 1pm to 4pm. Come out and taste mor than 100 wines, snack on light appetizers and listen to great jazz music by Gene Cannon all for free!  The Cellar is very cozy comfortable establishment serving draft beers, wine and fine cheeses.  It’s a great local place to friends to relax together in the evening. Located within a 40 minute drive to downtown Tampa and MacDill AFB, FishHawk Ranch is a unique community with walking and biking paths throughout the neighborhood. You’ll find shops and grocery stores all around the neighborhood for your shopping convience with a wide variety of restaurants for every taste. Top rated elementary, middle and high school are nearby with a new sports park close to Randall Middle School. Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit also offers express bus service to MacDill AFB from FishHawk Ranch. MacDill AFB also provides free monthly bus passes to military and civilian personnel.

This week is Navy Week in Tampa! The kickoff event is a party on the SS American Victory at Channelside. Join active duty sailors aboard the SS American Victory and learn about the U.S. Navy’s past, rock music by the Navy band Pride and a meet and greet with members of today’s Navy. The event starts at 5 pm. A tour aboard the SS American Victory costs $10 for adults and $5 for children. All week in Tampa, there will be events celebrating Navy Week.  Crew members of the submarine USS Florida, homeported at Kings Bay, GA, will be in Tampa to help celebrate Navy Week. USS Florida is the third ship in the Trident class. She is the first submarine and the sixth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name of the state and on January 14, 2003, the Florida became the first Ohio -class submarine to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile. In April 2004, conversion started to modify the USS Florida to carry 154 conventional cruise missiles instead of 24 Trident missiles. After completion of the conversion, the Florida is now designated SSGN 728. As an SSGN, the Florida is also able to support operations of up to 66 Special Forces Personnel for up to 90 days. Leap Frog, the US Navy parachute team will perform a “beach landing” at North Shore Beach in downtown St. Pete on Sunday morning at 9:45am. On Saturday and Sunday, Navy divers will be at Adventure Island to swim with guests and the US Navy rock band, Pride, will also be playing at Adventure Island. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium will host Navy divers giving demonstrations on March 15, 16 and 17. The week concludes with the Blue Angels flying at MacDill AFB as part of AirFest on the 20 and 21 March.

For an inexpensive night out, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater this weekend to see the latest movies at a reasonable price!  During March when you buy two adult tickets, you get one free child’s ticket.  This Friday at 7pm the romantic comedy “When in Rome” is playing. This movie is rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and has run time of 91 minutes. Kristen Bell stars an ambitious young New Yorker, disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate, a street magician, an adoring painter and a self-admiring model. But when a charming reporter pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing? On Saturday at 7pm, the action movie “Legion” is playing. This movie is rated R for strong bloody violence and language and has run time of 100 minutes. An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity’s only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael.

This Friday at noon come to a free performance at the Sarasota Opera House. Apprentice artists will perform “Sarasota Opera Souvenir.” This concert will feature singers performing operatic excerpts with full orchestra accompaniment. The Apprentice Artists Program consists of 24 professional singers who are beginning their opera careers. During their stay in Sarasota, they work with the music staff and the stage directors in one-on-one coaching: musical, dramatic and language. Apprentice Artists are part of the chorus, play small roles as well as cover roles in all the main stage productions, and perform at numerous outreach events in Bradenton, Venice and Sarasota. The concert will include selections from: Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Beeethoven’s Fidelio, Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Lehar’s The Merry Widow, Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, Verdi’s Rigoletto, Puccini’s La rondine, and more. The Sarasota Opera House in downtown Sarasota has just completed a multi-million dollar renovation and restoration. The project is restored the historic 1926 theater to its original glory, while creating a venue for opera for the 21st century. Decorative details have been restored, seating has been replaced, and the orchestra pit enlarged to allow for an expansion of the repertoire. Backstage systems have been updated and public areas and amenities expanded and enhanced. The Sarasota Opera is in its 50th season.

On Tuesday, Hillsborough County Public Schools is starting FCAT testing!  Students have to pass their FCAT to be able to move to the next grade.  It’s very important that your child gets a good  night of sleep and a good breakfast.  One of the best things about the Tampa school system is that the Hillsborough County Public Schools offer a free breakfast every morning regardless of income level! The schedule for FCAT testing is FCAT Reading and Science on Tuesday March 9th, FCAT Math on Wednesday March 10th, and FCAT Makeup on Thursday and Friday March 11th-12th. Grades 3 – 10 will have to do Reading and Math.  Grades 5, 8 and 11 will have to Science.  Grade 11 students who are new to the state or re-takes will do Reading & Mathematics.  MacDonald’s is trying to help during FCAT week by offering a complimentary Egg McMuffin, Apple Dippers and a milk or orange juice.  This offer is available from 6am-9am for students in grades 3 to 11.   Check your local MacDonald’s to make sure that they are participating.

Drivers Edge will be presenting a free driving class for drivers under 21 years of age in Tampa on 20 & 21 March. Driver’s Edge provides a free educational program for young drivers (aged 15-21) teaching real life emergency avoidance and response techniques and overall driver safety. However, donations can be made to support the program. Over 70,000 young drivers have been educated so far! Every student has a chance to get behind the wheel of a car with a true professional instructor sitting next to them at all times. Taught by professional racecar drivers and professional performance driving instructors from some of the world’s most famous and respected driving schools, each student has a behind the wheel experience that includes evasive lane change maneuvers, ABS and non-ABS braking exercises and comparisons, panic braking instruction and skid control instruction. Students will also learn about vehicle maintenance, tire safety and preventative vehicle care as elements of safe driving. Registration is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The class is open to anyone age 21, or younger, and they must have a valid learner’s permit or driver’s license. The class schedule is Saturday, March 20, 8:00am – 12:30pm, and Sunday, March 21, 8:00am – 12:30pm. The afternoon sessions are already full for Saturday and Sunday, so hurry up and register before the morning classes fill up! Driver’s Edge is a non-profit organization only funded by charitable donations,public grants and corporate sponsorships. This is class is taught behind the wheel and in the classroom with an “MTV” flavor to appeal to young drivers. Driver’s Edge was developed to fight the larger number of automobile accidents and fatalities that so many young inexperienced drivers are involved in. The class will taught at Derby Lane at 10490 Gandy Boulevard in St. Pete.

The MacDill AFB movie theater will not have a show on Friday, but on Saturday there will be two movies playing.  On Saturday at 3pm, the new Jackie Chan comedy movie, “The Spy Next Door” will be playing. This movie is rated PG for sequences of action violence, and mild rude humor and has a run time of 92 minutes. Bob Ho, an undercover operative for the CIA, decides to give up his career and marry his girlfriend, Gillian. However, before Bob can do that, he has one more mission to complete: gain the approval of Gillian’s children. Bob volunteers to babysit when Gillian is called away, but the operation hits a snag when one of the kids mistakenly downloads a top-secret formula, and a Russian terrorist takes aim at Bob’s prospective family. At 7pm, the new Daniel Day-Lewis movie, “Nine” will be playing. This movie is rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking and has run time of 110 minutes. Famous film director Guido Contini grapples with epic crises in his personal and professional life. At the same time, he must strike a balance among the demands of the numerous women in his life, including his wife, his mistress, and his confidant. You can’t be the price of admission. It is $4 for ages and 12 and older and $2 for 4-11. A medium popcorn and large soft drink only costs $7.50.

Okay, St. Patrick’s Day is on the 17th of this month.  But this St. Patrick’s Day 5k run is free!  The event is sponsored by the MacDill AFB Fitness Center.  It starts at the MacDill AFB Fitness Center at 7am, so it is a great way to start the day.  Make sure you come out early to register for the event.  The 5k course normally starts on the north side parking lot and goes towards the 2nd hole of the north course of the golf course and back.  It may be a little chilly, but the wind should be minimal during this time of day. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the fitness center, then this is a great time to take a look. The Fitness Center that has everything needed for a complete workout! Use the large cardio workout room, the huge weight room or take aerobic or cycling classes. A portion of the cardio room has a children’s play area so that you can use a bicycle, treadmill or stairmaster and keep on eye on your child at the same time. There is also a gym setup for basketball and volleyball. For runners, there is a cushioned 1/4 mile track right outside the Fitness Center, and a nearby 4 mile cushioned trail along the bay with some great views of the water! During the weekday lunch hours, the Fitness Center has the most people using it so any other time it is pretty empty. Make an appointment with a personal trainer to help setup your workout program.