MacDill Happenings

If you’ve ever been to a Raymond James Stadium and wondered what everything looked like behind the scenes, then here is your chance!  The Tama Sports Authority has sent up public tours of the stadium.  No reservations are required for individual tours, just show up 15 minutes before the start of the tour.  Tours are subject to stadium availability, so call ahead  at 350-6500 to make sure that tours are still being conducted on the day that you want to go.  Scheduled dates are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Start time is 2pm each day. ’Cost is $5 for ages 16 and up, $3 for ages 6-15 and seniors Group tours can be schedules with a minimum 10 guests, and maximum 30 guests. Call at least two weeks in advance to reserve your groups tour time slot. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour to allow for check in. Reserved group tours are done on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 9am or 10:30am. The cost for Camps, Rec. Centers and Paid Summer Programs is $3 per child, adult groups (16 and older) is $5 per person, senior groups (65 and older) is $3 per person, and Hillsborough County School Groups are free during school year. You see how big or how small the stadium seems when there is no one else around. This backstage tour will take an hour. During that one hour, you will have the opportunity to checkout the locker rooms, have a chance to feel like one of the players while venturing out onto the field through the ‘home team’ tunnel, have Club/Suite access and have the opportunity to play Buccaneer aboard the infamous pirate ship. RayJay of course is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the home field of the USF Bulls.

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The Rays take on the Detroit Tigers on 27 July at the Trop!  Grow Financial Credit Union is having a great special on tickets for this game.  Tickets cost only $5!  The tickets are in the Upper Box which normally sell for $13.  With these seats, you get a really good view of the infield.  The first pitch is thrown at 7:10pm. The Rays are still continuing their hot streak that they started before the All-Star break. Get to the game early and have a tailgate party! If you do get to the game early, then the first 50 cars with 4 people or more can park for free in the Trop parking lots. Normal parking price is $20 at the Trop. There are private lots nearby the Trop that charge $10 for parking. 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. For the 2010 season for every Rays Gold, Silver and Bronze games, the Rays offer a military discount of half off outfield tickets with a four ticket limit, when presenting an active military ID at the Tropicana Field Box office. This is a platinum game, so the discount is not available. To save money, make sure you purchase tickets earlier. If you purchase tickets on game day at the stadium, the price increases about $3 per ticket! If you buy tickets at the Ray downtown Tampa store, the service charge is only $1.75. For these tickets, the service charge is also discounted and only costs a $1 per ticket.

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Metrocon will be at the Tampa Convention Center from 23-25 July. Metrocon is the largest Florida celebration of Japanese popular entertainment, including anime, manga, J-pop and J-rock music, cosplay and video games. Checkout the Anime Music Video contest, Official convention screenings of new releases, and panels with North American anime industry guests. There will be a Metrocade video game room and continuously running screens of Japanese anime and related programming. Metrocon will be hosting the seventh year of the Orginal Anime Human Chess Match.Opening ceremony is at 1pm on Friday.  Dress up as your favorite character! Please remember that you are not allowed to wear a mask or anything else that covers your face outside of the convention center. Any costume that could incite fear or panic from uninformed bystanders,like SWAT gear, military uniforms, anything with fake blood on it, etc., should not be worn out side the convention center. Admission costs: weekend pass-$55 + $3.85 = $58.85, Friday or Sunday day pass-$25 + $1.75 = $26.75, Saturday day pass-$30 + $2.10 = $32.10, Masquerade ticket-$10 + $0.70 = $10.70 Ages 5 and younger are free. There plenty of parking at and around the Convention Center.

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Get out, get fit and have some fun at Mommy and Me Skate on Wednesdays at United Skates of America! Dads can also join in on the fun!  United Skates of America is located at 5121 N. Armenia Ave in Tampa. This weekly Wednesday event will take place from 9am to 11:30am. This is a great opportunity for mom’s to get some fun exercising skating and sharing with their toddlers. You put your child in a stroller, ride-on toy or push cart and speed them around the ring while you skate. Bring some friends along! The admission price is $3.50 and this includes skate rental. Come check out the rest of the facility. This is a great place to host a birthday party or a school fund raiser. For new skaters, skating lessons are available. For youths interested in hockey, there is a youth roller hockey league. There is a pro shop available to meet all your skating needs. The video arcade has the latest games and with your winning tickets you can redemp them for some great toys. The pizza restaurant serves a delicious pizza and other goodies that will satisfy everyone.

The Friday Night Concert Series at FishHawk Ranch continues on 16 July at Park Square in FishHawk Ranch.  Not only are the concerts for fun, but they are also to help with a good cause.  FishHawk Ranch has partnered with Feeding America Tampa Bay.  So please bring canned goods to donate directly at the Feed America van.  The food vendors at the concert have also pledged to donate 25% of their profits to Feed America, so please make sure that you check out what they have for sale.  On Friday, get on the bus and enjoy music from the Bus Stop Band.  The Bus Stop Band will take you back in time for all your favorite classic songs ranging from R&B, Contemporary, and Top 40 hits from the 1950s to the 1980s.  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 convenience 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

The Patel Conservatory at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa is offering free ballet classes on 14 and 28 August for children in prekindergarten to grade 12. This is a great opportunity to introduce your children to dance and maybe pique their interest. These are beginner and intermediate classes. Registration is required by calling (813) 222-1263. During the school year, the Patel Conservatory holds courses weekly, after school and on weekends in a beautiful, 45,000-square-foot facility attached to the Straz Performing Arts Center. The Conservatory’s instructors are highly skilled artists and many are working professionals in the area of their expertise. There are studios and classrooms for dance, media arts, theater, on-camera acting and private lessons in all disciplines, plus a piano lab, a recording studio, a scene shop, a costume shop, a library and a “black box” theater. SPAC 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 SPAC.

The MacDill AFB Youth Center is holding a free Youth Basketball Camp from 9 to 13 August.  Register by 6 August.  This camp is open for youths ages 9 to 15.  Lunch and snacks are provided free of charge.  Get in shape and get ready for the fall basketball season at school.  Kids will get to work on passing, free throws, defense, dribbling and classroom instruction to really learn about the game.  The camp is free, but participants have to attend all week otherwise they will be charged for the camp.  Call 828-7956 for more information. Programs and activities offered at the Youth Center help improve and maintain the physical, social, and mental well-being of youth to include year-round programs and wholesome leisure-time experiences. Not only are there games, crafts, life skills, and sports, but youth can learn how to become meaningful members of their community. Some instructional classes are conducted, but this is contingent on the availability of instructors. A diversified youth sports program offers basketball, baseball, and soccer leagues along with a cheerleading program. Teens have their own area where they can come to interact with their peers, get homework and career assistance, or play video games. Special events are conducted periodically for both the pre-teens and teens. The Youth Center is available to any children who are eligible for an ID card.

This Saturday Sail Tampa Bay kicks off with the arrival of 3 tall ships.  The 3 ships are the US Coast Guard training barque “Eagle”, and the Uruguan flagged schooner “Capitan Miranda” and the Columbian flagged barque “Gloria”.  The ships will be ported at the Convention Center and Channelside.  This festival should bring out thousands of people out to Channelside.  The event starts with a parade of ships from 11am to 2pm on 10 Jul as the ships enter the port. The 5-day festival will feature nightly fireworks, live music and dockside tours of the ships.  Fireworks are scheduled for the 11th and 12th.   On Saturday, the Capitan Miranda and Gloria are open for tours from 2pm to 9pm at the Convention Center. The Eagle will be open from 3pm to 5pm at Channelside. On 11 & 12 July, all the ships are open for tours from 11am to 7pm. On Tuesday 13 July, the Capitan Miranda and Gloria are open for tours from 2pm to 9pm. The Eagle will be open for tours from 9am to 12:20pm and then sets sail at 2:30pm. On 14 July, there will be closing ceremonies with ship tours from 11am to 4pm. Tours for the Capitan Miranda and the Glorida costs $10.  Tours on the Eagle are free! There are various public and private parking lots near the Convention Center and at Channelside. Usually the public lots offer the most cost effective price. But where ever you park, the Convention Center and Channelside are within walking distance of each other. The Florida Aquarium has a parking lot and Channelside has parking structure across the street. If you’re looking for a snack or a meal while checking out the tall ships stop by Channelside. There is a large variety of restaurants from casual eateries to fine dining. If you’re looking for pizza, sandwiches, steak, Thai, Spanish food or something in between, Channelside has it. Or if you’re just interested in dessert, then you can find some delicious ice cream at Channelside!

The Westfield Mall in Brandon will host a free summer arts and crafts event on Friday from 1 to 3 .m. This summer-themed family fun event is designed for families with children ages 5-10. Bring the kids out for some free fun in some cool air conditioning and out of the rain. Before or after the fun, you can try out the food court for some reasonable priced food. There is a wide variety of food offerings. The Westfield Mall in Brandon is one of the largest malls in the Tampa area. Anchor stores at the Mall include Dillard’s, Macy’s, JC Penny’s, and Sears. With stores offering everything from shoes to sports to sunglasses and everything in between, the Westfield Mall is also a destination place for dining out from something quick to eat in the food court to a sit down restaurant in the restaurant courtyard. The Mall is open on Mondays to Friday from 10:30am to 8:30pm, Saturdays 10am to 9pm and Sundays from 11am to 6pm. Brandon is about a 30 minute drive from MacDill AFB. The LeRoy Selmon Expressway runs from Brandon to Tampa and can cut 10 to 15 minutes off your commute during rush hour. Make sure you buy a SunPass transponder it’ll save you .25 cents at each toll booth. Also, instead of waiting to pay at the toll booth with a SunPass transponder, you can go through the automated pay lane and save yourself some time. Brandon has all the amenities that anyone would need.

This Tuesday the AMC Summer Camp movie is Madagascar! The price of the movie is only $1! While the movies are not new movies they will be great movies for the children to watch.  This special will occur at all AMC theaters. Doors open at 9:30 am and movies begin at 10 am. Make sure you get there early because the theater usually fills up fast and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. There also are some refreshment deals, including a $4 KidsPack concession combo. All admission and refreshment proceeds will benefit Variety — The Children’s Charity and the Will Rogers Institute. Four zoo animals are shipped back to their homeland by an animal rights group that feels they belong in the wild. When the ship capsizes, the animals find themselves stranded in Madagascar. Having had humans care for them their entire life, they know nothing about survival and must work together with the locals to help them fit in. Movie run time is 80 minutes for this family fun cartoon!