MacDill Happenings

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park transforms into a winter wonderland with activities and amusements for the entire family with Santa Fest and a Holiday Parade. Activities include visits with Santa Claus, continuous holiday entertainment, hands-on games, make-n-take holiday themed crafts and a holiday parade. The parade begins at 11am and runs along Morgan Street and Kennedy Boulevard and ends at Ashley Drive and Cass Street at Curtis Hixon Park.  Of course the highlight of the parade is Santa Claus!  The Santa Fest runs until 5pm. The beautiful Curtis Hixon Park is located on the waterfront in downtown Tampa along Ashley St between the Tampa Museum of Art and the Sykes building. Food is available at nearby restaurants including Five Guys Hamburger across the street from the Park and a new nearby Mexican restaurant Urban Cantina located at the corner of Madison and South Tampa. You can also bring a picnic dinner and don’t forget the blankets and chairs! There will also be a few concessions selling drinks and snacks. Alcohol is not allowed but well behaved pets are! Curtis Hixon Park has a fenced animal park along the water. This park is one of nicest parks in Tampa. With an interactive playground, wide open flat grass play area, a view of the University of Tampa, and cooling water fountains, this is a great place to relax on during a Tampa evening. Parking is available at the Curtis Hixon parking garage or at nearby public parking lots. On street parking is free in Tampa after 6pm, so you don’t have to place any quarters into the meters! If you’re lucky, you can get a parking spot in front of Five Guys Hamburgers right across the street from the Park at the corner of Ashley and Polk.

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Everyone is getting ready for a fun night of Trick or Treating! To make sure that you have fun make sure that you follow a few basics steps. You can never be too cautious. Trick or Treating can start at dusk, but you can start a little bit earlier. There is no set time in the Tampa area to start. If you have young children, make sure you go out before it gets too dark. Make sure that that your kids have an escort. Never let your child go out alone. Have everyone carry a flashlight. Try to have light colored costumes. Cross only at intersections and not between parked cars. Halloween is a great time for parties, so be extra careful and look out for that drunk driver. Check all treats before letting children eat them. Make sure that your pets are under control especially when you have to open the door to Trick or Treaters. If you are driving, make sure you watch for children in neighborhoods who are going to be excited, running around and may not be able to see you if they have a mask on. Fireworks are illegal in Florida so don’t use them and watch out for people who are using them. If your child is going to wear a mask, have them remove them as they walk the neighborhood so that they can see and hear what is going on around them. Halloween can be a lot of fun, but just be careful so that you don’t have to spend it in an emergency room!

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Bring the children out to an old fashioned pumpkin patch in the heart of South Tampa! Old Hyde Park Village is home to the only pumpkin patch in South Tampa. Sales from the pumpkin patch will benefit the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. The pumpkin patch is open daily until the 31st. Hours are Monday to Friday 5pm to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday noon to 6pm. There will be pumpkins for purchase, pets in costumes and all sorts of photo opportunities! All money raised during the Pumpkin Patch will benefit the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay is a limited admission shelter. They only accept animals that they feel can be adopted. The Humane Society is a “No Kill for Space” shelter which means the shelter will not euthanize an animal to make space for another animal. Hyde Park Village is an open-air shopping center located in the neighborhood of Hyde Park. The Village center is situated in several buildings located between Swann and Rome Avenues. Although are national retailers, the majority of tenants in the center are independent boutiques and eateries. The neighborhood of Hyde Park is located near the University of Tampa and close to Tampa’s business and cultural arts district. The boundaries of the neighborhood include the Hillsborough Bay to the east, Kennedy Blvd to the north, historic and picturesque Bayshore Boulevard to the south, and Armenia Avenue to the west. Major thoroughfares within the historical district include Kennedy Boulevard, Bayshore Boulevard, Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, Howard Avenue, and Swann Avenue. There are 3 free parking structures available in Hyde Park.

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Believe or not, school has started! Today was the first day of school at Hillsborough County Public Schools and even though you know it is coming it is still a big change to the family routine. Usually not welcome by the kids, but usually welcomed by parents. But it is still a challenge to parents, especially when trying to figure out what to pack for lunch or whether or not to by a school lunch. The good thing about school for kids is that they get the opportunity to buy something different for lunch! Parents want their children to enjoy lunch, but they want to have a nutritious and health lunch with good choices. Whole Foods Market in Tampa is offering a class to “Pack A Healthy Lunch” at their store on Wednesday at 6pm. Kids are invited and can participate so that you get them learn about healthy alternatives for lunch. You will learn tips to bump up the nutrient level of your kid’s lunch while keeping it fun and delicious in this interactive class for both kids and parents. Please register in the lobby of the store. Whole Foods Market offers the finest natural and organic foods available, maintains the strict quality standards in the industry, and has an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. The grocer is one of the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with more than 300 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. The Tampa store is conveniently located in Walters Crossing Shopping Center below Target, Next to The Home Depot, on North Dale Mabry Highway and I-275.

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Come out to downtown Tampa to the Glazer’s Children Museum to get ready and excited for school! Today starting at 9am and ending at 4pm, the Museum will host a Back to School Fair. Get tips on health, wellness and safety while enjoying live entertainment, games, arts and crafts, face painting, balloon artists, informative speakers, karaoke and workshops. The first 150 kids get a free back to school goodie bag filled with school supplies. Admission to the fair and to the museum is $5. Located in downtown Tampa at Curtis Hixon Park along the Hillsborough River, the museum will be a highlight of Tampa. The museum is geared for kids up to 10 years old where they will have the opportunity learn about the world around them including Tampa Bay. Everything is hands-on learning! There are more than 170 interactive exhibits from a crane to a cruise ship to a mini-theater to a giant telephone in 12 themed areas. Normal admission for children is $9.50, adults $15, and military/seniors $12.50 The museum is open 7 days a week on Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, Saturdays 10am to 6pm and Sundays 1pm to 6pm. Make a trip to the museum and take advantage of all the opportunities downtown Tampa has to offer. Curtis Hixom park is one of nicest parks in Tampa with a fenced animal park along the water. With an interactive playground, wide open flat grass play area, a view of the University of Tampa, and cooling water fountains, the is a great place play or to relax on during a Tampa evening. Food is available at nearby restaurants including Five Guys Hamburger across the street from the Park and a new nearby Mexican restaurant Urban Cantina located at the corner of Madison and South Tampa. Parking is available at the Curtis Hixon parking garage or at nearby public parking lots. If you’re lucky, you can get a parking spot in front of Five Guys Hamburgers right across the street from the Park at the corner of Ashley and Polk.

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The Patel Conservatory at the Straz Performing Arts Center is hosting a free youth ballet master classes on Saturday 13 August. Next Generation Ballet will offer a free master class and will audition advanced students for the Next Generation Ballet Trainee program. From 9am to 9:45am, there will be an Introduction to Ballet Master Class for ages 3-K. From 10:15am to 11:15am, there will be a Beginning Ballet Master Class for grades 1-8 and no previous experience is required. From 1pm to 2:15pm, there Elementary/Intermediate Ballet Master Class for grades 4-12 and with two years of consistent ballet training. Next Generation Ballet and the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet recently won “Outstanding School” at the New York finals of the Youth America Grand Prix. Pre-registration for master class is required and can be made at 222-1002. At the north end of the the world-class David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida, the Patel Conservatory’s three-story, 45,000 square-foot facility offers more than 100 classes in dance, theater, and music. 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 north side of SPAC. Pre-registration is required. The Patel Conservatory can be reached at 222-1263.

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Today is Family Day at Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa !  With the purchase of one adult or senior ticket, two kids get in for free today! This is a great way to share the day with the entire family.  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.  Normal admission is $20.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors and $16.95 for children ages 2-12. Parking is $4.  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.

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The classic Judy Garland movie, “The Wizard of Oz” is playing at the Tampa Theatre at 3pm this Sunday. Most people have seen it at home, but even a 60″ big screen televsion is not the same as a movie screen in the classic Tampa Theatre. Come see Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion as go to see the Wizard and battle the Wicked Witch and her band of flying monkees. See Dorothy the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion learn about themselves and life as they go on the adventure of a lifetime. General admission is $8. 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 weekend so parking at street meters is free. 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.

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The Bay Palms Golf Complex at MacDill AFB is hosting a “Tweens and Teens Golf Camp” this summer. There are two separate sessions. The first session runs from 13-16 June and the second session runs 27-30 June. The camp runs from 10am to 4pm each day. The cost is $175 which includes instruction, and daily lunch. This camp is geared towards children ages 7 to 15 years old. Golf does not have to an expensive game if you golf on base. The Monday through Friday rates are 7am to 11am: E1 to E4 $17; E5 to O3 $23; O4 and up $26; guests $30, from 11am to 2:30pm: E1 to E4 $12; E5 to O3 $16; O4 and up $18; guests $22, after 2:30pm: E1 to E4 $10; E5 to O3 $14; O4 and up $15; guests $18. On weekends, the posted rates are good until 11am when a discount goes into effect. The Bay Palms Golf Complex was named ‘Best Golf Program in the Air Force’ for 2002. There are two 18-hole, par 72 courses. The challenging South Course runs along the bay. The North Course offers a prefect opportunity to work on your game. The complex has a lighted practice putting green, a 24-hour-a-day lighted driving range where a bucket of balls is only $1, a practice chipping green and sand trap areas. The clubhouse has an excellent pro shop with a great friendly staff ready to help you. The snack bar serves a great variety of food and has an especially nice breakfast menu! Call the ProShop at 840-6904 to register for camp.

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Celebrate the history and the future of trains on National Train Day today from noon to 5pm at Union Station. This is a free family event! The Tampa Union Station is a Local Landmark Structure. Union Station, located between Downtown and Ybor City on Nebraska Ave in Tampa, will take part in the nationwide event which celebratesthe laying of the “golden spike” in 1869 as the first intercontinental railroad was built. On May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah, the “golden spike” was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, ceremonially creating the nation?s first transcontinental railroad. Learn more about the history of trains and local train clubs and see exhibits from Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers, National Association of Railroad Passengers, Friends of Tampa Union Station, Tampa Bay History Center, TBARTA, HART, TECO Line Streetcar, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library/Burgert Bros. Collection, Operation Lifesaver/CSX, City of Tampa, Amtrak, Florida Railroad Museum and ACL & SAL Railroads Historical Society. Check out the HO scale display from the Suncoast Model Railroad Club and an N scale modular display from Plant City Historical Society There will also be live music provided by “Bad with Names”. See the Tampa Bay Lightning Girls with Thunderbug. Radio Disney remote will be there broadcasting!  There will be Amtrak superliner to see!

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