MacDill Happenings

Go Rays!! The Rays take on the Red Sox tonight at the Trop. There is free Matt Garza t-shirt giveaway to the first 10,000 fans. This is the home opener of a 3 game series with Red Sox. The Rays are just getting back from a West Coast swing. 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.

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Come out to Curtis Hixon Park for Rock the Park and enjoy a free concert and take in the wonderful Tampa weather and sunset this Thursday evening. Rock the Park is free music concert series that will takes place on Thursday evenings at Curtis Hixon Park. The concert starts at 6:30pm and finishes up at 9pm. The concert will feature southern rockers The Groves, soulful Chris Nathan, and folk singer Emily Dyke. 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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This Friday 30 July start your weekend out right and stop by SeaScapes Beach Club on MacDill AFB for free live entertainment outside at the Tiki Hut. From 6pm to 9pm Tommy “Bahama” Arnold will be playing beach music, new country, Motown and classic R&B. Take in the scenic view of Tampa Bay, while dining in the tropical atmosphere of SeaScapes. You don’t have to face the traffic or crowds like you find at other waterside venues. Sip delicious cocktails, or dine on delectable fare, while enjoying a magnificent view of the setting sun on the bay. A wide selection of menu items for dinner include grouper, seafood platters, coconut shrimp, grilled chicken and much more! You can’t beat the bar prices! SeaScapes is located at the MacDill AFB base beach and next to FamCamp. It’s a real casual atmosphere so beach wear is fine, remember this is Florida! It’s a great place to enjoy as a couple or bring the whole family! Or after an afternoon on the golf course, SeaScapes is a great place to relax!  You can’t beat the price of drinks at SeaScapes.  Draft beer is only $2 and well drinks are $2.75.  On Fridays from 5pm to 9pm, there is a seafood basket special for $8.95 which includes clam strips, cod, shrimp, potato and choice of side, either small tossed salad or coleslaw.

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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 annual Taste of Pinellas takes place 4-6 June on the waterfront at Vinoy Park in St. Pete! This annual food and music festival offers “tastes” from 50 area restaurants, a beer garden, Kid Zone, Frisbee Dogs Disc-Connected K-9′s, drum circles and more. The Kids Zone features play areas, entertainment, dancing, Live DJ, drum circles, giant inflatable slides, bungee trampoline, and more! On Saturday night at 9:45pm is a fireworks show after the concert. Music includes America and Huey Lewis and the News (4 Jun); Lonestar and Martina McBride (5 Jun); and Mitchel Musso (6 Jun). Admission is free including the concerts. However, there is a fee for food. Proceeds from this event benefits All Children’s Hospital. Hours each day are Friday 5pm to 10pm, Saturday noon to 10pm and Sunday noon to 7pm. There are parking structures available and some on street parking. Shuttle service is available. It is going to warm so make sure you bring a hat, sunblock, sunglasses and bring a chair or blanket to sit on to enjoy the concerts. Please leave pets at home and outside food or drink is not allowed.

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is the location of the free Friday Extra Concert Series. The concert features a live performance by rock n’ rollers  One Mounted Tom and Johnny G. Lyon Band.  The beautiful Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is located 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!  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 a Friday 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.

For a great way to spend a Saturday evening, stop by beautiful Curtis Hixon Park on the riverfront in downtown Tampa for a free outdoor concert. The U.S. Navy band, The Cruisers, will be in concert starting at 7pm. Bring you blankets and chairs to sit on. Don’t forget the bug spray to keep those bugs away. Bring out the whole family and plenty friends and enjoy a picnic while listening to the band. No alcohol is allowed, but you can bring all the soft drinks and water you can drink! As the U.S. Navy’s premier contemporary entertainment ensemble, the Cruisers feature eight of the Navy’s most dynamic performers. Formed in 1999 as a specialty unit of the United States Navy Band, the Cruisers are under the leadership of drummer. The group takes its name from the Navy’s versatile, flexible, multi-missioned ship – the Cruiser – and the band lives up to their namesake by having the capabilities of playing genres of music ranging from jazz & standards, rhythm & blues, classic rock, adult contemporary and pop as well as original material. This elite group has engaged and excited audiences of all ages throughout the U.S. and abroad with world-class musicianship and high energy, fun-filled performances. The beautiful Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is located 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! 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 a Saturday evening. Parking is available at the Curtis Hixon parking garage or at nearby public parking lots.

The 2nd Annual Festival of the Arts takes place this weekend 1 & 2 May at Winthrop Town Center in Riverview. There will be a juried Fine Art & Fine Craft Show with up to $7,000 in prize money. But there will also be children’s entertainment, arts & crafts, music and painting lessons.  On Saturday at 8pm, famous jazz saxophonist Eric Darius will be performing.  Admission is $10 good for all day and evening events.  It’s a good idea for the evening concerts to bring blankets and lawn chairs! This event is a fundraiser sponsored by the Brandon ’86 Rotary Club. The Brandon ’86 Rotary Club is a non-profit community service organization that supports local non profits and the Rotary International mission to eradicate Polio. This festival is an opportunity for artists and artistic organizations to exposes culture to the Community. This is venue for Artists and musicians to display their talents, performances and exhibits in an effort to enrich the lives of all citizens of the greater Brandon community. Riverview, located near Brandon, is an unincorporated town in Hillsborough County. Riverview is conveniently located along the I-75 corridor thirty minutes from Tampa. HART has an express bus service that runs straight from Riverview to MacDill AFB in the morning and back in the evening. It’s a great to save money and time when going to and from work! If you are a US government employee, then you can receive free monthly bus passes from MacDill AFB.

Starting today is the world famous Tampa Bay Blues Festival in Vinoy Park on the waterfront in downtown St. Pete. The Festival runs until Sunday. Stop by listen to some of the best in Blues including Jimmie Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, J.J. Grey & Mofro, Bettye Lavette, Little Ed and the Blues Imperials, Magic Slim, Joe Lewis Walker, Shemekia Copeland and many more. With acres of plush grass and palm trees, Vinoy Park is the perfect setting for one of the world’s biggest and best blues concerts. And there is plenty of parking available. Besides the great music there will some great food vendors where you can tryout seafood, barbeque, Cuban cuisine, and other great dishes. Or if you are looking to buy a souvenir, the check out the arts & crafts vendor. Beer and wine are also available. Tickets are only available at the gate with cash only. Tickets are $30/day or $75 for three days or VIP Passes for $150/day and $325 for all three days. Children 12 & under are free in the general admission area. On Friday & Saturday, gates open at around noon. On Sunday, the gates will open at about 12:30 p.m. No coolers, bicycles, pets, recording devices, or alcohol are allowed in the park. Also, no umbrellas or shade canopies may be set up in front of the main stage area. An area designated towards the rear of the park is available if you intend to bring small umbrellas or shade canopies. No large tents may be set up under any circumstances. Public restrooms are available in the rear of the park along the seawall. Re-entry to the park is allowed through the front gate only, provided you obtain a hand stamp.

The Patel Conservatory at the Straz Performing Arts Center in downtown Tampa is hosting the Rock School Blowout today starting at 1pm. Rock school bands, with members from age 10 to adult, rock downtown Tampa when they play on PAC’s Riverwalk. Bring a blanket and sit on the grass while our Patel Conservatory student musicians rock your world!  This is a free event and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon! The weather is going to be  warm and sunny so bring a hat and plenty of sunscreen.  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.