MacDill Happenings

Channelside Lights Up the Bay in downtown Tampa with a New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration.  Channelside Bay Plaza celebrates New Year’s Eve with 12 hours of free live entertainment, a midnight ball drop and fireworks, all beginning at 1 pm on Saturday. This is a free event. No coolers or personal fireworks are allowed. Viewing of the fireworks from the wharf area will be limited to the first 3,000 people and wristbands will be given out for access at the Garrison Street gate starting at 9:30 pm. Only persons with wristbands will be allowed on the wharf. The party ends at 1 am. Other viewing spots for Tampa firework include Cotanchobee Park, the Sail Pavilion at Riverwalk, the newly anointed Tampa Bay Times Forum grounds, spots along Harbour Island and the grounds of the Tampa Bay History Center. The Columbia Cafe at the Tampa Bay History Center will be open until 9 pm, but the center will close at 3 pm. The fun take place all day long, but just be prepared for the crowds. Dining is available on the Yacht Starship, at the History Center’s Columbia Cafe, or at one of Channelside Bay Plaza’s unique and compelling restaurants. Channelside will also be hosting live music, fun, all day long and of course fireworks at midnight! Parking will be available in Channelside and other public and private lots, but spots will fill up quickly so you might park in Ybor City and use Tampa’s TECO Line Streetcar.

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Golden Corral will hold its Military Appreciation dinner on 14 November. Although it is not on Veteran’s Day, this is an offer in celebration of veterans. Make sure you have some patience, because there will be some large crowds. The free dinner only runs from 5pm to 9pm. The free meal is a special “thank you tribute” to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, then you are eligble for this offer. Make sure you have an ID card. Last year’s Military Appreciation Monday was a huge success, honoring over 335,000 veterans and active duty military with a free dinner buffet and beverage. All Golden Corral restaurants nationwide participated in this event and, together with guests, collected a record total of over $808,000 for the Disabled American Veterans organization, which will be used by state and local chapters to assist veterans. To date, Golden Corral restaurants have provided over 2.5 million free meals and contributed over $4.1 million to the Disabled American Veterans organization. In the Tampa area, there are restaurants located in Tampa, Brandon, and Temple Terrace.

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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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Take Mom out for brunch on Mother’s Day at the Bayshore Club on MacDill AFB. Brunch runs from 10:30am to 2pm, but call today for reservations at 840-2120.  This is a great spread with food galore at a very reasonable price! For members, the price is $25 and $26 for spouses. For non-members, the price is $28. There will be a variety of salads, smoked salmon, peel & eat shrimp, fresh fruit, imported cheeses, carving station: roasted stuffed Mediterranean pork loin & steamship round, roasted basil-lemon chicken with Chardonnay sauce, orange chili glazed mahi mahi, spring vegetable stir fry with sesame, herb roasted red bliss potatoes, brown rice with spring peas & cilantro, omelet station, homemade French toast, waffle station with toppings, bacon, sausage links, potatoes O’Brien, assorted breakfast breads & muffins, a wide assortment of desserts, Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Champagne, coffee, decaf, hot tea, assorted juices and milk. The Bayshore Club is located at the corner of Bayshore and Florida Keys Avenue and right across the street from the Davis Center.  The Bayshore Club is known for its elegant dining at a reasonable price and lunch buffets during the week.  Or after a day of work stop in at the “Swamp Lounge” and relax with some friends. The friendly servers will make you feel right at home.   After a good meal, you can cross the street for a short stroll along Bayshore or take in the view from the pavilion.

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This Thursday everyone gets to be a little bit Irish in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day! If you decide to go out and celebrate in Tampa, then there are a few Irish pubs in the South Tampa area. More importantly, make sure you have a designated driver or take a cab if you celebrate a little too much! Four Green Fields, with its thatched roof, is located at 205 W Platt St near the Publix off of Bayshore. But remember, West Platt is a one way street going towards the Tampa Convention Center. Four Green Fields opens at 9 am on St. Patrick’s Day, followed by a lunch buffet of shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage and fish ‘n’ chips from 11 am to 2 pm. Cost is $16.95 per person. Live Irish music by Pat Dunlea and friends from noon until closing. Cover is $10 starting at noon, unless you order the lunch buffet. MacDinton’s Irish Pub at 405 S Howard Ave begins their celebration at 11am. The celebration starts with lunch, and $4 green beers. The party cranks it up a notch at 2 pm with a $10 Irish buffet (until 5 pm), non-stop live music, Irish dancers and bagpipers. After 5pm, the cover charge is $10. The South Tampa Dubliner starts their party at 11am with a lunch buffet ($9.95), non-stop live entertainment and green Miller Lite. There are a lot more Irish pubs in the Tampa area, but these three pubs are the closest to MacDill AFB. Make sure you plan your night and be responsible!

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On Tuesday 15 February, the Chick-fil-A at theWestfield Brandon Mall will offer a Kids Eat Free” special from 5pm to 8pm. To receive the free kids meal, the purchase of a regular value meal is required. The Chick-fil-A is located in the Food Court on the east side of the mall. Another meal special going on all day is offered by Cinnabon on Tuesday only. Cinnabon is offering a buy one get one free cinnabon! The Mall has some great eating establishments: California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, GrillSmith, Panera Bread, Ruby Tuesday or Siniqual. Or the food court at the Mall has some delicious offerings from Five Guys to Italian to Chinese and everything in between. 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. The town of Brandon is a pretty popular location for people who work at MacDill AFB. 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.

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Diners Reef on MacDill AFB is serving a fantastic Christmas Day Meal from 10:30am to 6:30pm.  This meal is open to anyone with a military ID card. But if you did not know, Diners Reef is open all the time to everyone. The Air Force has turned Diners Reef into a regular restaurant with the exception that food there is a lot cheaper. If you don’t want to cook or want to share a meal with friends, then Diners Reef is the place to go on Christmas Day.  The mouth watering menu will feature all the traditional foods that you expect at Christmas including roast rib of beef, roast turkey, baked ham, shrimp cocktail, glazed sweet potatoes, parslied buttered potatoes, giblet dressing, French green beans with almonds, steamed corn, peas, glazed carrots, assorted pies and many more desserts.  Beverages include soft drinks, tea and coffee.  The cost will be minimal.  I took my family of seven to the Diners Reef a few Christmas’ ago and the cost was less than $30!  The kids loved the spinning desert tray and the fact that they could chose anything they wanted and did not have to do dishes! Normal hours at Diners Reef is Monday to Friday 5:30 am to 7pm and Saturday to Sunday 6:30am to 7pm. However on Monday to Sunday from 11am to noon, Diners Reef is restricted to active-duty military, Guard and Reserves only. This allows them to eat and get back to work. There is also a Midnight Meal 11 pm to 1 am that anyone can use.

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The 21st Annual St. Pete RibFest kicks off on Friday at Vinoy Park! All proceeds go to local area youth causes. Besides the great food, come and listen to the great music! Entertainment at the Ribfest includes Family oriented activities at the Family FunZone.  Listen to national touring artists playing classic and southern rock and country hits. Fridays music includes performances by the Geezers (1 p.m.), Hamlin and LA (2:30 p.m.), Sheri and the Vision (4:30 p.m.), Dave Mason (6:30 p.m.), Emily’s Ashes (8 p.m.) and the Doobie Brothers (8:30 p.m.). Saturday’s headliners include Rick Springfield, and Grand Funk Railroad. On Sunday, stop in to listen to Dr. Dave Band (noon), Lee Brice (2 p.m.), Amanda Drake and the Barnburners (2:45 p.m.), Phil Vassar (3:45 p.m.), Suite Caroline (5 p.m.) and Eric Church (6 p.m.). Admission is $10 online before 11 Nov or $15 at the gate. Military personnel and family with an ID get in for free. There are a free kids events including free face painting and carnival games if you don’t want to spend money on a wristband for the kids. They can still have plenty lof fun for free! Gates open at 11am each day. Admission gets you into the park where you can see all bands on either stage. All food and drink is extra. No food, beverages, coolers, pets, lasers, profesional cameras, audio or video recorders will be permitted in the park. There is absolutely no video or audio recording of any kind allowed in the park. Blankets and small lawn chairs are allowed. All purses and bags will be subject to a thorough search at the gate.

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