MacDill Happenings

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.

Stop by your favorite IHOP on 23 February to celebrate National Pancake Day! From 7am to 10pm, you can receive one free short stack, 3 buttermilk pancakes, for free. National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday. You are asked to consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through the Children’s Miracle Network, or other local charities. Last year, IHOP raised more than $875,000 during National Pancake Day. This year’s goal is $1 million! There are 10 IHOP locations to choose from in the Tampa Bay area! Children’s Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals. More than 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind.  Help someone else out and help yourself to some pancakes!

Come out to the beach and enjoy the sun, sand, surf and the food at SeaScapes Beach Club at the MacDill AFB beach during the Beach Bash on 22 January. The Bash runs from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. Get all you can eat hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurts, pork & beans, potato salad, brownies and cookies. AF Club members are free. Guests or a spouse will pay $9.95. FamCampers will pay $5. Children 6 and under are free. SeaScapes Beach Club is open Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 9:30pm. If you can’t make it to SeaScapes on the 22nd, then they have another special every Thursday evening. Thursday evening is “All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti” at SeaScapes. For $7.95 a person, you get spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, and soda. Desert is extra, but you can get key lime pie or brownie ala mode for only $2! Every night at SeaScapes drafts are $2 and well drinks are $2.75. 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!

On 23 January, the Surf’s Edge Club on MacDill AFB is hosting the 2nd Annual Soul Food & Jazz night. Listen to the Jazz and Soul sounds of Laveita Savage & All Stars from 8pm to midnight. Boomers Bar & Grill be open for cocktails at 5pm. Dinner is from 6pm to 8pm and is an all you can eat buffet. There will be a salad bar, fried chicken, ribs, blackened fish, macaroni salad, collard greens, black eyed peas, okra & tomatoes, candied sweet potatoes, cornbread, hot rolls with butter, chocolate cake, and pecan pie with sweet tea and coffee. Cost is $10 for AF Club members. Non-members will pay $15 per person. Tickets are on sale now and reservations are suggested. Tickets can be purchased by calling 828-4756.

To save yourself some cooking time this Thanksgiving Day, stop by the MacDill AFB Bayshore Club for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day buffet at a very reasonable price.  The buffet runs from 11am to 2pm. Feast on the traditional roast turkey with bread stuffing, baked ham with raisin sauce, baron of beef, seafood newberg, baked fish, pasta station, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, steamed rice, seasonal mixed vegetables, assorted salads, breakfast items, assorted cheeses, breads, fruits, pies, cakes, fruit juices, coffee and tea.  The Bayshore Club offers an elegant dining location in a friendly casual atmosphere.  This is a very kid friendly place so it’s great for the entire family.  Cost for AF Club members is $17.95, non-members $19.95, children 6-12 $8.95 and children 5 yrs & under are free! Reservations are required, call 828-4756.  Or if you want to eat at home and not cook, then you can also order Thanksgiving To Go Packages by calling 840-6900 before close of business on Tuesday 24 November. 

Stop by SeaScapes Beach Club this Friday and bring along your boss, your buddy, or everyone from the office. The fun starts at 3:30pm. There will be a limbo contest and sand volleyball. Trying out the hors d’oeuvres buffet from 3:30 to 4:30pm. If you are a club member it is free. If not, then it is $3 for spouses and $5 for non-members. Or if 3:30 is too early for you to leave the office, then stop by later on for live music. From 5:30pm and 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!

The 21st Annual St. Pete RibFest kicks off today 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 lead by George Thorogood & the Destroyers,The Zac Brown Band and many more bands on stage. Hell on Wheels, the nations leading BMX action stunt show, sponsored by Tobacco Free Florida, will be performing throughout the weekend along with a
Classic and Custom Car Show on Saturday. Admission is $10 online or $15 at the gate. 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.

MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) in Tampa is offering all active duty, reserve or retired veterans a discounted admission ticket for only $5 on November 11 in honor of Veterans Day.  Normal ticket prices are $23. 95 for 13-59, seniors $21.95 for seniors and $19.95 for 2-12.  MOSI is the largest science center in the Southeastern United States and home of the only IMAX Dome theatre in Florida. 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. See the one of a kind Diplodocus dinosaur exhibit; get blown away in the Gulf Coast Hurricane; cruise the galaxy in the Saunders Planetarium; stroll through the BioWorks Butterfly Garden and see many more sights. 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. Parking is always free at MOSI. 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.  After a day of seeing, stop by Applebee’s for a free meal for veterans!  Veterans and active duty military can eat for free on Veteran’s Day.  You just need to show proof of military service or have a military ID card.  Stop by any Tampa Bay Applebee’s to enjoy!

This Friday 18 September, 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!

If you’re looking for a reasonable priced meals with a great view and friendly people, then go to SeaScapes at the MacDill AFB beach on Thursdays for their Spectacular Family Night! Every Thursday, there is an All-You-Can-Eat spaghetti, garlic bread and salad for $6.95 a person! You can also order off the regular menu. Located right on the MacDill AFB beach, you’ll have a wonderful view of Tampa Bay especially during sunset! There is a great bar with very reasonably priced drinks and you won’t find a nicer and friendly bartender in Tampa! If you don’t want the try the spaghetti, then there is a wide selection of menu items including grouper, seafood platters, shrimp, chicken and beef! Clothing is casual just like everywhere in Florida. Take a walk along the beach afterwards.