MacDill Happenings

In celebration of its 10th year anniversary, all Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurants will be having $5 meal deals from 8 to 10 November. Established by Tampa Bay Bucaneer Hall of Famer defensive great Lee Roy Selmon, the restaurant chain has 6 Florida locations. The restaurant is offering 10 entrees for just $5! This is a great way to save money and take the family to an fabulous restaurant with great food and service! Menu specialties in the 10th anniversary celebration include Soul Good Pulled Pork, Sweet Heat Fried Chicken Platter, Mama’s Meatloaf, Smoked Chicken Salad, Mile High Pulled Pork Sandwich, Sweet Heat Fried Chicken Sandwich, Open Faced Meatloaf Sandwich, Mama Selmon’s Cajun Gumbo, Fried Green Tomatoes (Family Style) and Selmon Brothers’ Wings. Plus Lee Roy Selmon himself will be at two of the restaurants each night greeting guests! Known for its barbecue and authentic homemade recipes, Lee Roy Selmon’s is a great place for a meal. On Monday night, this is the place to watch football! With its big screen televisions, food and drink specials and football paraphernalia, the atmosphere is perfect for a game!

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Photo courtesy of Columbia restaurants

This Sunday the famous Columbia restaurants in Tampa, St. Pete and Sarasota roll back prices to when the restaurant opened in 1905. All six Columbia Restaurants will roll back their prices for “1905 Day” to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the fourth and fifth generation family-owned business. Come out to the original restaurant in Ybor City. As has been the tradition since their 75th Anniversary, the Columbia has developed a special menu with the prices of yesteryear for this day. From noon until 7pm on Sunday 19 September, guests will enjoy the Columbia Restaurant’s world-famous Spanish cuisine for the prices they might have paid in the “good ole days”. Menu items will include:

Chicken & Yellow Rice “Ybor” for $2.95
Boliche (eye round of beef) for $2.95
Merluza “A la Rusa” for $2.95
Columbia’s Original “1905 Salad” for $1.95
Sangria for $.95 cents
Flan for $.50 cents
Richly-brewed American coffee for $.05 cents

Reservations will not be accepted on this day, and to go and take-out items are not available. The Columbia Restaurant was founded in 1905 and is Florida’s oldest restaurant. All Columbia Restaurants are owned and operated by 4th and 5th generation members of the founding family. “1905 Day” takes place at the Columbia Restaurants in Tampa’s Ybor City, Sarasota, St. Augustine, The Pier in St. Petersburg, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach and Celebration. The Columbia Riverwalk restaurant will not be offering the 1905 special.

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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.

The Asia Pacific Rim Festival takes place at the England Brothers Bandshell Park at 5121 80th Ave. N Pinellas Park from 10am to 10pm this Saturday and 11am to 6pm on Sunday. Admission is free. This year’s theme is Year of the Tiger in reference to this year’s Chinese New Year. The festival includes samplings for small fee of ethnic Asian cuisine, displays, arts and crafts, fashion shows, martial arts demonstrations, music and an Asian beer garden. Represented cultures include Chinese, Fijan, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Thai, Tongan, Taiwanese and Vietnamese. There will be mini-villages set up through out the Park with displays, arts and fashion of the Chinese, Fijian, Filipino, Indian, Laotian, Polynesian, Thai, Taiwanese, Tongan, Vietnamese and Hmong people. Come out and enjoy the delicious food and learn about other cultures.

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!