MacDill Happenings

For an inexpensive night out this weekend, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater.  Adult tickets (ages  12 and older) are only $4!  A child’s ticket is $2.  Plus, you can purchase refreshments at a great price!  A medium popcorn and large re-fillable soft drink is only $7.50!  On Friday at 7pm and again at 3pm on Saturday, the new Disney action movie “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” starring Nicholas Cage will be shown. This movie is rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language and has a run time of 105 minutes. Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. On Saturday at 7pm, the new action movie “Predators” will be shown. This movie is rated R for pervasive language, gore and strong creature violence and has a run time of 115 minutes. Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they’ve been brought together on an alien planet… as prey. With the exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers – mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members – human “predators” that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators.

MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

For an inexpensive night out this weekend, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater.  An adult ticket for ages 12 and older is only $4 and for ages 4 to 11 the price is $2.   A medium popcorn and a medium soft drink is only $7.50 with free refills on the soft drink.  This Friday at 7pm  and again at 3pm on Saturday, “Toy Story 3” is playing. This movie is rated G and has a run time of 103 minutes. Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives? In the third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. On Saturday at 7pm, the movie version of the hit 1970′s TV series “The A-Team” will be shown. This movie is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence throughout, language and smoking and has a run time of 117 minutes. A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.

MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

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.

MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

Spend a relaxing afternoon at the Pier in St. Pete today. Listen to the relaxing R&B jazz vocals by Jeff Red. The Music Fest is held every Sunday afternoon from 1pm-4pm in the Courtyard and you can relax by the water, listen to the music and grab a beverage or bite to eat while you enjoy your afternoon at The Pier. When you’re at the Pier stop by and see the greenest part of the Pier, The Electric Marina Boat Rentals! Like the name says, you can rent earth friendly electric boats to leisurely cruise Tampa Bay! The top speed of the electric non-polluting boats are 5 mph, but the best about these boats at the end of your cruise you don’t have to pay a huge gas bill! Their new 24′ boats seat up to 12 people comfortably. And are equipped with a private restroom, swim transom, a recessed swim ladder, water sink and shower 4 speaker stereo/mp3 compatible, convertible top for shade or sun or fishing. The boats are equipped with GPS, depth and fish finder. You can also rent a propane barbecue for $28. Boat rental fees are $40 for a half hour and $75 for one hour.  Besides electric boats, you can also rent water bike, kayaks and sailboats! The Electric Marina also has specials during the week and weekend. If you’re lucky, when you are the Pier you might see a sailboat go by or catch a glimpse of a dolphin! If you haven’t been to the Pier it is located in downtown St. Pete on Tampa Bay. Located at the end of a mile-long approach, this five-story inverted pyramid features shops, restaurants, its own aquarium, boat docks and great place to fish from. On the ground floor of The Pier you can stroll through unique shops or grab a quick snack, and just outside a variety of activities are offered — from boat tours to feeding pelicans or peddling a surrey bicycle around the waterfront. The top floor of The Pier has a restaurant with a huge observation deck providing a beautiful view Tampa Bay. There are a variety parking options of near the Pier.

MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

This Sunday is $5 Admission Day to Lowry Park Zoo !  Zoo hours are 9:30am to 5pm. Located in the northern part of Tampa off of W. Sligh Ave, it is easily accessible from I-275. Lowry Park Zoo has been named the #1 zoo in America by “Parents” magazine and “Child” magazine. There are more than 2000 animals on 56 acres of natural habitats in seven main exhibit areas. There is a combination of natural habitat exhibits and caged exhibits in each area. The seven exhibits are Asian Gardens, Primate World, Manatee and Aquatic Center, Native Florida Wildlife Center, Free-Flight Aviary, Wallaroo Station children’s zoo and Safari Africa. At some exhibits you have the opportunity to feed the animals. There are two water play areas and you can see educational shows. There are also rides for an additional fee. Expect to spend at least 4 hours to see all exhibits. You can bring a picnic basket to enjoy before or after the visit at Lowry Park. Of course, there are plenty of restaurants in the zoo. Parking is free.

For a free and fun time this Saturday evening come down to Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa for a free out showing of the classic movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. This part of the Sunset Cinema series sponsored by the Tampa Theatre. 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. Legendary outlaws Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) display their gifts for perfect comedic timing and charisma as they pull off heist after heist in this Academy Award-winning film from director George Roy Hill. To evade a relentless posse, the boys flee to Bolivia, thinking they’ll find easier pickings there. But trouble finds them in Bolivia. The film starts around 8:45pm, but arrive early to get a good spot. Bring your own chairs and blankets to sit on. Alcohol is not permitted in the Park, but this is a great time to have a picnic dinner! There will be concessions selling food and drinks if you don’t want to bring your own. Right across the street from the park is Five Guys Hamburger, so you can get your fast food fix for the day if you need it. Pets are allowed with a leash and the Park has a fenced dog park along the River. The film will be shown on a 50-foot wide screen using dual projectors that produce a crisp image and a powerful sound system ensures that you can hear the movie from any place in the park. 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!

The City of St. Petersburg on Thursday night continues their free Music and Movies in the Park. The Park is North Straub Park located on the downtown waterfront. The music on Thursday will be provided by singer and songwriter Raiford Starke. Raiford Starke describes his music as “a little bit country” and “a little bit Bayou Soul”. The music starts at 7pm. After the music, the movie is the 1944 comedy “Arsenic & Old Lace” starring Cary Grant. From Wikipedia, “Despite having written several books describing marriage as an “old-fashioned superstition”, drama critic and confirmed bachelor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) falls in love with Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), who grew up next door to him in Brooklyn, and, on Halloween day, they marry. Immediately after the wedding, Mortimer visits the bizarre relatives who still live in his old family home: his elderly aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair), and his brother Teddy (John Alexander), who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt. Each time Teddy goes upstairs, he yells “Charge!” and takes the stairs at a run, imitating Roosevelt’s famous charge up San Juan Hill. Mortimer finds a corpse hidden in a window seat and suspects Teddy, but his aunts explain that they are responsible (“It’s one of our charities”). They have developed the “very bad habit” of ending the presumed suffering of lonely old bachelors by serving them elderberry wine spiked with arsenic, strychnine and “just a pinch of cyanide”. The bodies are buried in the basement by Teddy, who believes he is digging locks for the Panama Canal and burying yellow fever victims.” Admission is free, but you can rent a chair for $5. Or you can bring a chair or blanket! The weather should be good on Thursday. It would be a great time to have a picnic, but alcohol is not allowed in the park. The closest public parking lots to North Straub Park are: BayWalk (Midcore) Garage – 117 2nd St N, 2nd Ave N Lot – 231 2nd Ave N, Wachovia Center – 150 2nd Ave N and BayWalk (Midcore) Garage – 117 2nd St N.

On Mother’s Day, the Tampa Bay History Center is offering free admission for Mom’s with a paid admission. At the Center, you can try the out hands-on activities, crafts, performances and more. Learn about Pioneer Life in Hillsborough County.  Find out what daily life was like, how homes looked, what people did for a living and find out what children did for fun.  Located in the Channelside district near Fort Brooke and behind the St. Pete Times Forum, the Tampa Bay History Center mission is to educate visitors about the history that has shaped the Tampa Bay area.  The Center provides  historical and educational services and programs.  The two story Center contains 60,000 square feet of exhibits which show almost 500 years of recorded history and 12,000 years of human habitation in the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay History Center is housed in Hillsborough County government’s first “green” building.  Cost is $2 for ages 4-12.  Adults are $12.  The Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm. There are several parking lots within a short walk of the Center.

The Tampa Bay Business for Culture and the Arts presents Chalk Walk at Hyde Park Village.  The event runs from 7 to 9 May. This free family event is open to everyone to participate in from art aficionados to young children. Chalk Walk is a public art display covering the sidewalks in Hyde Park Village. This three-day festival will include Battle of the Business Bands, Chalk Tail party, live music, drink specials, food, family-friendly entertainment, art for sale, a chalk drawing experience for physically challenged individuals, performances from the latest crop of High School Arts Stars Scholarship recipients. Hyde Park Village is an open-air shopping center located in the neighborhood of Hyde Park. The weather should cooperate and so come out and enjoy strolling around the Village. 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.

The 27th Annual Celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage takes place at AsiaFest 2010 at the plaza of the St. Pete Times Forum.  The fun runs from 11am to 3pm this Saturday. There is no admission charge.  Experience the tastes, sights and sounds of sixteen unique countries from all over Asia. Entertainment includes brilliantly colorful dance performances, traditional music and the 2nd Annual Miss Asia Fest.   Asia Fest is an annual celebration of “National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month,” which has been held in downtown Tampa since 1982. The goal of Asia Fest is to share Asian culture with the public and promote the bond of friendship and better understanding between the East and the West. Each year the event has been coordinated by the Asian Coalition of Florida (AACF). See Asian cultural performances, martial arts, and fashion shows. Asia Fest presents a colorful, festive celebration that features cultural entertainment and Asian ethnic food representing Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Several key local Asian Pacific restaurants are on board as food vendors.  The anticipated crowd size should be around 10,000 so come and enjoy the fun.  Parking is available at public and private lots near the Forum.