MacDill Happenings

The September golf special at Bay Palms Golf Complex on MacDill AFB is 3 guests and 1 military sponsor can play 18 holes with a cart for $100!   Plus golf clubs are on sale for up to $100 off!  New clubs never hurt someone’s golf game!  If you play after 11am or on the weekends, the special also includes a hot dog lunch. Also cart and green fees for 18 holes are on sale. The Monday through Friday rates are 7am to 11am: E1 to E4 $17; E5 to O3 $23; O4 and up $26; guests $30, from 11am to 2:30pm: E1 to E4 $12; E5 to O3 $16; O4 and up $18; guests $22, after 2:30pm: E1 to E4 $10; E5 to O3 $14; O4 and up $15; guests $18. On weekends, the posted rates are good until 11am when a discount goes into effect. The Bay Palms Golf Complex was named ‘Best Golf Program in the Air Force’ for 2002. There are two 18-hole, par 72 courses. The challenging South Course runs along the bay. The North Course offers a prefect opportunity to work on your game. The complex has a lighted practice putting green, a 24-hour-a-day lighted driving range where a bucket of balls is only $1, a practice chipping green and sand trap areas. The clubhouse has an excellent pro shop with a great friendly staff ready to help you. The snack bar serves a great variety of food and has an especially nice breakfast menu!

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If you want to go out shooting on the weekend, then try out the MacDill AFB Skeet Range on Rattlesnake Road.  Don’t worry if you don’t have your own shotgun, you can rent a 12 or a  20 gauge over and under shotgun!  You can also buy shells, but you can get a better price on shells by buying some at the local Wal-Mart.  Bring eye protection or you can borrow some from the counter.  Hearing protection is available at the counter. You can also borrow a ammo pouch free of charge.  There are two firing points that are available with automated launchers.  Skeet shooting is one of the three major types of competitive shotgun shooting at targets along with trap shooting and sporting clays. There are 8 shooting stations arranged in a semi-circle between two skeet houses.  The house on the left is the high house and the house on the right is the low house. A round of skeet consists of 25 targets – 17 are shot as singles and 8 as doubles. The first miss is repeated immediately and is called an option. If no targets are missed during the round, the last or 25th target is shot at the last station, low house 8.  The hard thing about skeeting shooting is knowing the aim point and how much to lead the piegon.  Do a little research online before you go out, hitting the piegon makes skeet shooting very enjoyable!  The skeet range is open from 8am to 2pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  One round of skeet shooting costs $4.50.  Shotgun rental is $3.50.  If you not too familiar with the basics of skeet shooting, then someone at the range will be happy to help you!

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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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If you are new to Tampa or just haven’t had a chance to see how beautiful the downtown area of Tampa is, then Thursday night is your chance!  City Bike Tampa is sponsoring free evening bike rides through downtown on Thursday evenings. The downtown empties out pretty quickly after work so traffic will not be a problem. There is still so much to see and do in downtown in the evening from enjoying Curtis Hixon Park, stopping by a restaurant or just enjoying a bike ride or walk. The weekly guided fun bike ride breaks into groups for slow and fast riders. Rides end at a bar or restaurant for socializing after the ride. Make sure you bring a light since it the sun will be setting. Helmets although not mandatory are suggested. City Bike Tampa is a full service specialty bicycle shop with two locations in Downtown Tampa focused on rentals, tours, sales, service, repairs, parts and accessories. As an authorized dealer for Kona, Jamis, Eastern, Civia and KHS Bicycles, City Bike Tampa offers a broad selection of products and services for active cyclists and those looking to explore bicycling as a new part of their active lifestyle. City Bike Tampa is located at 212 E. Cass Street, Tampa, FL between Tampa and Franklin Street across from the Element luxury high rise apartment building. They also have a rental shop On the Riverwalk at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina.

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Get ready for football season this season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp on 31 July. The camp starts at 10:20am and ends at 12:30pm at One Buc Place. Tickets and parking are free, but you must sign up to receive up to six tickets per practice at Buccaneers.com. Practices will also feature autograph opportunities, cheerleader appearances and a merchandise tent. Refreshments are available at a discounted price. Lots and gates will open 2 hours before scheduled session time. All guests are subject to search. No Tailgating. No pets to be left in Vehicles. No 10 x 10 Tents. No loitering, vending or distributing handbills, pamphlets or promotional materials on Property. No Skateboarding. This year the Buccaneers are now offering deals such as partial season ticket packages and discounts for kids. Youth tickets are available for $25.  The final training camp is on 7 August at night which will conclude with a fireworks display.

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If you’ve ever been to a Raymond James Stadium and wondered what everything looked like behind the scenes, then here is your chance!  The Tama Sports Authority has sent up public tours of the stadium.  No reservations are required for individual tours, just show up 15 minutes before the start of the tour.  Tours are subject to stadium availability, so call ahead  at 350-6500 to make sure that tours are still being conducted on the day that you want to go.  Scheduled dates are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Start time is 2pm each day. ’Cost is $5 for ages 16 and up, $3 for ages 6-15 and seniors Group tours can be schedules with a minimum 10 guests, and maximum 30 guests. Call at least two weeks in advance to reserve your groups tour time slot. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour to allow for check in. Reserved group tours are done on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 9am or 10:30am. The cost for Camps, Rec. Centers and Paid Summer Programs is $3 per child, adult groups (16 and older) is $5 per person, senior groups (65 and older) is $3 per person, and Hillsborough County School Groups are free during school year. You see how big or how small the stadium seems when there is no one else around. This backstage tour will take an hour. During that one hour, you will have the opportunity to checkout the locker rooms, have a chance to feel like one of the players while venturing out onto the field through the ‘home team’ tunnel, have Club/Suite access and have the opportunity to play Buccaneer aboard the infamous pirate ship. RayJay of course is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the home field of the USF Bulls.

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The Rays take on the Detroit Tigers on 27 July at the Trop!  Grow Financial Credit Union is having a great special on tickets for this game.  Tickets cost only $5!  The tickets are in the Upper Box which normally sell for $13.  With these seats, you get a really good view of the infield.  The first pitch is thrown at 7:10pm. The Rays are still continuing their hot streak that they started before the All-Star break. 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. For these tickets, the service charge is also discounted and only costs a $1 per ticket.

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Oakfield Lanes is having $1 a game bowling on Monday 19 July.  The special runs from 9am to noon, but make sure you get there early.  Oakfield Lanes offer 32 lanes of air conditioning bowling.  During the special, shoe rental is only $2. One neat thing about Oakfield Lanes is the pond at the back.  From the deck, you can see some very large fish and a lot of turtles just enjoying the water!  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 Westfield Shoppingtown is one of the largest malls in the Tampa area. It not only a shopping destination but also a great place for dinner with the Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen and Sam Selzer’s Steakhouse along with a host of other restaurants.

The MacDill AFB Youth Center is holding a free Youth Basketball Camp from 9 to 13 August.  Register by 6 August.  This camp is open for youths ages 9 to 15.  Lunch and snacks are provided free of charge.  Get in shape and get ready for the fall basketball season at school.  Kids will get to work on passing, free throws, defense, dribbling and classroom instruction to really learn about the game.  The camp is free, but participants have to attend all week otherwise they will be charged for the camp.  Call 828-7956 for more information. Programs and activities offered at the Youth Center help improve and maintain the physical, social, and mental well-being of youth to include year-round programs and wholesome leisure-time experiences. Not only are there games, crafts, life skills, and sports, but youth can learn how to become meaningful members of their community. Some instructional classes are conducted, but this is contingent on the availability of instructors. A diversified youth sports program offers basketball, baseball, and soccer leagues along with a cheerleading program. Teens have their own area where they can come to interact with their peers, get homework and career assistance, or play video games. Special events are conducted periodically for both the pre-teens and teens. The Youth Center is available to any children who are eligible for an ID card.

The Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation is holding a Summer Sailing Camp for Kids during one-week sessions for Summer Learn-To-Sail camps for kids age 8-18 with no experience sailing to experienced sailors. The camps run throughout the summer and take place Monday through Friday. The camp takes place 9am-4pm. Lunch will be provided and is included in the program fees. Each child will receive a one t-shirt, extra t-shirts can be ordered for $10. This camp is available to both Davis Island Yacht Club members and non-members. The goal of the the Foundation is to promote the sport of sailing for the benefit of the children of the Tampa Bay area in an environment which stresses safety, good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage, respect for authority and respect for the community. The cost is $265 per session plus a $25 annual fee per family. A discount of $25 per session will be available for any combination of registrations for a family beginning at the 3rd session and/or child.  Davis Island is located near downtown Tampa and is about a 9 mile drive from the Bayshore Gate of MacDill AFB. Davis Island is a mix of residential and retail areas. Davis Island is home to Peter O. Knight Airport, Davis Island Yacht Club, and Tampa General Hospital. Also on the Islands are the Marjorie Park Municipal Yacht Basin & Marjorie Park. East Davis Boulevard is the commercial area of the neighborhood. Along several blocks there are restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops in a tranquil sidewalk setting. The area is also very pet-friendly due to the pedestrian nature of the island and a great starting point for a walk or run along Bayshore Blvd.