MacDill Happenings

The new Dali Museum near the waterfront downtown St. Pete is having is celebrating its one-year birthday of its new location. There will be special activities from scavenger hunts to origami to craft beer tastings. A photographic installation highlighting the past year will be on view in the Raymond James Community Room. The landmark building is a collaboration between architect Yann Weymouth of HOK, the Museum staff, and the builder the Beck Group. Built more efficiently than many contemporary museum structures, the new Dali combines elements of the classical and the fantastical – much like the work of Dali. The new location is one block from the water and near Albert Whitted Park. Bring out the family for fun games, puzzles and craft activities. Enjoy the galleries at your own pace with explanatory wall texts, or join our daily-guided tours, every hour on the ½ hour. Docent tours are free with admission. Guided one hour gallery tours highlight the permanent collection, Salvador Dalí’s career and life. In the Dalí Family Guide brochures families can explore the collection on their own and discover the magic of Dalí. Salvador Dali, a surrealist painter born in Spain, was best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí’s expansive artistic repertoire includes film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. The Dali Museum is the flagship of cultural tourism on the West Coast of Florida and welcomes over 200,000 visitors each year from around the world. The mission of the Salvador Dalí Museum is to educate the public and promote understanding, enjoyment and scholarly examination of art through the exhibition of works by Dalí and artists of similar vision. Started by a local art collector, the Dali collection now consists of over 2,140 total pieces including 95 oil paintings and over 100 watercolors and drawings. Normal admission is $21 for adults, $19 for seniors, military and police, $15 ages 10 to 18, $7 ages 5 to 9. After 5pm on Thursdays, admission is $10.

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Come out the Shops at Wiregrass in New Tampa for a Fresh Market today. Starting at 10am, there will be more than 50 vendors located in the heart of the shopping center on Paseo Drive. You will be able to peruse among a large variety of local, certified organic, hydroponic and conventional produce, Florida plants, herbs and flowers, organic garden supplies, locally made take-home foods such as jams, jellies, salsa, dips, seasonings, sauces and oils. Local artists will be there presenting unique pieces and eco-friendly products. The mall has an open-air retail layout and is located on the corner of State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Wesley Chapel and just off of I-75 at exit 275. The Shops at Wiregrass is a main-street style, pedestrian-friendly, outdoor lifestyle village. It features curved, tree-lined streets and pocket parks. The Shops at Wiregrass has 800,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and entertainment on 67 acres of land. The mall features Macy’s, Dillard’s, JCPenney and 100 specialty retail stores and signature restaurants. New Tampa is bounded by Lutz to the west, Wesley Chapel to the north, Morris Bridge Road to the east, and the University community and the USF to the south. New Tampa is considered the fastest growing “community” in Hillsborough County. This area contains thousands of beautiful acres of award-winning master-planned communities in a spectacular natural setting. New Tampa offers a lifestyle that includes sports, recreation, nature parks, excellent golf courses, tennis and swimming facilities, nature trails and more. The ZIP Codes serving the neighborhood are 33559, 33592, 33612, 33613, 33617, 33620, 33637, 33647. New Tampa is served by Hillsborough County Public Schools, which serves Hillsborough County. Schools which are located within the neighborhood are Benito Middle, Chiles Elementary, Clark Elementary, Freedom High, Heritage Elementary, Hunters Green Elementary, Liberty Middle, Pizzo Elementary, Tampa Palms Elementary, USF/Patel and USF/Patel Intermediate. New Tampa is about a 40 min drive to MacDill AFB by taking I-75 to I-4 to Dale Mabry Blvd.

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For a fun free evening of fun, come out to downtown St. Pete  tonight for free music from 5:30pm to 10pm as part of the “Get Downtown First Friday Music Series“.  This musical and community event takes places the first Friday of every month.  This is an old fashioned block party that takes place between 2nd and 3rd St South. Central Street is closed down and turned into a block party. Tonight’s musical headliner is jazz saxophonist Mike MacArthur. From the be-bop sounds of Charlie Parker to the modern sounds of Michael Brecker, you will be sure to love his music! There is plenty of room at the parking garages within a block of the event to the east and west on Central Avenue, in addition to on-street parking on the immediately surrounding city streets. There’s plenty of food and drinks available at the many local establishments. Coolers are not allowed, but the Breakfast Optimist Club will sell water, soft drinks and beer and wine. Pets are not allowed because this is a crowded event. But if you want to bring a chair to sit on, you can! St. Petersburg more popularly known locally at St. Pete is across the bay from MacDill AFB and about a 20 minute drive from the base. With an average of some 360 days of sunshine each year, it is nicknamed “The Sunshine City.” It is also home to Tropicana Field and the Tampa Bay Rays. Downtown St. Pete is vibrant place to live and socialize with many museums and a great nightlife destination.

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For an inexpensive night out this weekend, stop by the MacDill AFB movie theater. The theater is only open on Friday 30 December, because the 31st is a holiday. Adult tickets (ages 12 and older) are only $4.25! A child’s ticket is $2.50. Plus, you can purchase refreshments at a that are at least half-off of what you would pay out in town! On Friday at 7pm and again on Saturday at 4pm, the animated children’s movie “Arthur Christmas” will be shown. This movie is rated PG for some mild rude humor and has a run time of 100 minutes. Arthur Christmas reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child’s question: ‘So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’ The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the center of the film is a story about a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns. On Saturday at 7pm, the new romantic movie “New Year’s Eve” will be shown. This movie is rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references and has a run time of 117 minutes. “New Year’s Eve” celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in intertwining romances. The story line depicts a series of holiday vignettes of the state of several romances.

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On Tuesday, 3 January, the Glazer Children’s Museum is only charging $2 for admission! Located in downtown Tampa at Curtis Hixon Park along the Hillsborough River, the museum will be a highlight of Tampa. The museum is geared for kids up to 10 years old where they will have the opportunity learn about the world around them including Tampa Bay. Everything is hands-on learning! There are more than 170 interactive exhibits from a crane to a cruise ship to a mini-theater to a giant telephone in 12 themed areas. Normal admission for children is $9.50, adults $15, and military/seniors $12.50 The museum is open 7 days a week on Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, Saturdays 10am to 6pm and Sundays 1pm to 6pm. Make a trip to the museum and take advantage of all the opportunities downtown Tampa has to offer. Curtis Hixom park is one of nicest parks in Tampa with a fenced animal park along the water. With an interactive playground, wide open flat grass play area, a view of the University of Tampa, and cooling water fountains, the is a great place play or to relax on during a Tampa evening. Food is available at nearby restaurants including Five Guys Hamburger across the street from the Park and a new nearby Mexican restaurant Urban Cantina located at the corner of Madison and South Tampa. Parking is available at the Curtis Hixon parking garage or at nearby public parking lots. If you’re lucky, you can get a parking spot in front of Five Guys Hamburgers right across the street from the Park at the corner of Ashley and Polk.

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The Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey circus train arrives in Tampa today. Come out for a free preview of the animals and performers today! Animals and performers are expected to unload at 9:30 am next to Union Station in downtown Tampa. At 10 am they begin the walk west on Cass Street, turn south on Morgan Street, east on Channelside Drive (in front of the St. Pete Times Forum), turn south on Old Water Street and parade around the back of the arena to the Animal Open House. Bring the family for this free sneak preview of the 142nd edition of the “Greatest Show on Earth” and a chance for some great photos! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Fully Charged, the all-new, 142nd edition of The Greatest Show On Earth®, at the St. Pete Times Forum from January 4-8, 2012. The Ringling Bros. will super-charge audiences with acts of breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-seen-before performances that will jolt the imaginations of Children of All Ages! Clowns from the world-famous clown alley will charge funny bones, while megawatts of thrills will explode out of the ring, including The Human Fuse, who rockets across the circus skies, igniting the power of the people. Show times are Wednesday, January 4 – 7:30 pm, Thursday, January 5 – 7:30 pm, Friday, January 6 – 7:30 pm, Saturday, January 7- 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, and 7:30 pm, and Sunday, January 8 – 1pm and 5pm. Tickets at the St. Pete Times Forum box office start at $16. Stop by the MacDill AFB ITT office to buy your military discount tickets. You can’t bet the price and you don’t have to pay tax! There is plenty of parking nearby at Channelside or directly across the street from the Forum. Channelside offers a variety of restaurants sure to please any palate from Hooter’s to Stump’s.

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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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Come out to downtown Ybor City on 31 December for the Outback Bowl Parade! The parade starts at 5:30pm and runs along 7th Avenue. The crowd should be large and ready to have some fun as the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Michigan State Spartans! Expect a lot of Michigan St fans in the area as they try to the escape the freezing weather up north! Down here the weather will be cold, not freezing! The game will be on 1 January starting at 1pm at Raymond James Stadium. The parade will feature a pep rally with both schools’ marching bands and cheerleaders. The parade will have floats and 20 marching bands and will run along Seventh Avenue. Please do not bring any coolers, alcohol or glass containers, because they will be confiscated and you run a chance of getting ticketed by the police. After the parade Ybor City is great place to visit. Sidewalk cafés and retail boutiques line the area’s walkable avenues, and signature iron streetlamps complement authentic electric streetcars Ybor City is a refreshing blend of interests—a mecca of historic architecture, entertainment, shopping, business and the arts. Since 1885, Ybor City has stood for originality and cultural heritage. Today, its novel characteristics continue to set it apart. Known as Tampa’s National Historic Landmark District, Ybor City is an exciting place to live, work, play and visit. There are two parking garages to chose from and lots behind businesses on 7th Avenue. If you want to go to the game, then tickets are still available. Tickets start at $75.

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