GASPARILLA EXTRAVAGANZA TO BEGIN A SUPER WEEK OF CELEBRATIONS WITH FAMILY FUN, FLOATS, FLYING BEADS, PLANES AND PYROTECHNICS
TAMPA, FL December 8, 2008 – The Gasparilla Extravaganza will once again commence Tampa’s historical Gasparilla season with an alcohol-free, family celebration scheduled for Saturday, January 24, 2009 on Bayshore Boulevard, and will kick off a week-long series of celebrations leading up to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. The Gasparilla Extravaganza features the Gasparilla Preschooler’s Stroll, the Gasparilla Air Invasion, the Children’s Gasparilla Parade and the “Piratechnic” Extravaganza, Tampa Bay’s largest firework presentation; show center is located at Howard Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard.
Dinosaur World celebrates 10 years
1/2 price admission for all Florida residents
For ten years now, anyone traveling on I-4 between Tampa and Orlando has marveled at the giant orange T-Rex at the Plant City exit. That T-Rex marks the home of Dinosaur World, an outdoor dinosaur museum with over 150 life size dinosaurs. It is now time to have a 10 year birthday party for the orange T-Rex.
Dinosaur World opened on Thanksgiving 10 years ago. To celebrate this anniversary, and to thank area residents for continued support, Dinosaur World is offering half price admission the first 2 weeks of December. Any Florida resident that shows their ID, from Monday, December 1st through Sunday, December 14th will receive 50% admission. This is $6.37 for adults and $4.87 for children.
Join us for special staged editions of "Entertainment and the Arts" and the New Radio Dramedy, "The Eight Little Nutcrackers," Written by John and Susan DiSanza and Brenda Martin.
Live from Francis Wilson Playhouse, 302 Seminole Street, Clearwater, FL 33755 - Sunday December 14 and 21, 2008 at 7:00pm.
Sponsored by Stage Door 13, Entertainment And The Arts, WTAN Radio and Francis Wilson Playhouse.
Free Admission, but reservations are required. Please call 727 446-1360
Local Volunteers Recognized by Regency Oaks
Clearwater, Fla. -- On November 18, 2008 Regency Oaks recognized more than 40 volunteers at a Volunteer Appreciation event held in the community’s Town Hall. Teecy Matthews of Volunteer USA Foundation, Tallahassee, keynoted the event and joined Regency Oaks in recognizing the volunteers with plaques.
Happy Holiday MarketA new Holiday Tradition in Downtown Clearwater
When: Monday through Friday 4pm until 7pm
A creative holiday shopping experience like no other… Located in the big white tent off Court Street, between East Street and Garden Avenue, we are open 7 days a week for your convenience. What: Seasonal merchandise: Local artists provide a wide variety of items for unique and creative holiday gifts… Merchandise changes weekly. But wait there’s more… we said interactive and fun for the whole family.
• Every Saturday: 1pm to 2pm – Free acting classes! • All classes taught by professionals in their field.
• Bring the kids each week for the classes, stay for
• Live Entertainment from 3pm to 4pm – Suggested donation
• December 6th: Badway on Broadway – Professional Broadway
• December 13th: Holiday Medley – Dancing, Singing and Trapeze Proceeds from and entertainment benefit several local charities providing free tutoring and after school activities for children in Pinellas County. |
Tampa Bay Informer
The Good News Newspaper
Urban Dining and Entertainment News |
A brand new Dunkin’ Donuts is now open in Downtown Clearwater, located in the Historic Red Brick Telephone Building, 534 Cleveland Street.
Their Grand Opening Event – Friday, December 5.
First 50 customers in the doors beginning at 5 a.m. will win FREE Dunkin’ Treats for a year (including products such as coffee, sandwiches, etc.)
Anyone making a purchase on Friday, December 5, will have their receipt entered in the store’s raffle drawing for 1pm on Saturday, December 6 (must be present to win.)
Mayor Frank Hibbard will be visiting the location at 10am for the restaurant’s official ribbon cutting.
More prizes at the Grand Opening Event – Saturday, December 6
For the 1pm raffle drawing (for which people are entered if they made a purchase on 12/5 and are present for the drawing), 1st prize is a Flat Screen TV, 2nd prize is a digital camera, 3rd prize is three iPod Nanos (3 winners), and 10 runner-up prizes of $50 gift cards (10 winners) will be given away.
Visitors between 6pm – 11pm will receive a free cup or cone of Baskin Robbins Soft Serve Ice Cream for 25 cents.
You may have noticed that the news media “Grinchs” have been spreading fear regarding the economy. Most news reports, talk shows, and newspapers spew numerous reports about how bad things are, or how bad they will be.
According to the “Grinchs of Doom” our country is going down the tubes. Unemployment is up, retail sales are down all are touted as major indicators of the economy and how hopeless your future is. The fact is that you and I have very little immediate control over any of these things.
However, we do have control over our businesses, the quantity and quality of the product or services we produce, the speed we produce that product and the price we charge for it.
“Depression” is an overâused term to describe many symptoms, some of which are normal life stresses. When hearing the word, we simply put it into a category, in our minds of, “Well! Who hasn’t been depressed?” and, “Oh, they have pills for that kind of thing.”
In fact, the use of this term has been promoted by the psychiatric industry since 1952, at which time the first edition of psychiatry’s “Billing Bible”, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, was published. This diagnosis has resulted in millions of people on psychiatric medication and billions of dollars lining the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry and psychiatry.
With the winter holiday season quickly approaching I am once again compelled to encourage everyone to prevent crime by eliminating opportunity. There are many steps that you can take to protect yourself and your valuables from a holiday thief.
One of the most effective ways to protect yourself is to remain aware of your surroundings. This means taking the extra time to park in well lit areas, and to look for suspicious people loitering nearby before getting out of your car. If you see something or someone that makes you feel uncomfortable, move to another parking area and/or report your suspicions to security guards, or a law enforcement officer. We would much rather investigate a suspicious person report than a violent crime. Other suggestions include limiting the amount of cash and credit cards you carry while shopping, and when possible, avoid shopping alone.
The most effective way to protect your valuables is to properly secure them. One of the most common points of entry for car burglars is through an unlocked door or an open window. You would be surprised how many vehicle burglaries we investigate because owners simply did not lock their cars. By locking your car doors, and closing windows completely, this is arguably one of the most preventable crimes. For this reason, locking your car doors and windows is especially important during the holiday season when many people travel from one location to another while shopping.
It is also recommended that you place gifts, packages, and other valuables in the trunk of your car or at least move them out of plain view. Purses, wallets, gift cards, portable electronics, and cash are all an open invitation for a criminal to break into your car.
By taking a few minutes to protect yourself and your belongings you may prevent a crime. By doing so you are once again helping us in “Leading The Way For A Safer Pinellas.”
If you would like other suggestions regarding holiday safety please contact the Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Unit at
Tampa Bay Informer
The Good News Newspaper
Downtown Clearwater
The Greek Town Grill, located at 1230 Cleveland St. near downtown Clearwater, FL 33750 is one of the newest and finest restaurants in the area.
The Greek Town Grill specializes in original Greek Recipes and continually attempts to capture the warmth and vitality of Greece. They take the time to carefully select all their ingredients and prepare food daily with an emphasis on quality.
They also offer Banquet and special meeting facilities that could include music and dancing with seating from 20 to 150. They have a unique system of serving freshly cooked foods prepared to order and never precooked regardless of the size of your group. They are the difference between a banquet hall and a full service restaurant with banquet facilities. Whatever the occasion lunch for two or a holiday party contact The Greek Town Grill today at
Tampa Bay Informer
The Good News Newspaper