Mad Money Offerings in March

by Adele Woodyard
Pockets empty or full? From no charge to big bucks there’s something for everyone to enjoy this month around the Tampa Bay area. Starting, of course, with strawberries….
March 1-11: Plant City’s Annual Florida Strawberry Festival presents it’s affair with the luscious fruit in bowls, shortcakes and boxes set to country music. Such well-known names as Hank Williams, Jr., Crystal Gayle, Vince Gill, and Charlie Daniels Band are among the headline acts on this rural stage. Who wraps it up at 7:30 p.m. on March 11? Reba McIntire. Until then the festival is open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; $10 adult, $5 kids at gate; $8 and $4 at Sweetbay Supermarkets .Headline acts $15-$50 extra. 303 N. Lemon St. 813-752-9194. http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com
March. 3-4: Floral City’s 25th Annual Strawberry Festival treats Citrus County families and visitors to the juicy red berries. $3 adult, kids under 12 FREE. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Floria Park, Hwy 41 S. 352-795-3149. http://www.citruscountychamber.com
45th Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. Tampa draws practitioners in every artistic medium to vie for the $15,000 Best of Show prize. There’s even $50,500 worth of prize money for second, third, etc.-bests. FREE admission Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park 813-876-1747. http://www.gasparilla-arts.com
This same weekend the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa presents Shen Yun 2012, the exquisite portrayal of five thousand years of Chinese music and dance that has won world-wide kudos. Tickets range from $50 to $200, no children under three allowed. Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 1010 North W. C. MacInnes Place. 888-974-3698; 813-438-2112. http://www.strazcenter.org
March 24-25: The Palladium Theatre at St. Petersburg College presents Cirque des Voix a 100-voice chorus, orchestra and acrobatic acts from Circus Sarasota and Key Chorale. Tickets online $10-$45, reserved seating. Sat. 8 p.m. Sun. 4 p.m. 253 5th Ave. N. 727-822-3590. href=”http://www.mypalladium.org”>http://www.mypalladium.org .
Save 20% with early registration at the Lowry Park Zoo School summer camps. Over 100 week-long adventure for students who’ve completed K-8th grades. Only online for 24 hours: from 12:01 a.m. Mar. 24 to 11.59 p.m. Mar. 25. 813-935-8552 x288; http://www.lowryparkzoo.com
Weekends now through April 1: Renaissance Festival on the grounds of MOSI, Tampa. Live in Medieval times with knights and ladies fair from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $18.95, $$14.95 seniors, $10.95 ages 5-12. 4801 E. Fowler Ave. 813-983-0111. http://www.bayarearenaissancefest.com

Beat the Heat

by Adele Woodyard
Don’t have a pool? Too old for a splash pool or a run through a spray from a hose? No need to fret. When the sun goes down, Florida nightlife begins. What’s onstage joins July Bargains offerings in July 2nd blog, for more after-hours fun. And a few more bucks.

North Florida:
Tallahassee’s Young Actor’s Theatre presents Hairspray through July 24. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. 2 and 4 p.m. Sun. $18 adult, $16 students, seniors; $14 ages 12 and under. 850-386-8602.

Tampa Bay:
Now through July 23: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum laughs at love via Plant City Entertainment. 8 p.m. Fri-Sat. 2 p.m. Sun. $14 non-members, students; $12 seniors; $10 members or groups. http://www.plantcityentertainment.com
Tampa’s Carrollwood gives you a choice between England and France through July 23. The Cultural Center offers the King and I at 7 p.m. Fri-Sat. $20 non-members, $15 members. 813-269-1310; http://www.carrollwoodcenter.org It’s A Bedfull of Foreigners at the Playhouse, 8 p.m. Fri, Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. $16 adult, $14 senior. 813-265-4000. http://www.carrollwoodplayers.com

Now through July 31: A play within the play is Noises Off, a comedic farce presented by Hat Trick Theatre at Eleanor Dempsey Performing Arts Center, Hudson. 8 p.m. Fri, Sat, 2 p.m. Sun. $14 adult, $9 student/senior Advance; $18 and $11 at the door. 727-857-2604. http://www.ed-pac.org
Sarasota choices through July are between adult and family entertainment. Grown-ups will enjoy Our Son’s Wedding at the Florida Studio Theatre, 8 p.m. Tues-Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat. 3 and 7 p.m. Sun. 941-366-9000. http://www.floridastudiotheatre.org It’s a stage full of circus acts and clowns at the Asolo Theater’s presentation of Grandma and Friends, $15 adult, $10 ages 12 and under. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wed. Thurs; 2 and 5 p.m. Fri.-Sun. 941-359-5700. http://www.ringling.org

July 22-Sept. 25 for Barefoot in the Park, an American Stage Theater Company production at Raymond Janes Theater, St. Pete. $29-$50; $10 student rush 30 minutes before curtain time. 7:30 p.m. Tues-Thurs. 8 p.m. Fri, Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. 727-823-7529. http://www.americanstage.org

South Florida:
Sunday, July 17, 24 and 31 for the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival. The 2011 Summer Concert Series begins 2 p.m. Crest Theatre and Outdoor Pavilion , Delray Beach. 800-330-6874. For other dates, venues, hours, prices, click on http://www.pbcmf.org

Heigh Ho Come to the Fair

by Adele Woodyard

Perhaps it is the combined smells, sights, and sounds the remind us of a ride on a ferris wheel; a blue ribbon on a calf’s halter, or a three-layer cake. Perhaps we just want to be transported back to a simpler time. Whatever the lure, the popularity of county fairs has not diminished over the years. There are 50 in the Sunshine State alone, scattered from the Panhandle to the Keys. Add the Florida State Fair in Tampa, and you have 51.

A friend and I follow our ears, eyes and nose onto the Florida State Fairgrounds. Countless booths flaunt brightly colored banners that identify smells that hang in the air; greasy sausage, fried lumps of dough called elephant ears; such heart attack inducers as Krispy Kreme hamburgers and deep fried butter. Guess-your-age barkers tempt passersby with prizes if they miss the mark. Families crowd around rides, or hunt for half-hidden exhibits on open maps. Two ferris wheels rise above games of chance, and in the air, swinging seats carry couples who look down on a lake dotted with paddleboats. We wander through the Florida Center where blue, red, white and yellow ribbons decorate prize winning paintings, photographs, intricate wooden carvings, quilts, and masks. Wonder why one county, known for its beaches, displays a hunting scene instead.

A visit to “Cracker Country” is a step back in time. Tucked into a ten-acre corner of the Fair, a turn-of-the-century hamlet of unpainted wooden buildings, dating from 1870 to early1900s, are shaded by towering oaks. This permanent exhibit began in 1979 when former state senator Doyle E. Carlton Jr. moved his grandparents two-story house to its present site.

Carlton Homestead

The boyhood home of his father, Florida’s 25th governor, Doyle E. Carlton, was soon joined by similar donations from other pioneering Florida families. Today, fair goers watch volunteers in period dress cane a chair, upholster a seat, weave a basket on one open porch, or tap their feet to country music played by the Sweeney Family Band.

Across the way model trains chug past citrus groves, small villages and cattle in the Okahumpa Depot, one of the first railroad stations built by the H.B. Plant System in 1898.

Pleckas stands before painting of Governor Carlton

The bright-red caboose on the railhead behind it, once served as the office of a semi-retired railroad doctor. At the Governor’s Inn, circa 1912, all of Florida’s governors. beginning with then General Andrew Jackson (as territorial governor) in 1821, line the walls of one long room. Despite its rough hewn exterior, the polished floor shines beneath a pair of crystal chandeliers. Docent Matilla Pleckas stands before the picture of Governor Carlton, and answers visitor’s questions. “Cracker Country” has been a living history lesson for Florida school children from its beginning, but was only open to the public during the Fair. Now, she tells me, all ages can “Discover the Past” in this interactive, outdoor museum, the first Saturday of every month but February. http://www.crackercountry.org

Amid the livestock and agricultural exhibits, Midway rides and games are such shows as the Live Shark Encounter, Hollywood Racing Pigs and the Welde Bears Show. Altogether there’s over 150 free things to see and do at the Florida State Fair, open through Monday, February 15. Miss the discount tickets? Gate price: $10 adult, $5 ages 6-11; $12 and $6 on weekends. Parking free. http://www.floridastatefair.com

Some Upcoming Fairs:
Ocala:
Southeastern Youth Fair, Feb. 21-28, 2010 includes a two-day High School Rodeo, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19, 20.

Plant City
Florida Strawberry Festival, Mar. 4-14, 2010 features country entertainment, a parade, contests and millions of fresh strawberries. Discount: $8 adult, $4 kids; $10, $5 at gate.

Miami
Dade County Fair & Expo is one of largest in Florida. March 25-April 11, 2010, 10901 SW 29th St. Miami; 305-223-7060.

Click here for a fair near you.

Where’s Florida’s Warm Days?

       by Adele Woodyard

These past almost-two weeks remind me of New Jersey winters without the snow. It’s been so cold for so long (for Florida anyway) fish are floating belly up in the bays, over 40 turtles are thawing out at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and a few houses are tottering on the edge of deep sinkholes. How can that last be from cold weather? Not sure but think it has to do with sand, limestone, the aquifer, and our extra demands on electric power. Whatever, the chill is not conducive to being outdoors. I’m just trying to stay warm without thinking about my electric bill.

 However, we’re supposed to start warming up just in time for January’s exciting events. In the Tampa Bay area. Martin Luther King’s birthday (Jan. 18) brings a number of celebrations, starting with the 10^th annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival for all ages, this weekend. Music, entertainment, food, arts and crafts will be found at various “villages” scattered throughout Al Lopez Park. 4810 N. Himes Ave. Tampa. FREE  7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.. www.tampablackheritage.org .  . 

The 24^th annual National MLK Drum Major Parade for Justice includes bands from across the country to downtown St. Petersburg  on Jan. 18. Route runs from Third Ave S to Central Ave, Bayshore Dr. and Fifth Ave. N. before disbanding at Vinoy Park. FREE. 11 a.m-2 p.m. Mon.  727-893-7134.

Plant City  has a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Parade that adds police motorcycles and floats to marching bands, from MLK Blvd. to Marshal Middle School. FREE. 1 p.m. Sat. 813-757-6760; www.plantcitymlkfestival.com

Kids ages 5-12 can learn all about Dr. King on a MLK Play Day in Dunedin.  They will enjoy his story through games, crafts and other themed activities at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 550 Laura Lane. 9 a.m.-noon, Mon. $25 with recreation ID card, $35 without.727-812-4545.

The Civil War is back in the news with the Brooksville Raid Festival this weekend. Watch the Blue and the Gray battle it out at 2:30 p.m. Sat and 2 p.m. Sun. Confederate and  Union Camps open at 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sun, for food, artillery demonstrations, and more. Sand Hill Scout Reservation, 1100 Cortez Blvd. (SR 50), Brooksville. $6 adult, $3 ages 6-12, FREE 5 and under, and scouts in uniform.  352-799-0129; www.brooksvillereenactment.com

The last two weekends in January is time to start Tampa’s  Mardi Gras—the colorful, raucous and long-lasting .Gasparilla Extravanganza.  Pirates will invade Tampa on Saturday, Jan. 30, but little ones have their day on Sat. Jan. 23. Watch for the highlights of festivities that last into March, on my next blog.