The Planner (things to do)

Sharon Kennedy Wynne, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, October 3, 2008

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FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Pops go the orchestra

Some like it pops, so the Florida Orchestra is kind of backing into its 2008-09 season pops programs over the weekend with conductor and pianist Rich Ridenour, who will play an eclectic list of piano works ranging from One O'Clock Jump to Ghostbusters to Pumpkin Eater's Little Fugue. His concerts are at 8 p.m. Friday at Ferguson Hall of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa; 8 p.m. Saturday at Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg; and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater. $19-$65. (727) 892-3337, floridaorchestra.org.

Mouse ears look kind of like a figure 8

Figure-skating Disney characters are the stars of Disney on Ice: Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey, which ices into the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Friday through Sunday. The richest mouse in the world brings his girl on an adventure that lets them see parts the world represented in movies, from The Jungle Book to Lilo & Stitch. The Forum is at 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. Tickets are $19-$45, under 2 free on lap. (813) 301-2500. stpetetimesforum.com.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Children of the corn

Road trip! This is the opening weekend for Central Florida's only corn maze. The Scott and Long Farm in Mount Dora, about 30 miles northwest of Orlando, has cut a maze through a patch of 8-foot tall field corn. There's a 7-acre maze of winding paths and a smaller 1-acre maze for younger kids. There's also family activities including a small mist maze, a rock labyrinth, a swing set, a 60-foot slide, and a catch-and-release fishing pond stocked with speckled perch, bream and bass. You can pack your own lunch for the picnic area. The maze will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 30. The last tickets are sold at 3 p.m. both days. See longandscottfarms.com for directions, rules and tips. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for kids 3 and 16.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Hoist your steins

The true believers buy the signature steins from Dunedin Brewery for its annual OktoBEERfest which runs through Saturday at the brew pub at 937 Douglas Ave. in Dunedin. A big tent will go up with brats and brew served with live music and fun contests such as pickle eating and pub singalongs. The bar is open starting at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with live music starting at 9 p.m. For more on the bands performing, see Page 35. dunedinbrewery.com

FRIDAY

Darfur and eyes of a child

Eckerd's International Cinema Series will screen a free public viewing of the documentary War Child in the Miller Auditorium at 7 p.m. Friday. It's a preview for a free talk Oct. 8 by Sudanese hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal. For more on Jal, see Page 35. Free.

SATURDAY

John Daly + Hooters = Amazingness

This year Hooters turns 25 (which means it's now too old to work there). And this weekend, they're throwing a couple of Hooters 25th Anniversary parties. Meet the wing house's calendar girls from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Channelside Hooters in downtown Tampa, then from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Brandon Hooters, 10023 E Adamo Drive. The biggest bash of all, though, is Saturday at the original Hooters location that started the whole breastaurant craze at 2800 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. in Clearwater. In addition to many Hooters girls, you can meet golfer John Daly — and trust us, ain't no party like a J.D. party. The party runs from 5 p.m. to midnight.

SUNDAY

Some like it hot

Pain is good at Sunday's Hot Pepper Fest at Sunken Gardens. Peppers prevail with pepper-themed jelly, salsas, foods, sale of pepper plants, art, jewelry, gifts and spicy treats from area restaurants. It 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1825 Fourth St. N in St. Petersburg. Admission is $8 adults, $6 seniors, $4, ages 2-11, members free.

Es una fiesta del Telemundo!

Join some of your favorite Telemundo stars for La Feria de La Familia, a Hispanic family celebration from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at A La Carte Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive, Tampa. You can meet celebs like Dr. Ana Maria Polo of Caso Cerrado; Penelope Menchaca from the dating show 12 Corazones; and performances by Domenic Marte, Charlie Cruz and other bands from around Florida. Free admission and parking. (813) 319-4949.

5 under $5

Sure, the economy's taking a beating, but your wallet shouldn't. Here are this week's picks for things to do that cost less than a subscription to the Wall Street Journal.

FREE The Ybor ArtWalk from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday is a great opportunity to tour Ybor City's diverse art galleries. Check out the new openings, catch a look at those closing, visit studios and meet artists. Start at Brad Cooper Gallery, 1712 E Seventh Ave., and pick up an ArtWalk guide to participating venues.

FREE Pets About Town, a monthly gathering at MacDinton's Irish Pub in South Tampa, brings out posh people and their pets for drink specials and live music at 405 S Howard Ave. It runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. This month, sohotampa.com and Wag Pet Boutique are hosting a pet Halloween costume contest. (813) 251-8999; macdintons.com.

FREE In keeping with the animal theme, Hogs and Dogs in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg will give dogs their day and hawgs their due. The street party, between First Avenue N and First Avenue S, from 19th to 31st streets, will have motorcycle displays, a dog pageant and costume contest, pet portraits, exhibits and live entertainment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. See grandcentraldistrict.org. For more on downtown St. Pete's busy Saturday, see Page 24.

FREE Let the kids check out the new pirate-themed soft play area Saturday at University Mall in Tampa, with two pirate ships, a treasure-map carpet, rocks, waterfalls, an island with a palm tree, as well as a whale and an octopus to climb on. The ribbon-cutting at 10:15 a.m. will be followed by a pirate-themed party with food from Chick-fil-A and an appearance from the Chick-fil-A cow.

FREE Restore some calm to your life and take in some nice scenery, both real and imaginary, at the 16th annual Studio Waltz, a treasure hunt of sorts for art lovers. Most of the 15 locations in Clearwater and Dunedin are individual artists' studios where you can poke around for free, seeing how they work. Painters will be out in force painting landscapes, always a soothing thing to watch. The studios are open Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a map and addresses, go to studiowaltz16.pbwiki.com.

[Last modified: Oct 03, 2008 07:04 AM]

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