The planner (things to do)

By Sharon Kennedy Wynne, tbt* staff writer
In Print: Friday, January 29, 2010

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FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Fox's Beck and Bill hit Sun Dome

Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck of Fox News will bring their Bold and Fresh Tour to the University of South Florida's Sun Dome on Friday for two sold-out shows at 4 and 8 p.m. If you don't have tickets, you can still catch the shtick. Several area theaters will show a live broadcast of their next tour stop at 8 p.m. Saturday, including the Citrus Stadium Park Mall 20 in Tampa, the Woodland Square 20 in Oldsmar and the Regency 20 in Brandon. Call the theaters for ticket prices.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Dance fever infects Ybor

Hillsborough Community College School of Visual and Performing Arts kicks off its annual Dance Ybor series with New York choreographer Faye Driscoll's 837 Venice Boulevard at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Mainstage Theatre of the Ybor City Campus Performing Arts Building at Palm Avenue and 14th Street. $10. Free for HCC faculty, staff and students. Tickets available at the door or by e-mailing artstix@hccfl.edu. Call (813) 253-7695.

SATURDAY

City's parks, in a snap

To celebrate the centennial of St. Pete's waterfront parks, the Picture Your Parks photography program invites you to send in your best photo to be considered for display as part of a traveling waterfront parks exhibit. Professional photographer Jim Swallow will lead a workshop of photography tips at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Register at stpeteparks100.org. Free.

Kumquat takes its spot

Sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside, the kumquat reminds us of more than few Hollywood starlets. Check out Saturday's quirky Kumquat Festival, where the tangy little citrus takes center stage in the rolling hills of Dade City. Even the Travel Channel loves it for its old-fashioned charm. There's also a farmer's market, crafts, entertainment, quilt show and kids activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday along Meridian Avenue. Free. dadecitychamber.org.

The future is bloody

Whenever we hear of a kickboxing event like Saturday's Rumble at the Ritz, we think of Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything. "Kickboxing. Sport of the future." Well, the ISKA kickboxing and submission grappling event at the Ritz Ybor intends to introduce the future of MMA sports with special guests like Dave "Pay Me" Yust and Imani Lee. It starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. Price: $20, $35 VIP at 1503 E Seventh Ave. in Tampa. ritzybor.com.

Helping horses with horsepower

Iron horses meet real ones at the Bakas Motorcycle Rally at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Harley Davidson dealership at 9841 Adamo Drive in Brandon. It's $15 per driver and $5 for passengers, and it benefits the Bakas Equestrian Center's program for physically and mentally challenged children. Call (813) 264-3890 or e-mail horsebakas@yahoo.com.

Shake it for Haiti

Shake your booty and burn major calories at Zumba Bash IV to benefit Yele, Haiti. Exercise physiologist Gemma Hughes and guest instructors lead a 90-minute energetic Zumba session starting at 5 p.m. Saturday at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive in St. Pete Beach. Price: $10.

Night flight? All right!

Vintage planes aren't the only attraction at Fantasy of Flight in Lakeland. Ghost hunters say the aviation museum is haunted by spirits of pilots past. Starting this weekend, visitors can explore the hangars in search of ghosts and other unexplained occurrences with a team of investigators from Apollo Paranormal Investigations, a nonprofit group out of Apollo Beach. NightFlight tours will start Saturday night and continue Feb. 13, Feb. 20, Feb. 27 and March 6. Tours run from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and include the use of ghost-hunting equipment. Tickets are $75 per person and must be bought in advance. Explorers will enter a torch-lit labyrinth and break off into groups of 10 to tour the hangars and vintage aircraft dating to World War I and II. Paranormal investigators will share evidence of apparitions and mysterious sightings captured on audio, video and film. For reservations, call (863) 984-3500 or go to fantasyofflight.com/nightflight.

SUNDAY

Beloved book hits stage

Remember when Baby Bird asked the steam shovel the titular question, Are You My Mother? Yeah, we loved that part too. Take the kids to see the little bird's journey on stage when P.D. Eastman's classic book for young readers comes to life at Ferguson Hall at David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts at 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $8.50.

5 under $5

The state of your wallet in a deep deficit? Here are some free and cheap things to do until it bounces back:

FREE There's no chemical additives to the Sunday Music Series at Sweetwater Organic Farm, 6942 W Comanche Ave., Tampa. Sunday is Cajun Day, with vendors, veggies and music by the Gadabouts (1 p.m.) and the Atlanta Swamp Opera. sweetwater-organic.org.

FREE At the Touch a Truck and Florida Clown Day on Saturday, kids know what to do. Little ones will get to climb in all types of trucks, buses, military vehicles, semis, a Bayflite helicopter and even sit atop a motorcycle. For the clown portion of the day, there's face painting, inflatables and train rides. Admission is free; $3 for unlimited bounce zone wristbands. The action is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Largo Central Park, 101 Central Park Drive. largoevents.com.

$2 Dozens of Tampa Bay folk musicians perform at the Pinellas Folk Festival on Saturday. Kick it old school with traditional folk, gospel, country and bluegrass on stages throughout Largo's Heritage Village starting at 10 a.m. Crafters will be on hand, and you can see blacksmithing and other demonstrations. A $2 donation suggested, 11 and younger free at 11909 125th St. N in Largo.

$3 Look, up in the sky! The Science Center of Pinellas County has a fun event for stargazers and families at Sci-Fi and Sky Night on Saturday. It includes planetarium shows from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., an astronomy lecture at 7:15 p.m., a screening of the film Star Wars: The Clone Wars at 8 p.m. and telescope viewings from 7:45 to 11:30 p.m. Register to have your name included on a microchip going to Mars in 2011. Beer and wine tastings are available for a fee; pizza and beverages are available for purchase from 5:30 to 9 p.m. A donation of $3 per person is requested at 7701 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg.

$5 At the Baby Diaper Derby on Saturday, babies will compete at the Holland G. Mangum Recreation Center to see who's the most powerful in Pampers. Infants are grouped by age in a rattle race and obstacle course. Other contests include cutest smile, parent look-alike, chubbiest cheeks and perkiest personality. It's $5 per infant to enter. Times are: Newborn-9 months, 9 to 10:15 a.m.; 10-18 months 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. at 9100 113th St. N in Seminole. For info, call (727) 391-8345.

[Last modified: Jan 28, 2010 04:58 PM]

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