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Top things to do in Tampa Bay for Oct. 7

 
MELISSA LYTTLE   |   Times (10/27/2008 Tampa)  The animals at the Lowry Park Zoo get to celebrate Halloween a little bit early. Friday morning was the Great Pumpkin Toss, where zookeepers tossed pumpkins and other treats for the warthogs, elephants, hyenas and hippopotami to gobble up.  The elephants curled their trunks around the pumpkins, squashing them and then devouring them in a single motion.  The warthogs played with them before eating them.  The hyenas were more curious than the others, tentatively approaching the pumpkins with the hair on the back of their necks raised up.  And the mother hippopotamus was oblivious to the pumpkin, preferring to swim around in her pool instead, with her baby by her side.
MELISSA LYTTLE | Times (10/27/2008 Tampa) The animals at the Lowry Park Zoo get to celebrate Halloween a little bit early. Friday morning was the Great Pumpkin Toss, where zookeepers tossed pumpkins and other treats for the warthogs, elephants, hyenas and hippopotami to gobble up. The elephants curled their trunks around the pumpkins, squashing them and then devouring them in a single motion. The warthogs played with them before eating them. The hyenas were more curious than the others, tentatively approaching the pumpkins with the hair on the back of their necks raised up. And the mother hippopotamus was oblivious to the pumpkin, preferring to swim around in her pool instead, with her baby by her side.
Published Oct. 6, 2016

Creatures of the Night: The new Halloween event with activities for all ages. Included with admission. Special for this event, an after 4 p.m. ticket is available for $19.95. 9:30 a.m., Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa. $29.95, $27.95 seniors, $22.95 ages 3-11, 2 and younger free. (813) 935-8552.

Oktoberfest Tampa: Plenty of beer and German fare along with a variety of individual and team competitions including stein hoisting, keg stacking, carry the wench, tug-o-war, grain sack toss and corn hole. 4 p.m., Curtis Hixon Park, 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. $8-$20.

Get Downtown First Friday Music Series: The Tempests: Enjoy music, food and a lively crowd all in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. 5 p.m., Get Downtown Location, Second Street N and Central Avenue, St. Petersburg. Free; refreshments extra. (727) 393-3597.

Haunted Angelus House: Situated on 25 acres of land, the PG-13 rated haunt features an all ages haunted house and haunted hay ride. 7:30 p.m., The Angelus, 12413 Hudson Ave., Hudson. $15, $8 ages 5-10, 4 and younger free. (727) 364-2868.

ARW: Several core members of the classic rock group Yes, singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Trevor Rabin and keyboardist Rick Wakeman tour together under a new name. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $73.75-$128.75. (727) 791-7400.

Henry Rollins: The legendary singer, writer and activist will give a spoken word performance mixing political commentary and anecdotes on his latest experiences and world travels. 8 p.m., Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. $29.50-$49.50. (727) 791-7400.

Florida Orchestra Pops: Cirque de la Symphonie: The Florida Orchestra accompanies performers of extraordinary acts including aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, balancers and strongmen. 8 p.m., Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N MacInnes Place, Tampa. $15-$45. Toll-free 1-800-662-7286.

Rodney Perry: The host of the online radio show, Rodney Perry Live has also worked as co-host of Who's Got Jokes, on BET's Mo'Nique Show and starred as Harold in Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family. 8 and 10:30 p.m., Improv Comedy Theater, 1600 E Eighth Ave., Tampa. $20. (813) 864-4000.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane: An aging mother sets out to destroy her spinster daughter's one last chance for love. Through Oct. 9. 8 p.m., West Coast Players Theatre, 21905 U.S. 19 N, Clearwater. $19. (727) 437-2363.

The Vampyre: Originally a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori, the Village Players bring the suspenseful tale to the stage. Through Oct. 23. 8 p.m., James McCabe Theater, 506 Fifth St., Valrico. $15, $13 students, seniors and military with ID. (813) 480- 3147.

Dale Jones: The comedian delivers an animated stage character with high energy and some pretty remarkable facial contortions as seen on TBS's The Very Funny Show, Last Comic Standing and Fox's 30 seconds to Fame. 8 and 10:15 p.m., Side Splitters Comedy Club, 12938 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. $10-$16.50. (813) 960-1197.

Dopapod and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong: The progressive rockers and psychedelic funksters team up for a co-headline tour. 8:30 p.m., State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $15-$18. (727) 895-3045.

Figure and Protohype : The electronic house music DJ known for horror themed releases teams up Protohype who combines dubstep with hip-hop drums to create a new genre, dub hop. 10 p.m., Ritz Ybor, 1503 E Seventh Ave., Tampa. $10. (813) 247-2555.

KIDS AND FAMILY

Family Nerf Night: Ages 5 and older can gather family and friends for an epic Nerf battle, with contests, obstacles and Nerf dodgeball. Bring your own Nerf blaster and label your own darts. 6 p.m., Safety Harbor Community Center, 650 Ninth Ave. S, Safety Harbor. $5. (727) 724-1530.

TO WATCH

Shark Tank, 9 p.m., ABC. A bidding war breaks out among the panel of investors with a married couple from Orlando who stumbled on the bright idea to put safety light clips on running shoes.

MORE TO EXPLORE

Find more local haunts at tampabay.com/things-to-do.