Wednesday, September 30, 2015

10 Ways to Unlock Tampa Bay in October

BRAD PAISLEY CONCERT (7:30 p.m. Oct. 2)

Award-winning country artist, Brad Paisley, is coming to the MidFlorida Credit Ampitheatre to kick off fall as part of his Crushin’ It World Tour. Featuring opening acts, Justin Moore and Mickey Guyton, this event is anticipated to be megawatt show! Get your tickets now before it’s too late.

TAMPA BAY BOAT SHOW (10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Oct. 2 - 4)

If you’re a boating enthusiast, you won’t want to miss out on Tampa’s largest and longest running boat show the first weekend of Oct. at the Tampa Convention Center. The Tampa Bay Boat Show has boats on display for sale that fit every lifestyle from luxury yachts to personal watercraft. There will be vendor booths showcasing the latest in engines, marine electronics, accessories and fishing gear, too.

TAILGATE TASTE FEST (3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday Oct. 3)

Make sure to bring your appetite to Curtis Hixon Park over the weekend for the second annual Tailgate Taste Fest. Get together with your buddies for this college football showcase including live, in-game action, live music and top tier tailgating foods from 18 local restaurants.

HOWL-O-SCREAM (5 p.m. – 1 a.m. every Thursday – Sunday in October)

Halloween is just around the corner and Busch Gardens is the place to be for thrill seekers. This yearly fright fest is back for the whole month of October. Howl-o-scream includes a late-night party with haunted houses, scare zones and a live show. Leave the kids at home though as the content is not suitable or intended for children.

OKTOBERFEST (4 p.m. – 11 p.m. Oct. 9, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Oct. 10-11)

Wishing you were at the real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany? Have no worries because Tampa is bringing this legendary festival to the Curtis Hixon Park. Celebrate the 6th annual Oktoberfest with plenty of beer, authentic German food, games and competitions!

MONDAY MEDITATION (5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Mondays until December)

There are times when everyone gets a bad case of the Mondays. However, there is a cure! Head over to the Tampa Museum of Art and join the Parbawatiya Kadampa Buddhist Center for an after work meditation class. Rid yourself of the stresses of work life with these classes consisting of guided meditation, a talk and a discussion.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD (Various times throughout October)

Get an extraordinary look into the hidden dimensions of our world at the IMAX documentary, Mysteries of the Unseen World. Expert, Louie Schwartzberg, takes viewers on an incredible journey into the unseen world of things too small, too fast, too slow or invisible to the human eye. This film is being shown at MOSI’s Florida Hospital IMAX DOME theatre all throughout the fall so you’ll have plenty of chances to check it out.

BREWS BY THE BAY (8 p.m. – 11 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 16)

Didn’t get enough beer at Oktoberfest? Lucky for you, we are keeping the beer flowing for the whole month of October. Party with the fishes while sampling more than 100 types of beer with live music at the Brews by the Bay beer and food festival at the Florida Aquarium. Come hungry and enjoy delicious cuisine from dozens of Tampa's best local restaurants while strolling among all of our amazing sea creatures.

ROCK THE YACHT DANCE PARTY (9 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 24)

Break out the dance moves and get ready to party the night away on the high seas. The Yacht Starship will be hosting this epic cruise with live music by the C’Nergy band. This group of musicians bring a variety of talent performing the best of Old School 70's, 80's and 90's, R&B Soul, Jazz, Motown, Pop, Reggae and Rock 'n Roll.

TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT (7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31st)

Celebrate Halloween with mega star Taylor Swift as part of her 1989 World Tour at the Raymond James Stadium. With a huge fan following, this larger-than-life hit factory pulls out all the stops for her concerts, usually bringing onstage surprise celebrity guests to perform with her.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Wisconsin week in review

Here’s a quickie rundown and review of recent Wisconsin political stories. WONDER BOY FAILS WONDERFULLY On Monday at 5PM Walker dropped out of the race. Well, technically he “suspended his campaign”. This LA Times cartoon sums it up for us. And this cartoon by Phil Hands sums up the average Wisconsinite’s response: Tomorrow's @WiStateJournal cartoon more »

Friday, September 25, 2015

Scott Walker plans a not so “unintimidated” public appearance in Beaver Dam today

Update: I have confirmation from Madison radio journalist Michael Crute that Scott Walker will be at the site at Noon today. I had this information 1 hour and 45 minutes in advance of the so-called “public event”. Site: Apache Stainless, 200 Industrial Dr, Beaver Dam, WI Google Map Street view Just to record what goes more »

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Video: “Walker’s critics celebrate, supporters reminisce …”

Despite having no more than a few hours notice of the 5PM press conference announcing Walker’s drop out from the presidential campaign, protesting Wisconsinites were ready, able, and willing to serenade Wisconsin’s delusional governor. This TMJ4 footage includes just a SNIPPET of protest singing. This brief broadcast also includes snippets from Wisconsinites who do not more »

Tampa Bay wins for 2014 IIFA

India’s largest event planning organization honored Visit Tampa Bay this week for its success hosting the International Indian Film Academy awards program in 2014.

The EEMAX Global Conclave, organized by India’s Event and Entertainment Management Association, invited Visit Tampa Bay president and CEO Santiago Corrada to Mumbai Sept. 19-20. He received the group’s award on behalf of Visit Tampa Bay and helped educate Indian event planners on Visit Tampa Bay’s approach to recruiting and staging large events like IIFA. The week-long festival in April, 2014, which drew 30,000 visitors to Tampa Bay and generated more than $26 million in local economic impact.

The success of IIFA was a factor in Time/Money.com’s selection last month of Tampa Bay as the best big city to live in the Southeast.

“I was honored to be invited to participate in EEMAX Global and to accept the award on behalf of our hard-working team at Visit Tampa Bay,” Corrada said after returning to Tampa Bay. “This community has shone time and again as a destination that can produce large, international events with efficiency and grace. It’s something we do very well.”

It was Corrada’s third trip in two year to India on behalf of Tampa Bay’s tourism industry.

The gathering included nearly a dozen Indian film stars – including some who won awards in Tampa Bay last year. In addition to receiving Visit Tampa Bay’s award, Corrada also helped present other awards and joined a panel discussion to present Tampa Bay’s approach to putting on large events.

“We talked about the process, and how we use events to market the destination,” Corrada said. “Large-scale events like IIFA, large conventions or major sporting events are the perfect opportunities to introduce new people to this region we all treasure.”

The year after IIFA, Tampa Bay hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament. It will host imperial sessions by the country’s two Shriners organizations in 2016; the 2017 College Football National Championship; and is in the running for the SuperBowl in 2019 or 2020.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Gawker seeks details on “a very bad story” connected with Scott Walker

It seems that both Republican communications operative Liz Mair and a writer with Buzzfeed are hinting about either the same scandalous story or differing stories that is/are related to Scott Walker – but neither is releasing the details to the public. Frustrating. Gawker is asking readers to help spill the beans completely. Gawker is providing more »

Scott Walker dropping out of campaign, 5PM Central Time, Edgewater Hotel, Madison

Wow. I expected him to hang in another month and a half! News Conference: 5PM Central Time Edgewater Hotel Madison, Wisconsin More details here. You just finished reading Scott Walker dropping out of campaign, 5PM Central Time, Edgewater Hotel, Madison! Consider leaving a comment!Visit bluecheddar.net for more news and opinion. You can contact blue cheddar more »

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Bernie Sanders appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Would you believe this was the first time I tuned into Colbert’s new show on CBS? Enjoy. Colbert cracking jokes on the presidential election [backup link]: The Interview [backup link]: Date of appearance: 09/18/2015 You just finished reading Bernie Sanders appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert! Consider leaving a comment!Visit bluecheddar.net for more more »

Friday, September 18, 2015

Wisconsin State Journal only employs white people

I’m embarrassed that I’m so late to the party on this issue. I learned this yesterday and promptly felt like puking: “..the Wisconsin State Journal, the newspaper that proudly proclaims itself “Madison’s largest reporting team,” the second-largest newspaper in the state and the newspaper of record for our entire region, is an all-white newspaper.” SOURCE: more »

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The backlash on Bernie Sanders begins!

Despite the fact that this [barely functioning] blog has tried to be Wisconsin-centric, I’m going to try to do some more posts to help people keep up on Bernie Sanders news. —————————————————-   It appears that the establishment and its candidates have decided to quit dismissing Bernie Sanders and start attacking Bernie Sanders. The guy more »

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

If Walker could see past his enormous ego, he’d realize he’s in 7th place and has no chance

Scott Walker only has 2% in the latest national ABC poll. The average of Scott Walker’s national polls put him in 7th place according to Real Clear Politics. The Republican Party only needs 1 nominee to run for president. I suppose it’s very difficult for a megalomaniac to quit looking in the mirror long enough more »

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

10 Kid-Friendly To-Do's in Tampa Bay

Sometimes it is tough to find fun stuff for both the kids and the adults, BUT we have you covered. Check out 10 awesome things you can get into with the whole family.

1. Big Cat Rescue - The largest big cat sanctuary in the world. It is awesome!

2. Dinosaur World - After recent expansions there are tons of life size dinosaur exhibits for the kids to enjoy.

3. The Florida Aquarium - One of the best aquariums in the nation is right here in Tampa, not to mention an amazing outdoor play area and splash park for the kids.

4. Lowry Park Zoo - Family friendly and always a blast. There are so many baby animals the little ones will love!

5. MOSI, Museum of Science and Industry - Incredibly fascinating and educational, fully equipped with an IMAX theatre and ropes course.

6. Enjoy a ride on the TECO Streetcar trolleys from Downtown Tampa to Historic Ybor City (Bonus: They’re air conditioned).

7. Canoe down the Hillsborough River with Canoe Escape and take in the beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife.

8. Go-kart Grand Prix - A new addition to Tampa, enjoy go karts cruising at over 40 mph at this indoor track.

9. Tour the American Victory Ship, a 455-foot marine vessel used in the Vietnam and Korean wars, now a museum docked in the Channelside District just outside the aquarium.

10. The Glazer Children's Museum is an interactive wonderland for your kids, right on the Hillsborough River. The Wizard of Oz exhibit should not be missed!

Friday, September 4, 2015

9 Awesome Kid-Friendly Activities in Tampa Bay

Sometimes it is tough to find fun stuff for both the kids and the adults, BUT we have you covered. Check out 10 awesome things you can get into with the whole family.

1. Big Cat Rescue - The largest big cat sanctuary in the world. It is awesome!

2. Dinosaur World - After recent expansions there are tons of life size dinosaur exhibits for the kids to enjoy.

3. The Florida Aquarium - One of the best aquariums in the nation is right here in Tampa, not to mention an amazing outdoor play area and splash park for the kids.

4. Lowry Park Zoo - Family friendly and always a blast. There are so many baby animals the little ones will love!

5. MOSI, Museum of Science and Industry - Incredibly fascinating and educational, fully equipped with an IMAX theatre and ropes course.

6. Enjoy a ride on the TECO Streetcar trolleys from Downtown Tampa to Historic Ybor City (Bonus: They’re air conditioned).

7. Canoe down the Hillsborough River with Canoe Escape and take in the beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife.

8. Go-kart Grand Prix - A new addition to Tampa, enjoy go karts cruising at over 40 mph at this indoor track.

9. Tour the American Victory Ship, a 455-foot marine vessel used in the Vietnam and Korean wars, now a museum docked in the Channelside District just outside the aquarium.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Rapper Pitbull named ambassador for Florida tourism

Miami-based rapper Pitbull is partnering with Visit Florida to promote the state as a tourism destination.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Oh my! George Takei coming to USF

You won't have to live too long, or really be all that prosperous for a chance to see Star Trek star turned social media sensation George Takei right here in Tampa.

"An Evening With George Takei" is scheduled at the USF Sun Dome on April 18 at 8 p.m.

“Takei’s story goes where few stories have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in a Japanese Internment Camp during World War II to becoming one of the country’s leading figures in the fight for social justice, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture,” the announcement said.

Tickets for the event go on sale on October 2, and the first 3,000 USF students will get in for free.