Weekend Planner: Family Things to Do

If you're looking for something to do with the family this weekend, check out these family-friendly events:

1. The Bloomingdale Regional Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico, will host Family Game Time Saturday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. Enjoy video and board games with friends and family. All experience levels are welcome.

Price: Free

2. It's the final weekend to visit the Florida State Fair before it departs on Monday. This weekend's highlights include the Mixed Martial Arts Expo Friday and Saturday night.

Price: Adults $10 to $12; kids ages 6 to 11 $5 to $6

3. Get a bug’s eye view of the world this spring when the Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, premieres its new exhibition, "Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World!" sponsored by Terminix in partnership with Audubon Insectarium, a facility of Audubon Nature Institution.  

It features live bugs, video, audio, games and more and is designed to give spectators an up-close view of nature and a new perspective of the role insects play in our environment. 

Special weekend programming at MOSI will feature a live insect petting zoo, cricket spitting competitions, roach races and a bug chef making tummy-tickling treats with bugs as the main ingredients hosted by Terminix. 

A new IMAX film, "Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure," will also be featured. Shot on location in the Borneo rainforest, the film brings the beautiful and dangerous universe of its tiny stars up close and personal with cutting-edge technology that magnifies them up to 250,000 times their normal size.  

 Price: $20.95 for age 13 to adults; $18.95 for seniors; $16.95 for age 2 to 12. 

4. Chili cookers and flea market vendors are needed for the Annual Chili Cook-off, Flea Market and Classic Car Show to be held Saturday, Feb. 19 at E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin.

Attendees may purchase a bowl of chili for $3 to taste the various recipes and vote for their favorites. Chili tasting and judging begins at noon.

There is no entry fee for chili cookers. However, contestants need to prepare at least 5 gallons of their favorite chili. Cookers compete for cash prizes paid out to the top three chili recipes, as well as a trophy for the best-decorated booth.

Flea market vendors will be selling their goods at the outdoor market. The cost is $12 for a 12- by 12-foot space. Vendors must provide their own tables and may rent more than one space. The flea market opens at 8 a.m.

This year's event will also feature a Classic Car Show which begins at 10 a.m.

This event, hosted by the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, benefits the Friends of the County Parks, a 501 (3) (c) not-for-profit group that promotes financial and community support to the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. 

Applications for chili cookers and flea market vendors are available on the Parks Web site at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/parks. Look under "PRC News."

Call (813) 671-7655 for additional information.

Price: $3 for chili

5. Bubble Art! will be featured at the Glazer Children's Museum, 110 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. On Saturday, Children will be able to explore light and color with bubbles as well as  blow bubbles of color onto paper and see the art emerge, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the KidsPort on the first level.

Price: $9.50 for children; $15 for adults; $12.50 for military and seniors. Children under 1 are admitted free.