Community Corner

GET OUT: Weekend Events Preview May 17-19

With a variety of entertainment venues and restaurants in the area, there's no reason to spend the weekend at home. Here's a list of fun things to do in the Bloomingdale-Riverview area.

It’s Friday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend.

Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check our picks for activities to hit this weekend.

Crawfish Festival

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The FishHawk-Riverview Rotary Club will present its third annual Crawfish Festival in Park Square in FishHawk Ranch May 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will feature more than 2,500 pounds of steamed crawfish fresh from Louisiana, chicken and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, hot dogs and hamburgers, and nachos. It addition, there will be entertainment and exhibits by local businesses.

Pigs in the Park

Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce will host its fourth annual Pigs in the Park…ing Lot BBQ and Business Expo Friday, May 17 from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Mira Bay Sweetbay Plaza, 137 Harbor Village Lake in Apollo Beach. Bethune’s BBQ, Fathead’s BBQ and the Mullet Shack will be on hand along with arts and crafts vendors.

The Tom Kats, a blues, jazz and pop band, will play from 4 to 6 p.m. and from 6 to 10 p.m., Ladyhawke, featuring Nashville recording artist Victoria Hawkes (Ginty), also will perform.

There will be a special area just for kids, sponsored by Home Depot and Kids R Kids, featuring Jumbo the clown, face painting, balloons and bounce houses.

Lithia Springs to Present 'Little Mermaid'

The fifth-grade drama club at Lithia Springs Elementary School, 4333 Lynx Paw Trail, Valrico, will present Disney's "The Little Mermaid" May 17 at 6:45 p.m. Ticketsa re $8.

Spring Coffee

The Brandon Foundation will host its sixth annual Spring Coffee Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Bells Shoals Baptist Church,2102 Bell Shoals Rd., in Brandon. This annual event is held to promote the awareness of the foundation and to raise funds for the Foundation Angel program. The celebrity emcee will be Al Ruechel, senior anchor at Bay News 9.

Attendees will enjoy brunch, entertainment, a silent auction, and testimonials from Angel family recipients. Guest admission is a $25 gift card to be used to assist families who are experiencing life-threatenin​g illnesses or catastrophic events.

Zumbathon

Zumba instructor Lolita Ortiz will host a Zumbathon charity event to benefit the Freedom to Walk Foundation Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at the Riverview Civic Center, 11100 Park Dr., Riverview. Tickets are $10.

Drawing Portrait With Pencil

Art educator Minnette Webster will introduce children to drawing self portraits using mirrors, pencils and erasers Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at the Riverview Branch Library, 10509 Riverview Dr., Riverview. The free class is for children in grades one to four. All materials will be provided.

Cookbook for Couples

Enjoy a presentation with Warren Caterson, the author of Table for Two, in which he shares time-saving kitchen tips, cooking hints, and humorous anecdotes about the challenges and joys of cooking for two Saturday, May 18 at 3 p.m. at the Riverview Branch Library, 10509 Riverview Dr., Riverview. The free presentation culminates with a 10-minute cooking demonstration that any home cook can replicate.

Lincoln Day Dinner

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will be the keynote speaker at the Hillsborough County Republican Party's 2013 Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday, May 18 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Rd., Tampa. The theme is "A Night to Celebrate Freedom." The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a chairman's reception followed by the dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 and up.

Benefit Garage Sale

The Senior Adult Bible Study Class of Bell Shoals Baptist Church will hold a garage sale on Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 704 Tomahawk Trail in the Indian Hills subdivision off Bell Shoals Road. Coffee and donuts will be sold in the morning and lunch items starting at 10:30 a.m. The money raised will send needy children to summer camp.

Pokemon League

The Brandon Area Pokemon League meets the first and third Sunday of the month from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Bloomingdale Regional Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico.

Riverview High Drama

The Riverview High School Theatre Department, under the direction of Daron Hawkins, will present its spring production of "Once on This Island" Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 at 8 p.m. in the Riverview High School’s Outdoor Ampitheatre (located at the end of the breezeway within the school), 11311 Boyette Rd., Riverview. The cast is comprised of 49 Riverview High School students (34 actors and 15 stage hands). Tickets are $10.

Got an event of your own? Post it for free in the Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch events calendar.


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