Free and cheap events -- holiday edition
The ho-ho-holidays are right on top of us. And that means the weekends are getting packed with events. If you're still looking for fun things to do with the kids, try some of these events to get you off the couch and in the spirit.
Hurry on over to Tampa by 5 p.m. Thursday to be a part of Hillsborough 
County's seventh annual Holiday Tree Lighting Festival beginning at 5 p.m. Entertainment will include jazz recording artist B.K. Jackson and the Bloomingdale High School Orchestra. Kids can enjoy games and activities, including a snow slope, a rock climbing wall, a Moonwalk and arts and crafts. The whole family can visit the Christmas House and have their picture taken with Santa Claus. And it wouldn't be a tree lighting without the 34-foot fully decorated Christmas tree glowing with more than 30,000 lights. Refreshments include hot dogs, sodas, cotton candy, popcorn and other yuletide treats. Refreshments and activities are FREE!
Enjoy rides, games and food samples at the Christmas Carnival at John's Pass Village and Boardwalk, 150 John's Pass Boardwalk, Madeira Beach, which runs throough Sunday. Sidewalk sales featuring Christmas specials and free gift wrapping begin at 10 a.m. Proceeds go to local charities.
Kick off the weekend Friday at the sixth annual Holiday in the Park Winterfest at the England Brothers Bandshell, 5121 80th Ave. N, Pinellas Park. The free two-day festival will feature hayride tours of light displays, arts and crafts, children's train rides, photos with Santa, pony rides and more. Also on Friday, Winter Wonderland kicks off in Clearwater for three days of fun for the family. Enjoy pony rides, bouncy houses, a petting zoo, pictures with Santa and cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus. There is a small charge for some rides and photos with Santa but everything else is free. And there also are charity drives for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and needy families. Just bring a non-perishable food item or unwrapped new toy for donation. Cash donations also will be accepted.
Gifts you can eat are not only practical, but clutter-free (eventually). Make your favorite teacher, coach or neighbor edible gifts that your kids make themselves at Foodies' Holiday Gifts Galore class. Take away a festively decorated mix in a jar, cup, bag or pot with easy finish-at-home instructions. Classes are at 2 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 13. It's $4-8 per gift, you decide how many, at Foodies, 2312 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Reservations required at (727) 209-1418.
Experience Christmas in the country at Cracker Country's Discover the Past event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy live music of the period, holiday crafts and other educational activities. Admission is $6 adults, $5 ages 6-12; ages 5 and younger are free. Cracker Country is at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301 N Tampa, (813) 627-4225.
"Snow" will be falling in downtown St. Petersburg on Saturday at the annual Santa Parade and Snowfest beginning at 10 a.m. The AL champion Tampa Bay Rays will serve as grand marshal for the annual parade, which begins at Fifth Street and Central Avenue, then heads east on Central to Bayshore Drive NE. The parade route ends at North Straub Park, the site of Snowfest, which features snow, ice skating, toboggan rides, arts and crafts and more.
The Soulful Arts Dance Academy’s fifth annual production of Black Nativity will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Combining the poetry of Langston Hughes with the gospel music of today, it’s a popular celebration of the Nativity in scripture, verse, music and dance that first appeared on Broadway in the 1960s. Tickets are free but have been going fast so check with Soulful Arts to see if they are available.
Now this one isn't free or cheap but it is doing some good for the community. 
The Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis on Sunday features a 5K competitive run and a 1-mile fitness walk. Participants wear jingle bells on their shoes. Free food and beverages after the run. It begins at 8 a.m. at the Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa. Pre-registration is $20; $25 race day. Students receive $5 discount. Call (813) 968-7000.
Check out all the kid-friendly events happening in the bay area this weekend including an outdoor movie, free photos with Santa and breakfast with Santa. Also take a peek at Momma's non-holiday free and cheap picks. And remember, if you have an event that is not on our list, please let us know about it.
-- Sherry Robinson
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
Amy Hollyfield is a workaholic mother of two young
daughters, blessed to have a work-at-home husband who makes their life possible. She was born in Detroit and moved around a lot as a kid (read: Air Force brat). She has lived in Florida since the month after she
graduated from Northwestern University. She lives for the yelps, hugs and kisses that greet her on nights that she makes it home before bedtime.
Sherry Robinson was born in the Sunshine State but she feels more comfortable inside a mall than outside at the beach -- thank goodness her husband is the outdoorsy type. He takes their two sons on night hikes, beach runs and bug hunts while Sherry does her best to take care of the homestead -- and find out what is new on the store shelves. A graduate of the University of South Florida in 19noneofyourbusiness, Sherry has been at the Times for nearly 20 years. And with nearly 10 years of parenting experience, Sherry is eager to offer up some great dish on raising kids and keeping your sanity.
Guest blogger Tracey Henry, a.k.a. Suburban Diva, is a frantic, slightly frazzled mother of four. She is a freelance humor writer and author which is the only thing that parenting four children ages 12-1 trains you for, except perhaps court jester and professional bull rider. She and her husband have lived all over the country, but settled in Florida eight years ago because the beachcombing is so much better here than on the banks of the Mississippi. Their family time includes a lot of sport -- both watching and playing -- and fun in the sun and surf. Catch her in Whoa, Momma! and on her site, 
Sherri Day and her husband welcomed their daughter into the world in early 2008. So far, she describes parenthood as exciting, exhausting and exhilarating. A self-described Southern belle with small-town values and big-city idealism, Sherri was born in rural Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Clark Atlanta University and her master's of journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the Brandon bureau chief for the Times. Sherri moved to Tampa from Brooklyn four years ago.
The 5th Annual Holiday Home Tour in Southeast Seminole Heights in Tampa is this Sunday. Go to www.seshca.com for further details.
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Posted by: Susan | December 05, 2008 at 12:04 AM