Flugtag, you're it! (And other fun confabs)

We've got three words for you as you plan your weekend: Flights. Sights. Frights.

Flights: If you haven't heard by now that Flugtag is Saturday on the downtown Tampa waterfront, you're a dillweed. Seriously, this looks like it's going to be the wildest thing to hit the waterfront since Gasparilla. Local teams with big ambitions, a wicked sense of humor and probably a healthy appreciation for lost causes will propel themselves off a ramp into the Hillsborough River near the Tampa Convention Center, all for a shot at immortality and a first-place prize of a pilot training course. Yep, you saw that right. No money! But then, that's not the point, is it? There'll be flying minarets, big-ass roller boots and a special tribute to The Hoff. You can catch up on all the details here. But the main thing to know is that the festivities start at 11 a.m. and the zaniness starts at 1:30. Last flight out is 3:30. Can't say for sure, but we suspect there'll be vendors there pitching a little old beverage called Red Bull. (Better hit that ATM now! Those things are outrageously expensive. But then, you knew that, didn't you?)

Sights: While all of this craziness is going on outside (hopefully under sunny skies), the anime extravaganza known as MetroCon will be going on inside the Convention Center. Imagine a bunch of kids in large shiny costumes with wild hair to match. Whether you go because you have a deep love for anime or because you just want to laugh at the girl who decided it'd be cute to dress up as a pikachu, you'll definitely get what you're hoping for. The event starts 10 a.m. Friday and it'll cost you $25 to get you in for the day. On Saturday, it also starts at 10, but it'll cost $30. Remember, Flugtag will be nearby so be prepared. It starts at noon Sunday and costs $25, but I recommend you avoid this day. These kids don't seem to shower when they're at conventions so by the third day, it's more toxic than Chernobyl.

Frights: Okay, the only reason this last event holds any allure for us is that Linda Blair of Exorcist fame  is a scheduled meeter and greeter. (Check out her buff bod on her Web site. Totally tubular!) We're talking about TapsCon (the Atlantic Paranormal Society) Convention scheduled Saturday and Sunday at the Belleview Biltmore. What a perfect setting! The hallways in the place look lifted straight out of The Shining, and you expect to see a kid on a trike cruising through muttering "Redrum! Redrum! Redrum!" And there are rumors of a ghost there, too, meaning the cast members of Ghost Hunters will be there searching for Casper. Here's a photo of the alleged ghost, from our files. That's it on the left. Spooky!

    

Comments

I think its terrible that you openly say go to MetroCon if you want to laugh at smelly anime fans who spend their time dressing up.What right do you have to criticize our way of life. You cannot tell me you never waited all year for halloween or all week for a new episode of your favorite tv show.

[Cohen]

Flugtag was terrible(and scary). The amount of white trash living in the city is disturbing. Ughhh.
The anime convention people were very entertaining, creative, and I loved their costumes, or at least the ones I saw.

I was the Pikachu, and I slightly resent being made fun of by someone who claims to be a writer for a paper, yet can't even seem to grasp all of the necessary grammar rules.

FYI: Pikachu is a proper noun.