Tampa Today News: Happy Veterans Day + Christmas Town Returns
Everything you need to know in Tampa.
Happy Veterans Day! Welcome back to Tampa Today News. I’m Carlos Hernandez, your host explaining everything you need to know about what’s happening in Tampa including local news, events, and more. I hope your weekend is going great.
In this issue you’ll learn about:
Deals and freebies to enjoy for Veterans Day.
The return of Busch Gardens Christmas Town including new food items.
A local Thanksgiving food drive in Tampa to help support for families who are food insecure.
A word from our sponsors: Due Amici & Geo’s Fine Wine & Champagne
Due Amici is a family-run pizza and pasta bar restaurant located in Ybor City at 1724 E 7th Ave. The restaurant takes pride in their gourmet food, handcrafting sauces to compliment the flavors in each dish. Pizza dough is made in-house, hand-spun, topped with the freshest ingredients, and carried to the oven with love.
Geo’s Fine Wine & Champagne Bar is the latest hotspot in Ybor City right next door to Due Amici. The bar has a selection of fine wines and champagnes to choose from as well as charcuterie boards and live music and events regularly.
Are you interested in sponsoring Tampa Today News and promoting your business, events, or products? Reach out at carlosreportsnews@gmail.com and I will be happy to discuss rates.
Top stories happening in Tampa:
Christmas Town returns to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay today: The annual Christmas festivities at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay have returned to Tampa through Jan. 7. New menu items this year include Chicken coq-au-vin, Holiday Poutine, Smoked Poutine, Not-So-Traditional Holiday Ham, Ginger Snap Mules, Mistletoe Margaritas and more. Must be 21+ to consume alcoholic beverages. Special lanyard rates are available for season passholders at the theme park. (carloseats.com)
Sheriff denounces “senseless violence” after man shot and killed in Brandon Friday: A man was shot and killed Friday near an Advance Auto Parts store in Brandon, according to officials. The incident occurred at the intersection of Highview Road and E Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. at 4:25 p.m. Friday. Police found a 24-year-old man dead at the scene and have arrested a suspect and charged the suspect with first-degree murder and aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony with a weapon. (wfla.com)
Valdes hosting Thanksgiving food drive: Florida House Rep. Susan Valdes is hosting a Thanksgiving food drive to help support local families in Tampa through Nov. 17. Donations can be left at Valdes’ Tampa office, located at 2221 N. Himes Ave., Suite B. from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Suggested donations include cornbread mix, canned cranberry sauce, canned ham, stuffing mix, instant potatoes and more. Frozen turkeys are also being accepted. (floridapolitics.com)
Veterans Day deals at businesses around town: There are number of deals today for veterans to enjoy at local restaurants, museums, and businesses. Veterans Day is observed every year on Nov. 11 to honor current and former members of the U.S. military. Veterans can enjoy free admission on the Pirate Water Taxi from Nov. 10 – 12. Taziki’s Mediterranean Café is offering free grilled chicken gyros with a choice of side and chips today, Nov. 11, for all veterans with military ID. Hooters is giving veterans and active military members free meal option today, Nov. 11, at all participating locations. Oak and Stone in St. Pete is giving Veterans free pizza with military ID. (wtsp.com, baynews9.com, tampabay.com)
New advisory council in historic Black district seeks applicants: St. Petersburg is seeking applicants for a new Community Benefits Advisory Council (CBAC) to review the Historic Gas Plant Redevelopment Project. Locals have criticized the leaders in the historic Black district for not creating enough affordable housing when paving the way for the Tropicana Field and are demanding a seat at the table as St. Petersburg and Pinellas County negotiate with the Tampa Bay Rays for a new stadium funded by taxpayers. (cltampa.com)
Happening today:
River Tower Festival at River Tower Park. (all day)
November's Second Saturday ArtWalk: Meet the Artist at Woodson African American Museum of Florida. (5 p.m.)
David Downing at The Left Bank Bistro. (6:30 p.m.)
Tesseract at The Orpheum. (6:30 p.m.)
Emo Night at the Movies! at Screen Door Cinema. (7 p.m.)
Michael Vahl x Haya presents “Haya Artistry: Portraits of the Bay” at Hotel Haya. (7 p.m.)
Tampa’s BIGGEST ’90s + Y2K Party (Saved By The Ball 2023) at The RITZ Ybor. (11 p.m.)
Giveaway:
I have two tickets to give away for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 concert on Nov. 26. The two tickets are worth a combined $189 value. To enter, you must be signed up for this newsletter and I will also give away more entries to people who invite others to subscribe to Tampa Today News. I will draw a winner on Nov. 15. Simply click this button below to refer a friend and make sure you are signed-up as well:
You can also gain more entries by entering the contest on social media:
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If you have a news tip, I am all ears. My e-mail is carlosreportsnews@gmail.com.
That’s all I have for today. See you tomorrow and thank you to our veterans!
-Carlos Hernandez