Florida Strawberry Festival

The Florida Strawberry Festival is starting today at 10:00am in Plant City. This festival is 11 days long (March 9th is the last day). This annual festival was started in 1930 by the Plant City Lions Club and it now ranks among the Top 40 Fairs in North America. What can you see at the fair? Here are some of the attractions:

• live concerts
• Lambs, swine, dairy, poultry, rabbits, and steer exhibits, shows and contests
• new plant show
• handmade crafts
• photography contest
• East Hillsborough Art Guild Show
• eating contests (such as the Strawberry Shortcake eating contest)
• fair food, and lots of strawberry shortcake!

303 N. Lemon St. 
Plant City, FL
Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids

Florida Blue Senior Citizens Days : 
Thurs, Feb 27th and Thursday March 6th 
Patrons 60 years and older get $2.00 off the gate admission of $10.00 

Here is a link to the online brochure.  You can find even more information on the Florida Strawberry Festival website. 

The Jan/Feb Issue of the Elder Update is available

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs publishes a bimonthly newsletter, the "Elder Update", for Florida Seniors. The current issue includes articles about:

• Retirement Financial Planning
• Property Tax Benefits for People Age 65 and Older
• Home Safety Tips
• How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
• The Elderly Mortgage assistance Program

You can download the current issue here. Alternatively, you can sign up for a print subscription here.

Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas' 40th Anniversary Luncheon

The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Inc. (AAAPP), a 501(c) 3 non-profit, serving the Pasco and Pinellas counties will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary as an Area Agency on Aging this year. With a mission of advocating, educating and serving seniors and their caregivers in partnership with the community, the AAAPP has a diverse and experienced Board of Directors, Advisory Council, staff and volunteers to support the agency.  

Over the 40 years, the AAAPP has expanded the service delivery system and improved access to information for all persons seeking long-term support in Pasco and Pinellas counties. The 40th Anniversary theme is “Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Shaping the Future” and will be celebrated by a luncheon at:

Friday, April 4th at 11:00am

Ruth Eckerd Hall

1111 N. McMullen Booth Road

Clearwater, FL

The doors open at 11:00 AM with an Exhibitor Showcase followed by the Luncheon and Program at 12:00 PM. The program will include Jack Harris, WFLA 970, as the Master of Ceremonies; the Palm Harbor Fire Rescue Honor Guards conducting the Presentation of Colors; music by The Old Smoothies Barbershop Quartet and dancing by The Silver Follies; and special recognition of Congressman Gus Bilirakis and Representative Will Weatherford.

Tickets to the event are $50 per person and RSVPs are needed by March 24th. Limited sponsorships and advertising opportunities are available. Contact Helen King, 727-570-9696, ext. 210; email her at Helen.king at aaapp.org; or log onto http://www.agingcarefl.org/annual-luncheon/ for additional information.

World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day was February 4th. It was created to promote general knowledge about cancer. This year's theme was "reduce stigma and dispel myths about cancer, with the tagline: Debunk the Myths". Here are the myths that should be dispelled:

You can learn more about the truth by clicking on these factsheets and this information from the National Cancer Institute. Below is a video about World Cancer Day:

Florida State Fair 2014

The theme for this year's Florida State Fair is "1st Place for Fun" and the fair runs from February 6th through February 17th. This 110th Florida State Fair is the first state fair of the year in the country.  The old favorites are back - learn about Florida history in "Cracker Country", watch the livestock shows and horse shows, and get new craft ideas at the Arts and Crafts Showcase. In addition, there are many free special attractions and daily shows, including:

• Florida Cattlemen’s Exhibit
• Florida's Learning Garden
• Concerts and Entertainment
• Mounted Police Training and Demo
• NockAir FMX Flying Motorcycle Extreme Show

By clicking on a particular day in the events calendar, you can see a list of fair events for that day.  Although some concert events require an additional charge for tickets, there are over 110 free things to do at the fair. The gates open at 9 am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and at 10 am the rest of the week. The admission cost is lower for Seniors on "Senior Days" (see below).

Senior Days

February 10th-13th

55+ Gate Admission $9.00

Advance Tickets $7.00

You can get directions to the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa here. 

Upcoming Snowbird Extravaganza

The Snowbird Extravaganza is a mature lifestyles event with hundreds of exhibits, keynote speakers, and live entertainment. The event is free, but the parking is $7.00. It will be held:

 Tues, January 28th and Wed, January 29th
9:00 am to 4:30 pm 
The Lakeland Center
701 W. Lime St
Lakeland, FL 33815

For more information, click here or call 1-800-265-3200.

Lifestyles After 50 Fun Fest

The Lifestyles After 50 Fun Fest will be held on Thursday, January 23rd at the Florida State Fairgrounds from 10:00am - 3:00pm. Admission is free, but parking is $3.00. The event will feature:

• Free Health Screenings
• Live Music
• Sports Center
• Free coffee and goodies
• Free bingo and giveaways

            Florida State Fairgrounds           
             Martin Luther King entrance 
             Tampa, FL 33771
             813-653-1988 or 1-888-670-0040

For more information, you can click here for the event flier. You can click here for directions or call 813-621-7821.