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Community Corner

Get Out: Weekend Events Preview Dec. 16-18

We know at least SOME of you have finished your holiday shopping. Here's a few suggestions of things to do, now that you have your weekend back.

Where/When: 200 to 300 block of E Twiggs St., downtown, today, 10 a.m.

Why go: Located from the 200 block to 300 block of Twiggs Street, the Tampa Downtown Market offers fresh, high-quality food from local farmers and gourmet products from local artisans. The market appears every Friday from October to May, weather permitting.

Price: FREE

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Where/When: 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, today, 4 p.m.

Why go: The Tampa Museum of Art presents free admission on Fridays from 4pm to 8pm. Or do you just hate to save money?

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

Price: Uh, FREE!

Where/When: Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W Sligh Ave., today, 7 p.m.

Why go: Light up your holidays at the zoo with wondrous animated displays, dazzling decorations, traditional holiday treats from the zoo's "Sweet Shoppe," Santa himself -- and real reindeer!

Price: $11-$13

Where/When: StageWorks Theatre, 1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Suite 151, today, 8 p.m.

Why go: StageWorks Theatre presents David Hare's "The Blue Room," a contemporary riff on the once-banned play "La Ronde." One man and one woman portray all ten partners in a series of sexual liaisons. Contains adult language and nudity.

Price: $24.50; $10 for students, seniors and military personnel.

Where/When: , 7921 N Armenia Ave., today, 10 p.m.

Why go:  Mustard Face is a series of short pieces created by cast members. This week's show features gun play, toddlers, condiments, casual encounters and more. To make reservations, call 813-933-7803 or e-mail asylumtheater@gmail.com

Price: $5

Where/When: , 5800 N Central Ave., Saturday, 8:30 a.m.

Why go: The club requires helmets be worn on all rides and please check that your bike is in good riding condition - tires properly inflated, brakes working well.

Long Ride - Intermediate and Advanced

On the third Saturday of each month, this ride leaves promptly at :30am from the Seminole Heights Garden Center. It's a wonderful ride through neighborhoods, waterfronts and urban areas with various terrain.

There are two groups:

Intermediate: This is a moderately-paced ride, between 10-14 mph. The distance is around 18 miles. The club makes its way to Davis Islands, does its perimeter, and stops at a coffee shop on the island before heading back through Central Tampa. The is a very scenic ride and varies from leisurely to the opportunity to practice (or learn) urban riding skills. The ride leader will pace the ride according to the level of riders present on each ride.

Advanced: This group is for the slightly more advanced rider, keeps a faster pace around 16-20 mph with no scheduled stops, and covers about 25-30 miles.

Price: FREE

Where/When: Chester H. Ferguson Law Center, 1610 N Tampa St., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Why go: The Lawyers Autism Awareness Foundation presents this event designed to allow special-needs cildren to visit with Santa individually in a space free of the distractions that can cause them anxiety. Expect natural lighting, low noise, trained volunteers and appointed blocks of time.

The visit includes a complimentary photo with Santa.

Please register children at http://­www.­thelaaf.­org/­Senso­ry_Friendly­_Events.­html to minimize waiting time.

Price: FREE

Where/When: , 1101 W Sligh Ave., Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Why go:

The zoo offers to lend harried parents a hand during the holidays by taking children ages 3 to 12 hiking through the zoo, visiting live reindeer, making holiday crafts, and snacking on cookies and cocoa.

Children must be potty trained and bring a snack and lunch. Space is limited, so register at http://­www.­lowry­parkzoo.­com.

Price: $30 for one child, $10 for each additional child.

Where/When: Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Drive, Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m.

Why go: The Hillsborough River won't be freezing over any time soon. Enjoy Tampa's only outdoor ice skating rink through Jan. 1. Admission includes skates and 90 minutes on the ice. Open seven days a week.

Price: $10

Where/When: Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Dr., Saturday, 10 a.m.

Why go: This annual benefit for Feeding America of Tampa Bay and its Kid's Cafe program makes quite a splash!

Adopting a rubber duck for just $5 will help provide meals for a child after school for a week or provide a family with a weekend bag of food.

Then watch your duck set sail: Last year, more than 20,000 duckies floated down the Garrison Channel in the derby (the ducks wanted a change of scenery this year and will migrate to the ice rink in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park).

Those who adopt one duck or more will have the chance to win prizes such as a Sony TV, a Toshiba laptop, Tampa Bay Lightning Luxury Suite Tickets, and more.

Price: $5

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