🙋 Students in-action

• Students of all ages collected 7,000+ lbs of trash, hurricane debris, and invasive vegetation from McKay Bay Nature Park while learning about the impact of invasive species on the native ecosystem.
• Middle schoolers installed raised garden beds to provide their school with fresh herbs, veggies, and fruits to be used in a culinary arts program.
• High schoolers presented a safe driving campaign to 500 of their peers.
• Elementary school students taught fourth and fifth graders about the importance of mental health + provided management strategies.

🏫 Bring Learn and Serve to your school

• Connect with the school about academic standards + conduct training
• Help students and teachers plan and implement the service project
• Provide or connect funding and other services needed for the activities
• Guide reflection, results documentation, and demonstration opportunities

• Rays vs. Tigers | Wednesday, April 24 | 6:50 p.m. | Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Dr., St. Petersburg | $10+ | Watch the Rays take on the Motor City team before they hit the road.
• Movie on the Lawn: “Barbie” | Wednesday, April 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave., Tampa | Free | Catch a special showing of Greta Gerwig’s modern masterpiece by the Hillsborough River — arrive early to save your spot.

• Playoff Hockey Watch Party | Thursday, April 25 | 7-11 p.m. | Top Shelf Sports, 401 E. Jackson St., Ste. 101, Tampa | Free entry | The Stanley Cup Playoffs are back in the Cigar City — show your support downtown for Game 3.
• 2024 Bucs Draft Party | Thursday, April 25 | 8 p.m. | Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa | $15 | The wait is over — join fellow Bucs fans to watch the NFL Draft unfold, parking opens at 6 p.m.

• Watercolor Art Class | Friday, April 26 | 12:30-3 p.m. | Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Dr. NE, St. Petersburg | $48 | Paint your own pelican art piece guided by illustrator and artist Kelly Quinn.
• Pickin’ in the Park | Friday, April 26 | 6:30-8:15 p.m. | Folly Farm Nature Preserve, 1562 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., Safety Harbor | Free entry | Bring a chair or blanket to start your weekend with some live bluegrass, country music, and local eats.
• Andrés Cepeda: “Tengo Ganas Tour” | Friday, April 26 | 8 p.m. | The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. MacInnes Pl., Tampa | $41+ | Join the Grammy winner for a night of tunes alongside special guest Alejandro Santamaría.
  

• ~$150 million. That’s the rumored upcoming sale price of 100 North Tampa — a 42-story building in Downtown Tampa you may recognize by its Regions Bank signage. TBBJ Sources say the building is close to a sale. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

• Celebrate St. Pete fave Flatbread & Butter’s soft opening at its new Downtown Tampa location this week. The cafe at 101 W. Tyler St. has a full coffee bar menu in place + pastry offerings. The new location is opening 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. every day during the first phase of business operations.

• Tijuana Flats has closed three Tampa Bay area locations amid the chain’s recent bankruptcy filings. The Florida-based company has shut its Tex-Mex spots in South Tampa, New Tampa, and Westchase. Never fear, flauta fans — a number of TBAY locations remain open. (Creative Loafing Tampa Bay)

• What in carnation? A combined florist shop and wine bar is coming to St. Pete’s Grand Central District. Pistil House is set to open its aromatic doors this summer at 2533 1st Ave. S., and will focus on single-stem flowers, imported wines, cups of coffee, and light bites. (St. Pete Rising)

• Norwegian-Asian fusion restaurant Lingr is closing its doors. The spot at 400 6th St. S. has served creative fare to St. Pete locals for the past three years, with Executive Chef Jeffrey Jew saying it’s time to put his family + health first. The last day of service is this Saturday, April 27. (I Love the Burg)

• The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club is hosting an open house this Sunday, April 28. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with shuffleboard + history lessons available, plus open play, food for sale, and a bounce house.

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) just gave a helping hand to MacDill Air Force Base. FWC officials removed a large alligator from the base’s runway earlier this week. MacDill posted footage of the mission on social media, which landed the gator a more suitable home in the Hillsborough River.

• Relive the Rays’ trip to the Bronx. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews and more from local experts of the Tampa Bay Rays with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

• It seems we should have held our horses in our excitement over upcoming Derby parties yesterday. The Kentucky Derby takes place in Louisville, Kentucky not Lexington.

• Tampa ranked No. 3 in the report, meaning it was the third-fastest city to double its average home price. Homes are twice as expensive in the Cigar City as they were six years ago, with the average now sitting at $430,000, according to TBBJ. That amount could land you a charming spot in the Heights like this one.
• Across the Gandy Bridge, St. Pete is not far behind, ranking No. 8 in the US with a 6.6-year doubling time span. The Burg’s average price is slightly lower, with the average home coming in at $376,000. That’s enough for a spot like this Disston Heights home.