On the radar

By Times Staff Writer
Published February 11, 2008

CLEARWATER

A weekend of Italian food, music and fun

Stomp a few grapes at Coachman Park during the fifth annual San Gennaro Festa from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. A $4 donation is suggested. The San Gennaro Festa celebrates Italian culture through food, family activities, artisans, music and a procession to celebrate the patron saint of Naples, San Gennaro. This year's entertainment includes the Tarantella Dancers, an opera performance and more. Coachman Park is at 301 Drew St. in downtown Clearwater. For information, visit www.sangennarofesta.com or www.myclearwater.com, or call (727) 562-4700.

ST. PETERSBURG

It's a free dance for Valentine's Day

Looking for an economical way to spend Valentine's Day with your sweetheart? It doesn't get better than free. An "Oldies but Goodies" dance is planned for noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Pier, 800 Second Ave. NE. Entertainment from the Downtowners. Information: www.stpetepier.com or (727) 631-6443.

TAMPA

Explore wonders of engineering

Electric cars, robots, chemical magic, laser lights and a glimpse of a nanotechnology lab are among the draws at the 35th annual Engineering Expo, which begins Friday at the University of South Florida. Admission is free. The expo, which celebrates National Engineers Week, runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Information: expo.eng.usf.edu.

Tampabay.com

People are talking about . . .

Reader reactions from blogs.tampabay.com.

St. Pete Council broke its word

(TroxBlog, Feb. 7)

After months of saying that the "number one" priority in the land-use ordinance would be protecting Al Lang Field, the council passed an ordinance without it.

Naturalbill wrote: "Why oh why do we need more 'visioning' on this since it has been concluded the people want waterfront protection as parks? But then again, what difference does the opinion of the people matter to council?"

What's the beef?

(The Gradebook, Feb. 5)

Schools aren't serving beef while the feds investigate a slaughterhouse that supplies the school lunch program.

Trish wrote: "I think if consumers knew about the inhumane and cruel treatment of farm animals, many of them would quit eating meat all together."

Foodman wrote: "I think if consumers knew about the inhumane and cruel treatment of migrant farm workers, they would eat nothing but meat."

[Last modified February 10, 2008, 23:09:33]