This day-long event features performances and competitions by team bands and cheerleaders as well as a pre-football meeting of the players and coaches who will be facing each other in the New Year's Day bowl game. This beachside pep rally is held at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort. For more information, call 727-461-3222.

Get out your caps, kerchiefs, sugarplums and stockings as American Stage brings this unforgettable poem to life. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. For more information, call 727-823-7529.

The Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History presents the Contemporary LongRifles and Accoutrements exhibit. it features rifles donated by Fred Riley of Tampa. For more information, call 727-726-1668.

This month-long festival of beautiful decorations, choirs of carolers, holiday entertainment, a large Christmas parade and more is a tradition in downtown St. Petersburg. For more information, call 727-821-6164.

Artist Antonio Caparello's work will be on display at the Merrick Gallery. For more information, call 727-896-2787.

The Gulf beaches and attractions host a week-long series of events preceding the game including the Bowl Beach Day. For more information, call 727-461-2222.

The Museum of Fine Arts presents this exhibition featuring a self-portrait of a community that is a growing part of our nation's heritage. The exhibition's 120 photographs by 30 of the nation's top photojournalists explore the breadth and variety of the American Latino experience. Organized into thematic groupings of family, children and youth, labor, community, and the arts, Americanos presents a striking assemblage of images exploring differences within this dynamic community. For more information, call 727-896-2667.

This exhibit features major works that entered the collection during Michael Milkovich's nearly 20 years as the Museum of Fine Art's Director. Mr. Milkovich recently retired and now holds the title of Director Emeritus. The exhibit includes approximately 75 works, including antiquities, European and American paintings and decorative arts. For more information, call 727-896-2667.

Throughout the holiday season, the museum will showcase various collections, including model trains, toys, dolls, teddy bears, etc. A must-see stop on your family holiday calendar. For more information, call 727-822-3693.

Internationally renowned sculpture John Henry exhibits a new monumental sculpture installation in the Courtyard Sculpture Garden. Wandering Spirits stands as the sole piece in the exhibition. For more information, call 727-518-6833.

"Superheroes" is the theme forthis inaugural exhibit fo the 2001-2002 Word and Image series. Pinellas County elementary school students from grades 3-5 portray real or fictional heroes through visual art combined with the written word. For more information, call 727-822-7872.

This exhibition explores the MADI movement that originated in Argentina in the late 1940s and migrated to Europe with master painter Carmelo Arden Quin. Quin and Volf Roitman founded the MADI Research Study Center in Paris in the early 1950s. Focusing on geometric and abstract forms, the movement's aesthetic is expressed through paintings, sculptures, books and other objects expressing colorful free forms and shapes that are not only playful, but move outside a single dimension and into three-dimensional spaces. For more information, call 727-518-6833.

Andrew Morgan is a wonderful colorist who primarily explores themes related to the landscape and still-life genre. A former President and Dean of the faculty of Kansas City Art Institute and for many years Professor and Chairman of the Art Department at the University of Miami, Morgan explores these traditional themes with a unique insight and sensitivity. For more information, call 727-518-6833.

The Salvador Dali Museum presents this collection of 25 paintings by surrealist Jacqueline Lamba (1910-1993). Lamba, the wife of surrealist Andre Breton, began working as a surrealist in the 1940s. The exhibit was organized by Mills College, California, and guest curated by Salomon Grimberg. For more information, call 727-823-3767.

Explore the powerful images the Holocaust engraved into mankind. This exhibit is on special loan to the Holocaust Museum. For more information, call 727-820-0100.

The Florida Holocaust Museum features the works of Ella Liebermann-Shiber. This exhibit contains etchings that bear witness to the Holocaust; a testimony of her past. For more information, call 727-820-0100.

Photographer Marlyn Cheses shares her reactions to her travels throughout Europe through her photographs of Holocaust sites. For more information, call 727-820-0100.

The indomitable spirits of 120 St. Petersburg/Clearwater area Holocaust survivors have been encapsulated within photographs reflecting upon fragments of theirs pasts for future generations. Toronto freelance photographer Jason Schwartz captured the expressions of memories of Holocaust survivors for this exhibit at the Florida Holocaust Museum. The stark black and white images are reflections of time and history. Each image contains a carefully worded and handwritten statement by the Survivor. For more information, call 727-820-0100.

The Florida International Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, features this collection of historical and personal artifacts associated with the U-2 incident of May 1960 in which Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union while flying for the CIA in a U-2 spy plane. These artifacts are on loan from the Cold War Museum and Francis Gary Powers, Jr. and include a piece of Powers’ U-2 plane, personal correspondence from prison, and items associated with the U-2 program. The U-2 Incident exhibit has been displayed internationally and this showing will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Power’s release from prison, which took place on February 10, 1962. The museum also features an exhibit on the Cuban Missle Crisis and a permanent collection of John F. Kennedy memorabilia. For more information, call 727-822-3693.

The St. Petersburg Museum of History celebrates the 40th anniversary of its sister-city relationship with Takamatsu, Japan. The exhibit showcases the history of the partnership and provides information about life in Takamatsu. From the Japanese garden to the recreation of an udon noodle shop, this exhibit highlights the parallels between the two cities. For more information, call 727-894-1052.

Modeled after successful public art exhibits in Chicago, New York, New Orleans and Cincinnati, The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is sponsoring this festival honoring area artists and endangered species. The project features the endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle as its theme icon. Nearly 100 six-foot sea turtle statues will be on display throughout the region. In April, all turtles will be auctioned off with portions of the proceeds going to area non-profit organizations. Artists range from Peter Max to Sunset Sam, the Aquarium's painting dolphin. One sea turtle statue has been painted to resemble an American flag. The beneficiaries of the auction will be families of the firefighters and police of New York City who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks, and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. For more information, call 727-461-5799.

The Dunedin Historical Museum presents this exhibit featuring artifacts from World War II. Dunedin was primarily a rural area during the War, but residents made considerable contributions. This exhibit highlights some of the inventions that took place during the War. For more information, call 727-736-1176.

The Florida International Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, now features temporary exhibits in addition to its permanent collection of John F. Kennedy memorabilia. When The Cold War Got Hot gives visitors a feel of how close the world came to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The exhibit features re-creations of a fallout shelter, 35-foot Soviet missile and props from the new Kevin Costner film Thirteen Days. For more information, call 727-822-3693.

The Gulfport Casino Ballroom hosts live music for social and ballroom dancing performed by the Sig Harder Orchestra every Sunday evening. Admission is $6. For more information, call (727) 893-1070.

It's Our Nature guides a Nature Awareness Walk with Bird Watching through Honeymoon Island Recreation Area every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Duration is 2 hours. In addition to the state park fee, cost is $10 per person and $6 per child. For more information, call 727-441-2599.

Gulfport showcases the galleries and shops that make up its ArtVillage. Guests can browse and enjoy a festive evening featuring art, music and more in this pedestrian-friendly historic district. More than 40 galleries, studios, boutiques and restaurants are featured in this monthly event from 6-10 p.m. Most shops serve free treats and refreshments. For more information, call 727-321-7741.

St. Petersburg closes its main street for a street party on Central Avenue and Third Street in the heart of downtown. This block party features free live music from 5:30 to 10 p.m. For more information, call 727-895-0051.

Gulfport showcases the galleries and shops that make up its ArtVillage. Guests can visit the many wonderful shops that feature original paintings, pottery, handmade jewelry, wearable art, sculptures, hand blown glass, collectibles and much more at this village gathering. Gulfport's Art Village features shops, restaurants, cafes and nightspots on Beach Blvd. The stroll runs 6-10 p.m. For more information, call 727-321-0830.