The DeSoto Heritage Festival Grand Parade is one of the largest of its kind in the South and a longstanding tradition in Bradenton. More than 150 entries featuring floats, high school marching bands, dancers and other colorful characters marched through the streets of Bradenton last Saturday for the 72nd year.

Calling prescription drugs the “drug of choice” for youth ages 12 to 17, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said it is time to reverse the state’s status as “the epicenter for drug abuse in the country.” Bondi spoke in the Greater Brandon community of Valrico on April 30 to lend support to a nationwide movement to rid homes of  unused or expired medication. More than 4,700 sites signed up for the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Locally, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office sponsored collection sites at the Sweetbay …

In an attempt to raise $150,000 for the families of the fallen St. Petersburg Police officers, Jim Surrett, general manager at Lokey Automotive, is living on the roof of the car dealership for the month of April.

The children of Bradenton were treated to a visit from the Easter Bunny at the 17th annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday at G.T. Bray park. This longtime local tradition, hosted by Manatee County Parks and Recreation in conjunction with the DeSoto Heritage Festival, included a search for 36,000 colorful eggs, plus carnival games, bounce houses and slides, face painting and concessions.

Christie Bruner runs Baby Boot Camp in St. Petersburg. She leads new moms, with babies in strollers, through rigorous exercises along the scenic  St. Petersburg waterfront.

Children aged 3 to 5 years old competed in Hillsborough County’s 28th Annual Tiny Tot Olympics in Tampa recently. About 200 participants competed in events including the basketball toss, bean bag toss, bucket relay, football throw, hula hoop relay, obstacle course, parachute games, sack race and soccer dribble. Scores are not kept and all participants receive ribbons.  Tiny Tots is a social and recreation program that helps children aged 3 to 5 prepare for pre-school.

We The Kings, the platinum-selling, power-pop band from Bradenton with a growing legion of followers, returned to its hometown last week for a good cause.The Kings — who take their name from Bradenton's King Middle School — joined five other bands for theRock Out For a Cause concert last Friday at Lakewood Ranch High School. The event was hosted by theLakewood Ranch International Key Club and Taking Back Lives, a Bradenton-based charity organization who raises money to provide educational opportunities for underprivileged youth in Malawi, Africa. Other local charities took part in the …

Common Ground Christian Church in Seminole Heights is home to a new community garden created in conjunction with Urban Farming, a national non-profit organization, and Kraft Foods.  Urban Farming got its start in Detroit in 2005 and has now planted 800 gardens in 29 states. The purpose of the organization is to transform vacant urban spaces into a source of fresh food for the surrounding community. The church will partner with local food banks and homeless shelters to deliver the produce to hungry people. Tuesday's ground breaking was simulcast to the web along with the creation of 14 other …

In an effort to join the battle against childhood cancer, local Palm Harbor resident, Harrison Godwin, hosted an Alex’s Lemonade Stand at the FishHawk Community Garage Sale from 8 a.m. to noon April 9 in Lithia.  Harrison was inspired to get involved with the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation after hearing about the story of Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who died of cancer.  Harrison is doing a community service project for his Gifted Program at school called Helping Hands. Harrison chose Alex’s Lemonade Stand because he felt it was a great way to give back to kids with cancer.

The Dunedin Military Tattoo, the city’s premier annual Scottish pipe and drum event, kicked off a week of festivities leading up to its main event— the 45th annual Dunedin Highland Games. April 2 to 9 marks the city’s Highland Games Week, which is celebrated annually around International Tartan Day, a worldwide celebration of Scottish tradition. Dunedin, a quaint coastal town situated north of Clearwater on St. Joseph Sound, takes pride in its rich cultural heritage. Scots settled the city, named for Scotland’s capital of Edinbugh, during the 1800s, and it has preserved its cultural identity …

The purple warning flags are flying early as stingray season has started. Already two people have been stung since March 16 and more victims are likely as the stingrays continue to migrate said Chris Lang, interim director for beach patrol. “There are more people at the beach right now and the weather is warmer than it has been the past few years,” Lang said. Typically stingray season is from May until August. The only remedy is heat, Lang said. Check out this story for more.