Weekend Events in Greater Brandon: Relays For Life, Biz Fests & More

Events: April 14

• The Greater Brandon Relay For Life kicks off 2 p.m. April 14 at the football field and track at . Thirty-six teams, with a collective 323 participants, are set to participate in the overnight fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and its push to rid the world of cancer. This year's theme: "Lights, Camera, Action for a Cure.”

• The Bloomingdale Relay For Life kicks off 6 p.m. April 13 at the football field and track at Bloomingale High School. Forty-nine teams, with a collective 714 participants, are set to participate in the overnight fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and its push to rid the world of cancer. Also this weekend, the Relay For Life of SouthShore East, this year at Lennard High School, kicking off at noon on April 14. Thirty-nine teams, with 711 participants, have signed on, according to the Relay’s Web site.

• A pancake breakfast at the , at 818 N. Parsons Ave., is from 7 a.m. to noon, with a pancake eating contest at 10:30 a.m. Cost for the breakfast, pancakes "and all the fixings," is $5; cost to enter the contest, $10. Food is provided by the . Proceeds benefit the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) and the New Horizons Group Home.

• The Rotary Club of Tampa East and Sabal Park Chamber of Commerce together will host the Tampa East Spring Fest from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 14 at the Southwest Florida College Campus in the Greater Brandon area of Tampa. The address is 3910 Riga Blvd. Car show, food trucks, boats, bounce houses and games. Admission is free and proceeds raised will beneft local charities, including Rotary's Camp Florida in Brandon and the Ronald McDonald House initiative. The event is sponsored by Southwest Florida College. Sam's Club ACHAFR. and Gopher Resource.

• The Brandon Lions Club is hosting the Brandon Lions Annual Garage Sale 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14 at the Brandon Lions Club House, 610 Limona St. in Brandon (north of Brandon Boulevard/State Road 60). Funds from the sale will help pay for repairs to the clubhouse building, built in 1928 and a part of the National Register of Historic Places. The Brandon Lions Club has been serving the area since 1954. The groups supplies eye exams and eyeglasses to people in economic need and supports Southeast Guide Dog, the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO), local school projects, community improvements and many other projects. More information on the Brandon Lions Club community service and projects is available on Brandon Lions Club website and on the Brandon Lions Blog.

• Home-grown Olympian swimmers will be at the on April 14 for a summer camp open house sign-up, food truck rally, water-safety awareness program, demonstration lessons and a no-cost community swim. The Summer Camp and April Pool’s Day Open House is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with triple Olympic gold medalist Brooke Bennett and Maritza Correia, a silver medalist, scheduled to sign autographs from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Both Bennett and Correia as youngsters took swimming lessons at BSAC. Correia's brother, Justin, is the . Community members at the April 14 open house can swim for free at BSAC through 5 p.m. The registration fee for summer camp will be waived during the open house. The day’s events feature as well demonstration lessons in tennis, martial arts and gymnastics. Scheduled to be in attendance at the food truck rally are Mister Empanada, Foodeez Mobile and Formaggio's Pizza.

• The Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce is set to host Spring Fest 2012 at Riverview High School from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 14. The high school is at 11311 Boyette Road. Including with this year's festival, a High Rollers car show and, for the kids, a play area with inflatables, games, face painting, pony rides and more. High school performers and merchandise vendors, live music and and martial arts and dance demonstrations and shows. Admision and parking are free.

• Culinary students from Durant and Tampa Bay Tech high schools will faceoff at Rolling Pin’s first High School Iron Chef on April 14 at 1 p.m. "Watch the students work their magic whipping up dishes using the themed ingredient and impressing the judges with their presentation, taste and use of themed ingredient," notes an event announcement from the . The Brandon store will donate 5 percent of all store sales from school supporters purchases to each culinary Program. Additionally, net proceeds of the event will go to benefit each school's culinary program. All registered observers will collectively have input into the People's Choice portion of the scores.