WEDU hosts a number of special events – from Barney and Big Bird to black tie, book signings to backstage parties, whether it’s a PBS Character event – or an event where you can be a character – join us as we educate, inspire and entertain you throughout the year.
We invite you to celebrate the art, culture and most fashionable trends of today, to current affairs, education and the support of our community through special events and outreach programs.
Upcoming Events
Click on an event for more information.
August 23rd (Tampa) 2008
Speaking of Women's Health
A place of warmth, friendship and unparalleled camaraderie. Women who learn together, grow together. WEDU has partnered with the national Speaking of Women's Health Foundation to help women in west central Florida be strong, be healthy and be in charge.
Tampa
Sarasota
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Be More Effective Workshop
Join us for the third annual WEDU Be More Effective Workshop™
on September 17, 2008 at the Pepin Hospitality House. A continuation
of the nationally-recognized WEDU Be Awards™ program, this
informative daylong free-of-charge workshop will cover several key
issues that currently affect non-profits today. This workshop fills up
quickly, so make your reservations early!
October 30, 2008 - 6:00 – 8:00 pm
To Live Forever—Egyptian Treasures Reception
Ringling Museum of Art—Sarasota
Ticket Price: $65 per person; $120 per couple
Join WEDU for a rare opportunity to view precious treasures from one of history’s most intriguing civilizations—the ancient Egyptians and explore the ways in which they approached death and the afterlife during this reception highlighting the exhibition To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum. This exclusive event will allow you to explore galleries filled with more than 100 artifacts from the Brooklyn Museum’s world-renowned collections of ancient Egyptian art – including mummies, coffins, stone sculpture, gold jewelry, precious amulets, sacred vessels and other precious treasures from one of history’s most intriguing civilizations, inviting all to encounter the ways in which the Egyptians approached the most momentous and mysterious of events, death. For the first time, The Ringling Museum is providing WEDU supporters private access to collections: Cocktails, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and light entertainment will complement this once-in-a lifetime experience.
Friday November 21st 2008
America's Test Kitchen Event
As you begin to prepare for the holidays, it’s always a good idea to get tips and tricks from the experts. Join WEDU as we bring our programming to life with Jack Bishop, tasting lab expert on public television's hit show America's Test Kitchen and new series Cook's Country. This special event will get you ready for baking this season.
You’ll have the chance to sample the test kitchen's three favorite holiday cookies; learn which baking gear the test kitchen's experts recommend—and why; participate in a blind taste-test of premium dark chocolates and receive the test kitchen's holiday gift giving guide to top-rated kitchen equipment and gourmet foods. Set in a professional culinary school, this event is a unique opportunity to get ready for the hectic season ahead.
January 15, 2009
WEDU's Be More AwardsTM
A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa
Celebrate the unsung heroes of our community Luncheon and Awards Ceremony
Announcing the winners of the WEDU Be More Awards™ and the Non-Profit Organization of the Year
February 2009
SojournTM
Now in its fourth year, Sojourn™ is an internationally-themed wine-paired dinner gala that celebrates the culture, music, and cuisine of specific wine-producing regions of the world. Deemed by the media as the “party of the year,” Sojourn™ is immersed in international culture. The reception features the art, dance and music of another world, complemented with a wine tasting and accompanied by sumptuous gourmet morsels. A sit down, wine-paired dinner follows and features indigenous foods prepared by renowned chefs and paired with some of the best wines the region produces. After dinner, guests can bid on lavish vacation getaways and collectibles during an exciting live auction, followed by fine desserts and dancing to the rhythms of live main stage entertainment.
Recent Past Events
May 10, 2008
A Golden Opportunity
7 – 10 p.m.
Tickets: $50 individual; $90 per couple
Freedom Plaza, Sun City Center (Brookdale Senior Living)
1010 American Eagle Blvd.
Sun City Center, FL 33573
www.BrookdaleLiving.com
Join WEDU at Sun City Center's Freedom Plaza as we celebrate 50 years of public broadcasting excellence. This elegant evening will commemorate the station's Golden Anniversary as well as look toward our exciting transition into the world of digital and multimedia technology. Dance to the rhythms of the Paramount Swing Orchestra, enjoy sumptuous morsels and raise your glass to toast WEDU - your primary PBS station - as it honors this incredible milestone and looks toward the next 50 years. This is a Golden Opportunity not to be missed!
Reservations include complimentary valet and full bar services. For more information, please call 813-254-9338 ext. 2241
March 26, 2008 - Read more about this past event
Cosmic Quandaries with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
An
out of this world event, Cosmic Quandaries, held at The Palladium in St. Petersburg at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26th drew in an audience of nearly 800! With a one in a million chance of meeting one of only 6,000 astrophysicists in the world, audience members were lined up in order to have the opportunity to ask Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson a question on any and all galactic wonders they may have.
Filling The Palladium from the balcony down, Dr. Tyson had the audience falling out of their seats in laughter with his witty take on extraterrestrial visitors, science fiction media and his encounters with Hollywood movie-producers who “get the sky wrong.” With mesmerized admiration, the audience listened intently, hanging on every work Dr. Tyson delivered on cosmic quandaries ranging from black holes to dark matter.
With a comfortable atmosphere and a high demand of interest in speaking with the “sexiest astrophysicist alive” – Cosmic Quandaries would have went through the night; however the event with time elapsing as quickly as a shooting star, the event concluded just past 9 p.m.; however with time elapsing as quickly as a shooting star, the event concluded just past 9 p.m.
For more than three decades, NOVA has been unrivaled in bringing authoritative, innovative, and entertaining science documentaries to TV. Now the same award-winning producers have teamed up with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of the series, to cover the timeliest developments and intriguing personalities in science and technology today. Presenting multiple stories in a magazine format reported by a diverse team of correspondents in the field, NOVA scienceNOW airs five times a year in the NOVA time slot, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on WEDU.
Respected scientist, author, and director of the Hayden Planetarium in the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the world’s most popular lecturers on astronomy. Tyson was appointed the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in 1995. Tyson has also received recognition as one of the
Most Influential People on TIME magazine’s TOP 100 list; and the Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive by PEOPLE magazine. Tyson’s most recent book,
Death by Black Hole and other Cosmic Quandaries, complements his quest for all things cosmic and follows his others including
Just Visiting the Planet, a Q&A on the universe for all ages, and his memoir,
The Sky Is Not The Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist. Tyson studied physics at Harvard University before receiving his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University.
Underwritten in part by:
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For more information about our award-winning special events,
please e-mail
events@wedu.org or call 813-254-9338, ext. 2241
2006 Florida Public Relations Grand-All Image Award Winner
Best Public Relations Campaign of the Year
2006 Florida Public Relations Image Award Winner
Best Community Relations Program of the Year
2008 Florida Public Relations Image Award Winner
Best Community Relations Event 2008
2008 Florida Public Relations Award of Distinction
Audio Visual Tools of Public Relations
2006 Florida Public Relations Image Award Winner
Best Special Event of the Year
2007 PBS National Award of Excellence
Best Special Fundraising Event of the Year
2008 Florida Public Relations Image Award Winner
Best Special Event 2008
2008 Florida Public Relations Association Grand All Image Award
Outstanding achievement above any other effort all two dozen + award categories
