Bradenton's 5 Things to Know Today: April 14

1. Kris Weiskopf, Director of Manatee County Animal Services is the keynote speaker for the Save 90 conference at Hillsborough Community College. His story shows in a very direct and unequivocal way that the No Kill Equation works, and works quickly, even under adverse subtropic conditions. Manatee County has made log strides toward the Save 90 goal. The conference is an opportunity to support No Kill in Manatee and to support spreading the effort to Hillsborough County. Here is the link for the ticket page.

2. Dozens of local athletes and fitness buffs will cycle indoors at Bradenton’s , 3549 53^rd Avenue West, to help raise funds for The Moyer Foundation’s Camp Mariposa™ Florida, supporting children in Sarasota and Manatee counties affected by drug and alcohol addiction. The 2nd Annual Cycle-a-thon features a room full of spinners and exercise enthusiasts joining forces  to “Cycle to Break the Cycle” of childhood addiction/substance abuse. Karen Moyer, who co-founded The Moyer Foundation with her husband, major league baseball pitcher, Jamie Moyer, will lead the first session at 11 a.m. Top prizes for individuals who can raise the most money include tickets to Coldplay this summer in Tampa, and a road bike of choice from Race Pace Bicycles. Upwards of 20 bikes will be spinning per hour, at a minimum donation of $100 per hour. Last year’s event raised over $15,000 to help establish Camp Mariposa Florida.

3. The undefeated AFC West (10-0) will take on the AFC East Miami Spartan (5-4) in a Divisional title play-off game. The Gladiators will play on their home field at PAL today at 7 p.m. 

4. The Village of the Arts Brunch and Fashion show takes place today at 10:30 a.m. The event highlights unique clothes, jewelry, and accessories from Village of the Arts boutiques.  Each table for brunch is decorated by a different artist or gallery.  The event is held in the lovely garden and grounds of Bits and Pieces Gallery at 1303 13^th Ave. West.

5. Gulf Shore Animal League is hosting the Sixth Annual Walter C. Watkins Memorial Scavenger Hunt 2012 on April 21st 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Palma Sola Park Pavilion located at 7815 40th Avenue West. Teams of up to five will collect lots of fun and crazy items with stops all over Manatee County. The hunt will end at the Pavilion where a complimentary BBQ lunch will be provided by MarVista Restaurant. Each item is assigned a point value based upon its difficulty in acquiring it. The team that completes the hunt by the deadline with the highest points in the shortest amount of time is the winner.  The registration fee is $60 per team for a day full of fun and a chance to win great prizes. For more information and to register,visit Gulf Shore Animal League online at www.gsalinc.org, or call 941-747-2284.