The Seminole Heights Community Gardens recently held a seed swap. Watch our PatchCast video to find out how the community is expanding its "green thumb."

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 Manatee County Sheriff's Office hosted sites at its Crime Prevention Office, 600 301 Blvd…

One person's trash was another person's fashion statement at last week's Trashy Fashion Show, put on by the City of Largo. Contestants of all ages competed for prizes in four age categories and an overall best in show prize at the fourth annual event, held last Friday at the Largo Cultural Center to encourage waste reduction.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change, a worldwide event to set a record for most cloth diapers changed simultaneously, was held Saturday and St. Petersburg's Thank You Mama was one of the area stores participating. The event was intended to raise awareness about the convenience of modern cloth diapers, which have snaps instead of pins and are designed not to leak. Users say it lessens the amount of trash filling landfills since cloth diapers do not break down for 200-300 years, according to the folks at Thank You Mama.

In an attempt to raise $150,000 for the families of the fallen St. Petersburg Police officers, Jim Surrett, general manager at Lokey Automotive in Clearwater, 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.

Acupuncture isn't just for humans anymore. This traditional healing method is being used on animals to treat everything from digestive problems to allergies. The treatment has its skeptics, but vets and pet owners at Northeast Animal Hospital in St. Petersburg say it's making a difference in the lives of many animals.

In today's PatchCast, we take a look at the ancient art of bonsai, a landscaping technique the originated in the orient. It's practiced at Eve's Garden in Land O'Lakes, which sends trees to Walt Disney World and which recently held a customer appreciation day.

Baby Boot Camp in St. Petersburg gives young moms a chance to bring their kids along while they get a great workout. Today's PatchCast video takes you along with the action at Vinoy Park.

As part of the annual Great American Cleanup, more than 300 volunteers came out to pick up garbage in Tampa Bay. People found everything from clothing, paper cups, plastic bottles, cans and broken glass along the highway at Courtney Campbell Causeway. Hear more about their efforts to give back to Mother Nature in today's PatchCast.

Families, friends and even butterflies made an appearance at the annual Springfest celebration in Gulfport on Saturday. The free event featured a live butterfly exhibit, children's play area, live music and dozens of vendors. Food vendors offered a wide variety of culinary delights. Watch our PatchCast to see why the event was a hit. Organizers with the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce, City of Gulfport and Gulfport Merchant's Association put on the annual event to celebrate the season.

Hillsborough County’s 28th Annual Tiny Tot Olympics was held April 12 at All People’s Life Center in Tampa. The event featured approximately 200 3-5 year olds enrolled in the Parks, Recreation and Conservation Tiny Tot program. Participants competed in events such as the basketball toss, bean bag toss, bucket relay, football throw, hula hoop relay, obstacle course, parachute games, sack race and soccer dribble. Scores were not kept, and all participants received ribbons. Everyone was a winner at these games! Tiny Tots is a social/recreation program held during the school year for ages 3-5 …

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 the Rock Out For a Cause concert last Friday at Lakewood Ranch High School. The event was hosted by the Lakewood 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 on Saturday, April 9.  Harrison was inspired to get involved with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation after hearing about the story of Alexandra “Alex” Scott. Harrison is doing a project for his Gifted Program at school called Helping Hands. Students are to choose a project that has meaning to them and give back to the community in some way. Harrison chose Alex’s Lemonade Stand because he felt it was a great way to give back …

April 2-9 marked Highland Games Week in Dunedin, 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 through musical education and events like the Highland Games. On Saturday, the city celebrated the Highland Games, which featured bagpipe-and-drum bands, Celtic dancers, traditional Scottish games …

This week's PatchCast takes us on a tour of the DeSoto Seafood Fest, which served up food, fun and a bit of history in downtown Bradenton as part of the 72nd DeSoto Heritage Festival. Want more Seafood Fest coverage? Check out our photo gallery to see if we spotted you.

Patch.com's cameras recently caught up with some lifeguards at Clearwater Beach, where stingray season has gotten off to an early start. The lifeguards offered some helpful tips for how to avoid getting stung by these sometimes troublesome creatures that will also be around Manatee County's beaches this time of year.

Participants at last weekend's Relay For Life in Riverview came together to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer and to fight back against the disease. The American Cancer Society event is one of thousands across the country. Bradenton will hold its own Relay For Life on April 15-16 at Bayshore High School. Visit the event page for more info, and follow Bradenton Patch for more coverage.