Pokémon GO Mingle Set for Land O’ Lakes

Land O’ Lakes, FL — Land O’ Lakes area residents with a passion for Pokémon might want to put a date down on their calendars.

The Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is playing host to a Pokémon GO Mingle this Friday, July 22. The free community event takes place from 6 to 10 p.m., featuring a bounce house, popcorn, a showing of the first Pokémon movie and lots of Pokémon hunting action. Attendees may also want to bring some cash along since vendors offering Pokémon merchandise are also expected to attend.

“The Pokémon GO craze has brought a lot of people in the community together and interacting in a way we have not seen in a long time,” explained volunteer coordinators Melissa and Jason Shutt. “We actively meet both young people and professionals coming to our PokéStop and are seeking to expand on this.”

Sign up for the Land O’ Lakes Patch newsletter and alerts!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, too!

The community is also coming together to support the event. The Shutts say the event benefits the community center’s summer kids’ scholarship program. To that end, some of those taking part plan to donate a portion of their proceeds to the fund, the Shutts said.

“This would not have been possible without many local businesses that have pitched in on short notice,’” the Shutts said.

Some of those businesses include ACME on the Go’s Troy Stevenson for providing the large-screen movie and helping coordinate the vendors. Big Frog is also providing event shirts and “themed custom shirts printed on site at the event,” the two said.

Vendors interested in taking part still have time to sign up. The Shutts say they are especially looking for those who can bring Pokémon-themed merchandise to the event. Those interested are asked to call Melissa at 813-451-1516 or Mike at 813-929-1229.

For those not in the know, the game works by having players move through the real world. As they do, their smartphones vibrate to let them know when a Pokémon is near.

Players then throw a PokéBall to catch it and add it to their PokéDex. The game uses a smartphone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.

In each town nationwide, developers have added PokéStops— from libraries and churches to public art installations, historical markers and monuments. Businesses throughout the country are also noting an uptick in foot traffic as players enter inside to catch stray critters found within. Some cities are even seeing the craze evolve into pub crawls in busy entertainment districts, for adult players, of course.

Photo courtesy of the Largo Police Department