The outer bands of baseball season arrive this weekend, and not a moment too soon. In its grace and pace and tradition, baseball has always been a balm in moments of uncertainty. Or, as James Earl Jones’ character put it in “Field of Dreams”:
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers … but baseball has marked the time. This field, this game — it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”
At CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach — spring training home of the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals — an annual job fair will take place on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are looking to fill a variety of spring training positions, from ushers and batboys to retail staff and in-game entertainment. I am dusting off my kazoo.
The Astros and Nationals also just announced that single-game spring training tickets are now on sale. The two teams will start the season against each other at CACTI Park on Feb. 21. For information on the job fair and spring training, visit Facebook.com/CACTIParkPB.
Meanwhile, minor-league teams the Palm Beach Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate) and the Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins) will co-host their annual Fan Fest on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the ballpark they share in Jupiter.
As you may have heard, the Cardinals will use Fan Fest to introduce an alter ego for the upcoming season, the Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas. And the Hammerheads will host Marlins manager Clayton McCullough for pictures and autographs after 12:30 p.m. Fan Fest admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/rogerdeanchevroletstadium.
No word yet on single-game tickets for spring training games with the Marlins and Cardinals at Roger Dean. Get updates at Marlins.com and Cardinals.com.
THURSDAY
A mob hit: The touring production of the Tony-winning, Broadway song-and-dance caper “Some Like It Hot” will continue its run at the Kravis Center in downtown West Palm Beach through the weekend. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $46. Visit Kravis.org.
Wine nights: The Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale kicks off its boundary-defying Off Center series on Thursday with “In Pour Taste: A Comedy Wine Tasting Experience,” featuring Australian comedians Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh. A hit from New York to Toronto and Las Vegas, the evening includes a wine expert guiding the audience seated at tables through five tastings while Preston and Cavanagh make fun of words like “oenophile.” Shows will take place through Jan. 25, with this weekend’s performances at 8 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $112.10 and include five tastings and a personal charcuterie board (vegetarian and alcohol-free options available). Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Dating game: The Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach on Thursday will host the viral series “UpDating,” a New York-based live dating and comedy show that puts two singles on a blindfolded first date in front of the audience for laughs and raw reveals (uh-oh). Featuring its creators, comedians Brandon Berman and Harrison Forman, the show will go on at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $31.90 at ImprovFTL.com.
New lunch spot: Ocean Prime in Fort Lauderdale has launched a new weekday lunch service from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Intracoastal restaurant (The prettiest waterfront dining spot to debut in South Florida in 2025? Discuss.) offers a refined lunch hour, to be sure. Specialties range from Sea Scallops (with Parmesan risotto, English peas, citrus vinaigrette; $39) to Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich (layered with Bibb lettuce, beefsteak tomato, avocado, spicy mayonnaise; $24) and Sushi and Salad (spicy rainbow roll, romaine, toasted garlic, wasabi dressing; $27). I’m also looking at the Sakura Wagyu Cheeseburger (with Camembert cheese, red onion jam, Dijon aioli and spiced dill pickles; $24). Did I mention the great view? Visit Ocean-Prime.com.
C’mon, get happy: Camille’s Pizzeria & Ristorante in Oakland Park will kick off a new happy hour on Thursday with an event hosted by former South Florida Sun Sentinel restaurant reviewer Mike Mayo, host of the weekday streaming show “Mike Mayo’s Lunchbox.” Taking place from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday (the restaurant is closed Tuesdays), Camille’s will offer three dishes for $20 from a Happy Hour menu that includes Meat & Cheese, Fried Calamari (with zucchini and cherry peppers), Mussels (with toasted garlic and crispy pepperoni), Whipped Ricotta (with warm bread and spices), Chicken Wings (with an Aperol Calabrian glaze) and Meatballs. Beverages will include $7 specialty cocktails, $8 martinis, $6 house wines and $4 domestic beer. Thursday’s event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. will include an auction for a dinner for two at Camille’s with Mayo. Proceeds will benefit Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Visit Facebook.com/camillesfortlauderdale.
FRIDAY
Rock classics: Kansas will bring old-school karaoke anthems such as “Dust in the Wind,” “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Point of Know Return” to the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $55.66. Visit PompanoBeachArts.org.
Youthful energy: Ailey II: The Next Generation of Dance brings young performers from the renowned company founded by the legendary Alvin Ailey more than 50 years ago to the Arsht Center in Miami on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $40.95 at ArshtCenter.org.
Weekend laughs: Veteran film and TV actor and comedian Rob Schneider will be at the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach for shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $51.90 at ImprovFTL.com. … Comedian Tom Cotter (as seen on “America’s Got Talent,” “The Tonight Show” and “The Howard Stern Show”) will perform at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $53.10. Visit AventuraCenter.org.
Don’t take the kids: Paranormal Cirque Nightmare is part circus, part cabaret — saucy and spooky with skimpy costumes — under a black-and-white striped tent that will be set up at Miramar Regional Park on Friday through Jan. 19. Tickets start at $30, $20 for youths ages 13-17 accompanied by an adult. Visit ParanormalCirque.com.
Cirque Italia
The racy Paranormal Cirque will set up at Miramar Regional Park on Friday through Jan. 19. (Cirque Italia/Courtesy)
Take the kids: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey brings “The Greatest Show On Earth” to South Florida with performances Friday through Sunday at Miami’s Kaseya Center, then Jan. 23-25 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. These performances by the 150-year-old troupe have been “reimagined for a new generation,” with animals replaced by music and high-flying stunts by more than 60 circus performers from 17 countries. Tickets for Kaseya Center performances start at $38.35 at Ticketmaster.com. Amerant Bank Arena tickets start at $38 at Seatgeek.com.
SATURDAY
Starting over: Country star Chris Stapleton finally comes to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood for two shows originally scheduled for last October and postponed due to a bout of bronchitis. Good luck finding tickets for the Saturday and Sunday shows under $400, resale or otherwise. For updates, visit MyHRL.com.
Big “Blue”: New World Symphony presents Gershwin’s masterpiece “Rhapsody in Blue” as interpreted by the acclaimed Marcus Roberts Trio and conductor Andrew Grams at Miami‘s Arsht Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. The program will include Duke Ellington’s jazz symphony about the history of Black Americans, “Black, Brown and Beige,” as well as Ellington’s treatment of Tchaikovsky’s Suite from “The Nutcracker,” and Darius Milhaud’s “La Creation du Monde,” inspired by African legend about the creation of the world. Tickets start at $40.95 at ArshtCenter.org.
All that jazz: One of the highlights of this weekend’s 10th annual South Beach Jazz Festival, the three-time, Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra will perform at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday at 8 p.m., joined by acclaimed trumpeter Etienne Charles. Tickets start at $44.29. For tickets and information on other SBJF performances, visit SoBeJazzFestival.com.
Saturday laughs: Jamaican-born comedian Dale Elliott Jr. brings his Son of an Immigrant World Tour to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $42.19. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com. … Irish writer, comedian and “mildly confused immigrant” David Nihill will perform in the intimate Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on his Taking Tangents tour. Tickets start at $34.81. Visit BrowardCenter.org. … Comedian and former schoolteacher Eddie B will take his If These Classroom Walls Could Talk Tour to the Broward Center’s Au-Rene Theater on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $43.66. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Feeling crabby? The second annual Boca Raton Seafood Festival will return to Mizner Park Amphitheater on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., with vendors, live music and competitions, including a crab cake-eating showdown. Entry is $10 in advance, $15 at the gate and free for kids age 9 and younger. Ticket four-packs cost $32 in advance, $45 at the gate. Visit MiznerAmp.com.
Dania dining: Dania After Dark’s Taste of Dania Beach will take place at City Hall Plaza on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., with food from more than a dozen local spots, kids’ activities and music from the Adam Uhlan Band and Coldplay tribute band Life in Technicolor. Admission and parking are free, as is shuttle service from The Casino at Dania Beach. Tasting Experience wristbands (good for unlimited food and drink samples) cost $40. Visit TasteOfDaniaBeach.com.
Saturday night live: Texas blues singer-guitarist Carolyn Wonderland will share music from her 2025 Dave Alvin-produced album, “Truth Is,” at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton on Saturday at 8 p.m. General-admission standing-room tickets cost $39.24, with some table seating still available. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com. … Local favorite Chris MacDonald and his band on Saturday bring the “Memories of Elvis Rockin’ Birthday Bash” to the Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the Nova Southeastern University campus in Davie. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show start at $44.11. Visit MiniaciPAC.com. … Local beach-funk band The People UpStairs will play at Mathews Brewing in Lake Worth Beach on Saturday at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/thepeopleupstairs.
SUNDAY
Morning run: The 29th annual Dunn’s Run will take place on Sunday in Deerfield Beach to raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Created by Jim Dunn of J.R. Dunn Jewelers and presented with support from Publix Charities and JM Family Enterprises, Dunn’s Run events begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Main Beach Parking Lot with a 5K run and 5K walk (advance registration $35), as well as a 5-mile run ($40). A Kids Fun Run (age 6 and younger) is set for 9 a.m. ($10). Visit DunnsRun.com.
Come on, let’s go: Celebrating 50 years of music, Mexican-American roots rock trailblazers Los Lobos (who released an excellent live album, “Across the Nation,” last summer) will play the Miniaci Performing Arts Center at NSU in Davie on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $76.70. Visit MiniaciPAC.com.
Last laughs: Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder brings his new show, “Self Loving Jew,” to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale at 5 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, both sold out, and a just-added performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets for that show are available, starting at $47.20. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.