FRI 2/24
Ever have that dream in which you're trapped in a smoky room when suddenly the door is kicked open and you feel your limp body being lifted to safety by strong, sweaty arms? If you haven't, you should. It's hot -- firefighter hot! Turn that fantasy into reality on Friday, February 24, at Hugh Jorgans (96 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach). The Local 1842 Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics will hold their hoses with pride while attendees determine their worth at the lifesavers' annual Bachelor/Bachelorette auction. Since all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society, you will appear charitable while waving wads of bills in the air and screaming for "Number Six" to "put out my fire," "show us your pole," or "fully extend that ladder!" The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Call 561-644-4491. -- Jamie Laughlin
You Want Sumo This?
SAT 2/26
Sumo wrestling: It's not just for 600-pound dudes anymore! Now that sumo groups around the world are keen on making it an Olympic sport, authorities have established a range of weight categories as well as women's divisions. Rules of the game are pretty basic: Knock your opponent out of the 15-foot-diameter ring or make him touch the ground with any body part besides the soles of the feet.
This weekend, check out sumo demonstrations, take in a Japanese tea ceremony, experience an Ohashi Shiatsu massage, arrange flowers ikebanally, and watch taiko drummers perform. Or at least pull up a plastic chair and throw back a few Sapporos. The Hatsume Festival -- marking the first bud of spring -- is the biggest annual event at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach) Admission costs $10. Call 561-495-0233, or visit www.morikami.org. -- Deirdra Funcheon
Life Is a Sea Way
MON 2/28
Freedom and independence, roadkill and pollution -- such are the beauties and repulsions of the open road. And the open water too! Both make up the exhibit "Marginal Terrain," which opens Monday at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (1799 SE 17th St. Cswy., Fort Lauderdale). AIFL art professors Steven Bleicher and Trina Nicklas explore America's historic highways and troubled shorelines, respectively. Bleicher's mixed-media assemblages of old photographs, artifacts, and roadmaps provide a nostalgic look at life on the road. Nicklas' paintings place more emphasis on traditional form and color while raising questions about what all these damned merchant vessels are doing to our beaches, even naming names (Hyundai, we're on to you). The exhibit runs through March 31. Call 954-463-3000. -- Jason Budjinski
