Market season is back in South Florida! It’s time to dig out that trusty tote bag and fill it with produce, flowers, baked goods and homemade specialty items that help you prep for the week ahead.
These weekend gatherings of local vendors — whether it’s called a green, farmers or open-air market — put the focus on freshness while you support the small business community.
I have every intention of strolling up to the produce vendor to pick out some leafy greens and juicy fruits, but there’s always a row of golden-brown, flaky chocolate croissants glistening in the morning sun that beckon me. (I am powerless against their buttery charm.) So my first stop always becomes whatever bakery has decided to enable my indulgence in a French pastry that week.
But it turns out, I just can’t stop there. I mean, these bakers have worked so hard. Fine, I’ll also take a cheese danish and a baguette. I’ll feel very Parisian with it sticking out of my bag. Oh, you have eclairs? Yes, please.
By this point, I’ll have to unload my bevy of baked treats back at the car before going back for the healthy stuff. Well, it’s good exercise, anyway. Maybe I should bring two tote bags next time?
Whatever your must-have item is, you’re sure to find it (and more) at a couple of markets this weekend.
The “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall” immersive exhibit opens Friday at South Florida PBS in Boynton Beach. (Rebecca Hale/Courtesy)
Friday
“Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall”: It’s been a year since the world said goodbye to the pioneering primatologist, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, and United Nations Messenger of Peace. Now you can come face to face with Goodall’s lifelike holographic projection in the newest exhibit inside the Cornelia T. Bailey Cultural Arts Center at the South Florida PBS (3401 S. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach). Starting Friday through Jan. 24, the immersive experience developed by the National Geographic Society, in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute, allows the public to explore Goodall’s life, legacy and research. Visit Gombe, her research tent, to learn about the observation and documentation of chimpanzees in the wild. Enter a recreation of the Tanzanian forest to meet virtually rendered chimpanzees. Measure your chimp communication skills with augmented reality. Tickets are $45 for general admission; $38 for seniors, students, military and first-responders; and $22 for children age 3 to 12. Visit southfloridapbs.org. (Programming note: Make it a double feature and check out “The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks,” open through March 30.)
The Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale will have its 30th Annual Wine, Spirits & Culinary Celebration on Friday. (Museum of Discovery and Science/Courtesy)
Wine, Spirits & Culinary Celebration: The Museum of Discovery and Science (401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale) has been bringing science to life for children and their families for five decades. To kick off their yearlong 50th anniversary celebration, the museum will cater to everyone’s taste buds with their signature fundraiser, set for 5 to 11 p.m. Friday. Among the highlights, expect culinary offerings from spots such as Ember & Vine, Ethos Greek Bistro, Oceans 234, The Break House, Sunness Supper Club & Bar Betty, Shooters Waterfront, and Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse. There will also be a Brews & Bites food truck experience on Second Street and a Beer Garden featuring Barrel of Monks Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Tarpon River Brewing and more. Have a sweet tooth? Savor treats from Nothing Bundt Cakes and Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, among others. Proceeds benefit the museum’s STEMobile outreach programs. Tickets are $150 for the Grand Tasting (7 p.m. admission), $300 for VIP (6 p.m. admission, lounge access) and $400 for the Pearl Reserve Experience (5 p.m. cocktail hour admission, lounge access). Visit mods.org.
A view of last season’s GreenMarket at Delray Beach’s Old School Square. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Saturday
31st Annual Winter GreenMarket Season: More than 70 farmers, bakers and other food vendors are back with their goods for the GreenMarket season starting Saturday at Old School Square (51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach). From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday through May 22, shop the open-air marketplace for produce, juices, eggs, baked goods, artisan cheese and jams, plus gluten-free, vegan and organic products. The annual event, presented by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, also showcases flowers, plants and gourmet items. Activities throughout the season include musical performances and cooking demonstrations. Free admission. Visit delraycra.org/green-market.
Flamingo Gardens in Davie dresses up for fall, tropical-style, during its annual Harvest Festival. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
Harvest Festival: Last chance to celebrate fall, tropical-style, at Flamingo Gardens (3750 S. Flamingo Road, Davie). The festival’s last themed weekend — called the Halloween Party Weekend — will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with hay rides, farm animal encounters, pony rides, photo ops and, for an additional fee, pumpkin painting and a pumpkin patch. You can also compete in a costume contest with a candy giveaway at 1 p.m. each day. Fall foods will be available for purchase. Tickets are $24 for guests age 12 and older and $17 for kids age 3 to 11. Visit flamingogardens.org.
Shop for fashionable accessories at Atlantic Village’s Style Series open-air market in Hallandale Beach. (Darren Johnson/Courtesy)
Sunday
Style Series: The Fall Edit: This curated open-air market will set up from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Atlantic Village (801 N. Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach). The Bungalow Agency, which produces retail experiences in South Florida, New York City and The Hamptons, selects fashion, accessories, activewear, children’s products, pet-friendly goods, and beauty and wellness products to showcase at the market. There will also be music, crafting activities and interactive experiences, along with free yoga and mini facials, mahjong and coffee. Free admission. Visit eventbrite.com.
“Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue”: Fuel up on cheesecake because your favorite sharp-witted senior sitcom friends are back — for two shows only — at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach). Here’s the show’s premise, as described by the promoter, Outback Presents: “We find Sophia out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring for retirees. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together with help from a new (much) younger sex-crazed lover.” For guests age 18 and older. Tickets start at $28.75. Visit kravis.org.
Diwali Celebration Festival of Lights: Diwali, a major festival celebrating the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, is observed primarily by Hindus, as well as Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. Though the holiday falls in November this year, a celebration is being organized from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Las Olas Oceanside Park (3000 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale). There will be music, dance performances, and food and merchandise vendors. Free admission. Visit parks.fortlauderdale.gov.
Watch the Chef Showdown go down at the South Beach Seafood Festival in Miami Beach this weekend. (The Louis Collection/Courtesy)
All weekend
14th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival: Kick off Florida’s stone crab season during this four-day fest, which starts Wednesday on and around Miami Beach and features more than 40 restaurants, along with chefs, bartenders and other culinary professionals. Among the special events, “An Evening in Miami Beach” on Thursday will bring pairing dinners to two Italian restaurants — Rao’s Miami Beach (presented by Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky) and Macchialina (Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey). Then on Friday, the VIP Chef Showdown expands with 18 chefs across nine head-to-head battles, including Battle Burger, Battle Taco and Battle Ceviche categories. The inaugural “Shuck’n the Sunshine State” oyster-shucking competition will take place during the Seafood Slam on Saturday. Times, locations and prices vary. Visit sobeseafoodfest.com.
Artist Bruce Helander’s Marilyn Monroe flower portrait is on display as part of “In Full Bloom: Flowers in the Garden” at Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach. (Bruce Helander/Courtesy)
“In Full Bloom: Flowers in the Garden”: Pressed flower collage portraits by West Palm Beach resident and artist Bruce Helander will open the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens’ season on Wednesday. His pieces are inspired by Palm Beach personalities (Marjorie Merriweather Post and Jacqueline Kennedy) and historical and cultural figures such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Monroe.” They will be on display in the Norton House Gallery (253 Barcelona Road, West Palm Beach) through Jan. 10. A Florida Artists Hall of Fame inductee, Helander is the gardens’ seventh artist-in-residence. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for children and students. Visit ansg.org.
Hosting a must-attend event? Get it on our radar! Send the details to kabarnett@sunsentinel.com at least two weeks in advance to be considered.
