On Friday, the nonprofit organization, launched by innovative schoolhouse and community fulcrum Space of Mind, will kick off a monthly series called Delray Nights Throwback to celebrate the old-school downtown vibe and the tribe that made it distinctive. 

The inaugural gathering will honor John Paul Kline, the revered chef who opened 3rd and 3rd, the music-friendly restaurant and bar in downtown Delray Beach, in 2013. Kline died three years later.   

Taking place at The Hub at Space of Mind (101 NW First Ave.) from 8 p.m. to midnight, the inaugural Delray Nights Throwback will include sets from local favorites Spred the Dub, along with light bites from chef Jessie Steele, a donation bar and an atmosphere that aims to recreate the spirit of Delray’s old-school music venues. Tickets cost $50. (Teacher tickets are 50% off to celebrate the back-to-school season.) Visit FindSpaceOfMind.com.

Ali Kaufman, founding director of the Community Classroom Project and its culinary program, the Community Classroom Kitchen, had a relationship with Kline that predates 3rd and 3rd. Friday’s event will raise money in his honor. 

“I’m looking forward to celebrating with JP’s longtime friends and all the lovers of the OG Delray local scene this Friday. We’ll be raising the vibe, raising some picklebacks and raising some funds to launch the John Paul Kline Culinary Arts Scholarship,” Kaufman says. “We will continue to carry on his dream of celebrating food, art and people, always all at once.”

THURSDAY

Weekend movies: Three Cinemark theaters in South Florida are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the chain’s debut with the Big in ’84 film series, offering $5 screenings of popular films from 1984, including “Purple Rain,” “Footloose,” “Ghostbusters,” “The Karate Kid,” “Gremlins,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and more. The films will be shown at the Cinemark Boynton Beach 14, Cinemark Bistro Boca Raton and Cinemark Paradise 24 in Davie through Sunday. Visit Cinemark.com.

The DJ is you: Best known for its burlesque brunch, hip vibe and elevated lounge-food menu, Pompano Beach restaurant-bar Revelry will host another bring-your-own-vinyl night, Wax On Wax Off, where experts help you learn to create a vibe while spinning your favorite records in 15- to 30-minute sets. Sign-up begins at 7 p.m. All genres welcome. Visit Instagram.com/revelryfla.

Bump & Shot: Bice Ristorante in Palm Beach will launch its inaugural Caviar Bump & Shot Happy Hour on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., when a special station will feature three types of caviar from Palm Beach-based Altima Caviar. The “bumps” of caviar will be served on a mother-of-pearl spoon and paired with a chilled shot of Truman Vodka (Austria). The price ranges from $25 to $50 depending on the grade of caviar selected (you can keep the spoon and shot glass). Attendees also may order caviar at a 30% discount and the vodka for 20% off during the event. Visit Facebook.com/bicepalmbeach.

Ticket window: Billy Joel is coming back to South Florida for a performance at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Saturday, Nov. 23. Ticket presales will take place on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., via the Hard Rock Facebook, X and Instagram accounts, as well as at Ticketmaster.com (password: MOVIN). The general on-sale begins at 10 a.m. Friday at MyHRL.com. 

Good life decision: Clematis by Night brings free music back to the Great Lawn in downtown West Palm Beach on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. with Poor Life Decisions, Justin Enco’s Delray Beach-based rock quartet that has always deserved a wider audience. Seek them out — satisfaction guaranteed. Visit WPB.org/events.

FRIDAY

Weekend laughs: Actor, comedian, author, Peabody Award winner and radio host D.L. Hughley returns to the stand-up stage at the Miami Improv for performances at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $40+ at MiamiImprov.com. … Comedian and impressionist Aries Spears (he did nearly 200 episodes as a regular on Fox’s sketch comedy series MADtv) is at the Dania Improv in Dania Beach at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $30+. Visit DaniaImprov.com. 

Friday tributes: Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale will host 1980s rock cover band Hairdaze and Guns N’ Roses tribute Appetite for Destruction on Friday, with tickets for the all-ages show starting at $9.25+ as part of a four-pack. Doors open at 7 p.m. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net. … Rush tribute band Afterimage will perform from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Friday at Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach. Admission is free, with table seating for two starting at $30. Visit Galuppis.com. … Magic 13 Brewing Co., a sweet spot in Miami’s Little Haiti, will have nationally touring Queen tribute band Almighty Queen at 9 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $20+. Visit Magic13Brewing.com.

Let’s talk about sax: Smooth jazz saxman Jeff Kashiwa (The Rippingtons, The Sax Pack) has shows at 6 and 9 p.m. Friday at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton. Tickets start at $30+ at FunkyBiscuit.com.

Free music: The free Summer Jamz concert puts an exclamation point on the season at Mills Pond Park in Fort Lauderdale on Friday with a performance by popular R&B group Jagged Edge (hit “Let’s Get Married,” “Where the Party At”). Summer Jamz takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. and includes food and drink, vendors and a kids’ zone with bounce houses, yard games and more. Admission is free. Visit Parks.FortLauderdale.gov.

SATURDAY

Rompers room: Members of the South Florida Chapter of the Mrs. Roper Romp will bring their roving band of bewigged and muumuu-ed Helens to The American German Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth Beach on Saturday. The night will include music from the band Private Stock, which covers classic hits from the heyday of “Three’s Company,” and German Fest activities from 5 to 10 p.m. Admission is $30 and includes German and American food and all-you-can-drink beer, wine and soft drinks. For information, search for “South Florida Chapter of Mrs. Roper Romp” on Facebook.com.

Do you remember? The indelible hits of Earth, Wind & Fire (“Boogie Wonderland,” “Shining Star,” “September”) and Chicago (“25 or 6 to 4,” “Saturday in the Park,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”) come to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available, starting at $49.15+, at LiveNation.com.

Makers market: Beloved Fort Lauderdale staple The Flamingo Flea flees north to its traditional Palm Beach County digs at Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The indoor-outdoor scene will include more than 30 vendors (including my new favorite, the make-your-own Hawley Trucker Hat Bar) and Crazy Uncle Mike’s beer, full bar and acclaimed food. Yet another reason to be there — live music from Joshua Diaz (remember Kids?), beginning at noon. Visit FlamingoFlea.com.

Let’s get luau-ed: Temple Street Eatery will celebrate 10 years in downtown Fort Lauderdale, on the Federal Highway seam between Flagler Village and Victoria Park, with a luau-themed block party on Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. The event will be a showcase for the acclaimed Asian street-food inspired cuisine of chef/partners Alex Kuk and Diego Ng, surrounded by live music, Chinese lion dancers, special cocktails, games and giveaways. Visit TempleStreetEatery.com.

Drinking Italy: The buzzy Small Wine Shop in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village will throw a party for the traditional Italian summer celebration Ferragosto on Saturday at 8 p.m., with Italian bites and free-flowing Italian wines. Tickets: $50 (15% off for Wine Club members). Visit SmallWineShop.com.

Plight of the honey bee: Copperpoint Brewing Co. in Boynton Beach will celebrate one of our ecosystem’s most critical workers with a gathering called Flight of the Honey Bee on Saturday, which is National Honey Bee Day. From 2 to 6 p.m. you’ll find special flights of four beers made with honey, including their popular Bee’s Squeeze. Joey McCoy of McCoy’s Florida Honey in Loxahatchee Groves will speak about the importance of bees, accompanied by a live hive, and will have samples of a variety of their honey. There also will be bottles of honey for sale. Visit Facebook.com/CopperpointBrewingCo.

Sushi Jo SoSo: Sushi Jo will celebrate the opening of its new location in the SoSo area of West Palm Beach (6200 S. Dixie Highway) on Saturday at 9 p.m. with complimentary sushi tastings, drink specials and music from Spred the Dub and DJ H-Bomb. Visit Facebook.com/SushiJoWPB.

They will rock you: If you are curious about Unravel — winners in the under-20 category at the Battle of the Bands competition at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton last Friday —  you can catch them at MarToni Pizza Lounge in Pompano Beach (555 S. Federal Highway) on Saturday at 8 p.m. Visit Instagram.com/unravel.band. (By the way, the other winners were the Miami-based Ryan Cooper Band in the over-20 category and, for the second consecutive year, Parkland’s Midnight3 took the People’s Choice award.)

Oakland Park cool: The free Oakland Park Art Walk on Saturday will showcase the funky diversity to be found along Northeast 12th Avenue. The three-hour open house (6 to 9 p.m.) will showcase creative and culinary talent in the area between Northeast 36th Street to 34th Court (east of the Brightline tracks, south of Funky Buddha Brewery). Participants include The Butcher’s Barrel,  Nour Thai Kitchen,  Rebel Wine Bar, Black Flamingo Brewery, D’Gusta Distributions and Beans-n-Dough Cookie Co. Visit OaklandParkFL.gov.

Cold as ice: The Wharf Fort Lauderdale will be the place to chill on Saturday during SlushyFest, with more than 75 unique frozen cocktails served at six bars at the waterside outdoor venue in the heart of downtown from 3 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, and drink prices vary. Just a reminder that The Wharf will be closing for renovations after send-off parties on Aug. 30-31. Visit WharfFTL.com.

Swift action: The dance-party sorority known as Le Petite Fete will host The Eras Party, a Taylor Swift dance night, at the legendary Gramps in Wynwood on Saturday. The 21-and-older evening will include a DJ playing her hits, a costume contest, lip sync battle, bracelet trading and more. Tickets: $15. Visit LePetiteFete.com.

SUNDAY

New Maren, old Maren: Maren Morris told social media followers that her new EP, “Intermission,” represents a “new chapter of my life” after the Grammy winner came out as bisexual in June. On her way to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday, Morris has been sprinkling new songs into recent tour sets, but for the most part her concerts lean into the music that has made her such a popular country performer, including “My Church,” “80s Mercedes,” “I Could Use a Love Song,” “The Bones” and her Zedd collaboration “The Middle.” Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert are available, starting at $29.99, at MyHRL.com.

Horn of plenty: Former Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble trumpeter Summer Camargo, now a member of the house band on “Saturday Night Live,” will share music from her new debut album, “To Whom I Love,” over two nights on Sunday and Monday at All That Jazz Café in Sunrise. At 7 p.m. each night, Camargo, who turns 23 this weekend, will lead a band that includes Austin Ford (trumpet), Jim Gasior (piano), Michael Ramos (bass), Max Marsillo (drums on Sunday) and Tyler Pons (drums on Monday). The Monday show was added after Sunday’s concert was sold out. For reservations, call 954-572-0821, text 954-260-5076 or email allthatjazz@bellsouth.net. Visit Facebook.com/Summer.Camargo.

Celebrating India: India’s Independence Day celebrations will unfurl on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Hosted by the South Florida chapter of the Association of Indians in America, the event will include a free cultural program highlighting dance and music from across India, food, a vendor market, an art exhibit, henna artists, kids’ activities and more. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/AIASFL.

The King of tributes: Longtime local favorite Chris MacDonald will bring his popular “Memories of Elvis in Concert” show to the Miniaci Performing Arts Center at Nova Southeastern University in Davie on Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets start at $29.44+ at Ticketmaster.com.

LOOKING AHEAD

Keep on rollin’: Perhaps the ultimate outdoor, sing-along concert of the season in South Florida, Train and REO Speedwagon will perform at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, Aug. 21. Get there for the opening act, the hilariously awesome Yacht Rock Revue. Tickets start at $48.65+ at LiveNation.com.

Country dance party: A dance party dedicated to the music, fashion and fandom of a platinum-selling star is now a familiar template but the themed night called Down South is different. Taking place on Friday, Aug. 23, at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, this gathering will take place to the hits of country stars Luke Combs, Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen. Kind of a brilliant idea. Tickets for the all-ages show start at $13+ at JoinTheRevolution.net. Doors open at 8 p.m. Bracelets optional.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.

Tickets for the concert are scheduled to go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at MyHRL.com. But, first, tickets will be available in presales the day before, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., via Hard Rock’s Facebook, X and Instagram accounts, as well as at Ticketmaster.com (password: MOVIN).

Joel last month concluded a record-setting residency at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden, a series that included 150 concerts over more than a decade. 

The New York native broke out more than 50 years ago with 1973’s autobiographical “Piano Man,” and any debate over his best song gets heated in South Florida. Candidates include “Just The Way You Are,” “The Longest Time,” “Vienna,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Tell Her About It,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Uptown Girl” and others.  

For more information and updates, visit BillyJoel.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.

WHAT: Are you one of those foodies who salivate watching Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” thinking to yourself the whole time: “Why isn’t taste-a-vision a thing yet? It’s the 21st century, gosh darnit!”

Well, we can’t do anything about that (nada when we tried hooking up a 3D printer to Apple Vision Pro). But Paul Niedermann, The Jupiter Grill’s executive chef, can.

Niedermann won Season 9 of the TV cooking competition in 2011. And now — for one night only — he’s going to replicate the star-making meal that moved him to the front burner.

“I’m psyched to be able to recreate the Final Menu that catapulted my career,” Niedermann said. “Diners will get to enjoy each course that I presented to judges during that fateful season and experience exactly what they did.”

Added Dave Magrogan, CEO and founder of The Jupiter Grill: “We are much more than just a destination for fine dining. Exclusive events such as chef Niedermann’s ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Final Meal illustrate our commitment to connecting with our community. We invite everyone to come visit us!”

WHEN: The event starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.

WHERE: The Jupiter Grill is located at 149 Soundings Ave., inside Jupiter’s Harbourside Place.

THE MENU: The four-course dinner will have wine pairings as well.

• Olive Oil Poached Shrimp featuring jalapeño, red onion, roasted garlic, lemon and herbs, paired with Maschio dei Cavalieri Prosecco from Valdobbiadene, Italy
• Pan-Roasted Diver Scallops with corn emulsion, pickled bell pepper salad and smoked paprika aioli paired with Grgich Hills Fumé Blanc from Napa Valley, California
• Beef Wellington served with Yukon potato puree, roasted carrots, sauce bordelaise and paired with E. Guigal, Crozes-Hermitage from France
• Banana Polenta Cake topped with dark chocolate ganache, honey roasted peanuts and vanilla bean gelato and paired with Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine, “Reserve” from Niagara Peninsula, Canada

COST: Tickets are $125; reservations are required, limited and only accepted by calling 561-768-9582.

INFORMATION: Visit thejupitergrill.com/hellskitchendinner.

At a time when there are no rock bands near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, young people across South Florida are doing deep dives into the classic rock of their parents, sometimes grandparents, and performing in bars and on festival stages across the region. 

Yes, they can talk to you about their favorite song by J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish, but as performers, their heart is with Led Zeppelin, Rush, Van Halen and Pat Benatar. 

It feels good performing these 50-year-old jams, “remembering what my dad would play in the car,” says Unravel’s lead vocalist, Sophia “Cipher” Phillips, 16.

“When I was getting into middle school, my dad started introducing me to AC/DC and Metallica. You know, all the super popular stuff. I kind of, on my own, ventured out and started listening to more and I realized that I really had a liking for rock music,” Cipher says.

Unravel will be among eight bands taking part in a free Battle of the Bands concert at 7 p.m. Friday at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton. Competitors will face off in two categories — one for performers younger than 20, and one for those 20 and older — with a $2,500 cash prize for the winner in each group.

The four members of Unravel met through School of Rock in Pompano Beach, performing with the prestigious house band touring ensemble. They’ve turned rock music into a door that opens into learning other genres of music.

Dylan Simonson, 16, picked up the guitar because of Eddie Van Halen, but likes to explore the role of bandleader in the work of jazz titan John Coltrane. Best friend Casey Burt, 18, Unravel’s drummer and elder statesman, is on a similar quest.

“Like everybody else in this room, I’ve grown more tasteful. When I just liked rock, it really stunted my growth. I started listening to complex things like jazz, and I started reading all this difficult music,” Casey says, citing Miles Davis and drummers Lenny White, Larnell Lewis and jazz-influenced rock god Neil Peart of Rush.

The band’s energetic 13-year-old bassist and singer, Antonia “Anto” Albornoz of Weston, got a head start in music in more ways than one. Her father, Andrés Albornoz, whose production company recently staged the world tour by global superstar Bad Bunny, introduced her to music very early.

“My dad told me he would put headphones on my mom’s belly and he would [play], like, Rammstein and hard metal. And I was like, ‘Oh, OK, so that’s where I got it from,’ ” she says, laughing.

Speaking during a recent Unravel rehearsal at Markee Music in Deerfield Beach, the native of Bogota, Colombia, recalls watching music videos from the 1970s and ’80s with her parents and grandparents.

“Just thinking, like, that happened once. And we’re doing it now, onstage, [capturing] that ‘esencia,’ you know? The beginning of it,” she says.

Unravel has more than 200 songs in its arsenal, everything from “Carry On Wayward Son” (Kansas) and “Tom Sawyer” (Rush) to “Love Shack” (The B-52s) and “Bodies” (Drowning Pool).

They also do a memorable version of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” removing the opening F-bomb in the refrain, as Anto on vocals yells, “Shut up, I won’t do what you tell me!” She’s 13, after all. 

For information on Unravel, visit Instagram.com/unravel.band.

THE EVENT

Unravel will be competing in the younger category along with The Borin Brothers from Boca Raton, Midnight3 of Parkland and Miami’s Nothing Wrong with Wet Socks.

Each is unique: A Borin Brothers show is typically almost all original songs. Midnight3 is a sister trio raised on Christian music who also love Mötley Crüe. Wet Socks closed their first show in December to a crowd of teenagers waving their arms to “Freebird.”

The older performers at Battle of the Bands include 212 Degrees from Coral Springs-Pompano Beach, Leave it to Us from Fort Lauderdale, Miami’s Ryan Cooper Band; and vocalist Jass, a frequent visitor with relatives across South Florida. 

The event will also include the Young Entrepreneurs Market, from 6 to 9 p.m., for vendors age 13 to 20. Food and beverages will be available for purchase inside the venue (no outside food, beverages, or pets permitted). And while bringing blankets and chairs is encouraged, there will be chairs available to rent ($5). Doors open at 6 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, visit MiznerAmp.com.

The younger acts at Battle of the Bands, of course, play with varying degrees of polish. But they all boast a critical thing that older performers can lose over time, says Elijah Leano, 16-year-old drummer for Nothing Wrong With Wet Socks. 

“We’re not afraid to show everyone that we’re having fun. I think people like bands with personality, and being true to ourselves,” he says. “Obviously, by the way we play, you can tell that we’re dedicated to our instruments, but we just want to show everyone how much of a good time we’re having.” 

THE OTHER YOUNG BANDS

Here’s a look at the other young performers who will be onstage at Battle of the Bands. The interviews below have been edited for clarity and brevity. 

MIDNIGHT3, PARKLAND

The band: Selena Bronkhorst, 21, is the drummer and a student at Palm Beach Atlantic University with sister Bella, 18, the lead guitarist. Younger sister Layla, 15, is the lead vocalist, bassist and pianist. 

Behind the music: Selena was a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 when the Valentine’s Day shooting claimed 17 lives, including a couple of her friends. She and her sisters were homeschooled after the tragedy, and they turned to music as a way to heal. They still consider making music together a form of therapy. “We use it to cope whenever we feel stressed or anxious,” Selena said in an interview. Their parents — U.S.-born father, Puerto Rican mother — raised them on a diet of strong female vocalists (Sade, Adele), dad’s country music (Kenny Chesney) and Christian contemporary music, which remains an influence. When Selena began taking drum lessons at Parkland International Music & Arts School, rock music became part of the family soundtrack. Midnight3 performed at Battle of the Bands in 2023 and has played local bars including Rudy’s Pub in Lake Worth Beach, Cheers in Fort Lauderdale and Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill in Key Largo. Asked what makes Midnight3 unique, Selena said, “We have a great sisterly bond. We get told that a lot.”

Q: Who are your musical role models?

Selena Bronkhorst: One band that influenced us to say, yeah, I think we can do this as a three-sister band, is BarlowGirl. They’re a Christian rock band. We saw them play on YouTube and were like, what if that was us? The Warning is another three-sister band that we saw play and saw it was possible. 

Q: Which performers are always part of a Midnight3 set list? 

SB: Metallica. We really love to play “Enter Sandman.” And Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” The Beatles’ “Come Together,” [the Eagles’] “Hotel California.” A recent one is Guns N’ Roses’ “Civil War.” 

Q: Why do you play music from your parents’ era? 

SB: A lot of the music today, for me growing up, I never really liked it, because it felt unreal. A lot of techno, rap and pop, I could hear that it wasn’t real, live sound. When I heard ’80s-’90s rock, I would be like, “That’s real and I want to play that.” When all of us play it together, we feel this adrenaline and energy, and I just feed off of that. When the crowd enjoys it and feels it, that’s when I feel it even more. 

Q: What is your go-to song to get the crowd excited?

SB: “Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe has always been the one to get my band and the crowd going. My sister Bella, she loves the guitar part, the intro. And definitely, for me, the drums. My parents always say it’s like a train on railroad tracks.  

Q: What is your favorite memory of a live performance? 

SB: It would probably be the last Battle of the Bands [in 2023]. I remember having so much fun. We were just so energized and so hyped, because it was such a big stage and we had professional sound men and light men and videographers, photographers. It was the biggest crowd we ever played for, and we were so full of adrenaline. So we’re excited to play again this year.  

For information on Midnight3, visit Instagram.com/midnight3band.

THE BORIN BROTHERS, BOCA RATON

The band: David Borin, 19, is guitarist and lead singer, with Daniel, 17, on lead guitar and Andre, 15, on drums. David graduated from Boca Raton High School and when he’s not working on music is training to be a pilot (their father is a pilot). Daniel and Andre are being homeschooled. Supporting players include pianist Nathan Taylor and Denis Lima on bass.

Behind the music: The Borin Brothers were raised in a musical family, with their mother and grandfather both gospel singers in Brazil. The trio are self-taught musicians, and a typical set includes nearly all original songs. This year, they’ve released three polished singles, “Leave It Here,” “Made a Mistake” and  “I Told You Everything,” their lyrics of heartbreak and yearning floating on the shimmering, synth-y grooves of your favorite early-2000s alt-pop. If you think three handsome brothers singing pop music inevitably invites a comparison to another trio, fear not. “A lot of our fans are from the ages of 14 to 17, so they are too young to even know who the Jonas Brothers were. Thankfully, we caught them at a good time,” David says. “But it doesn’t bother me either way.” 

Q: Who are your musical role models?

David Borin: A big role model for our music is Coldplay. Another two bands that we take inspiration from is The 1975 and The Neighbourhood. Coldplay, especially, they have such a positive, loving message. And that’s what we go for as well, being accepting of everyone and making everybody feel like they have a place in our community. … Their older albums, they’re so musically rich. They were doing something different at the time, that nobody else was doing. Their chord progressions and the way they were using the storytelling in their songwriting, I think it was so genius. 

Q: Go-to song to get the crowd excited? 

DB: I’d say, definitely, “I Told You Everything,’ because of the chorus: “She’s taking out pieces of my heart.” A good amount of people know that song around here. That’s a good song to get people going. That’s the song we’re opening [Battle of the Bands] with, actually. 

Q: Your Battle of the Bands set list will be all originals?

DB: We have one cover in there. It’s “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood. That is a song that a lot of kids our age really like to sing. The chorus is really catchy. “Sweater Weather” is last, “I Told You Everything” is first, and then we have our new song that we’re releasing on Friday called “Butterflies.” It’s brand-new. 

Q: Favorite memory from a live performance? 

DB: We did a front yard show two years ago, we put a stage out and all that, and there was about 300 people that showed up in our front yard. It was basically like a block party, and then it got shut down by the cops. It was pretty crazy. We knew there was going to be a consequence for it, but we just wanted to have fun. 

For more information on The Borin Brothers, visit Instagram.com/theborinbrothers.

NOTHING WRONG WITH WET SOCKS, MIAMI

The band: Bassist Maximo Garcia, 18, just graduated from Florida Virtual School and plans to attend Miami-Dade College in the fall. Guitarist Logan Lopez, 17, graduated from Coral Reef Senior High School and is bound for the University of Miami. Drummer Elijah Leano, 16, is an honors student in the International Baccalaureate program at Miami’s Gulliver Prep, where he plays in the jazz band. At Battle of the Bands, they will have a guest vocalist, Anina Cueto, 19, a Coral Reef High graduate attending Savannah College of Art and Design. 

Behind the music: They all have performed at School of Rock in Coral Gables and with the program’s prestigious house band when it played Rock in Rio in Portugal in 2022, Summerfest 2023 in Milwaukee and a just-completed summer U.S. bus tour. Maximo, Logan and Elijah were with another band when they decided, spur of the moment, to create Nothing Wrong With Wet Socks to fill a sudden opening on the bill at a youth-music showcase in December at Pérez Art Museum Miami. Elijah is a member of the PAMM Teen Arts Council. The name of the band is an intentionally “goofy” non sequitur, chosen quickly and randomly, Elijah said. They call themselves Wet Socks. 

Q: Which performers are staples of a Wet Socks set list? 

Elijah Leano: We try to have as much variety as possible, so we’ll do some older alternative things. Maybe some of The Smiths, some Motown R&B artists, like Stevie Wonder. And sometimes we’ll throw in something fun that we like, modern emo artists like Mom Jeans or Taking Back Sunday.  

Q: Who are your musical role models?

EL: I really like Smashing Pumpkins, specifically with their drummer [Jimmy Chamberlin], because he has a jazz background and incorporates it with his rock drumming. I find that inspiring. I also like The Beatles a lot, because my dad raised me on The Beatles. Their evolution of music over time and how they don’t use instruments in the typical “standard or normal way” is inspiring. 

Q: Why do you play music from your parents’ era? 

EL: Nowadays, the most popular music will be all electronically produced, no real instruments. I think there is a connection that you don’t see as much between the performer and the listener. Instead of just pressing a button, I’m orchestrating the music for you. I think there’s something magical about that, and you’ll see it a lot more with the older bands. All these older bands we play, they have a feel that connects with the audience. 

Q: Go-to song to get the crowd excited? 

EL: One of our strongest is “The Distance” by Cake. First of all, it’s just a sick song, the dirty guitar and the laidback drums kind of marching forward. And, second of all, the fact that we love the song so much. You can tell when we play it, we’re feeling that music. We like to mess around onstage and engage with our audience. Us bouncing off of the audience, bouncing off of the song, bouncing off of each other, it really gets a great vibe going. 

Q: Favorite memory from a live performance? 

EL: It was our first show [at PAMM] and on one of our favorite songs, “40 hands” by Mom Jeans, Logan broke his D string. It was really rough, because we didn’t have an extra guitar, no extra strings. So Logan looked at what he had, dealt with it, and then … the final closer was “Freebird” and we had to try to re-learn that entire song, including that crazy extended solo, missing a string. The crowd got even more hyped by the fact that he was doing it without [the string]. From the second everyone heard those first [chords] everyone was standing up, waving their arms. … It was mostly teens, my age, maybe 70%. … I don’t think “Freebird” will ever die off. “Freebird” is “Freebird.” 

For more information on Nothing Wrong With Wet Socks, visit Instagram.com/nothing_wrong_with_wet_socks.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Fourth annual Battle of the Bands

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9; doors open at 6 p.m.

WHERE: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton

COST: Free

INFORMATION: Visit MiznerAmp.com

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.

FRIDAY

Local sounds: Boca Raton’s annual free Summer in the City concert series winds down on Friday with the fourth annual Battle of the Bands competition at Mizner Park Amphitheater, beginning at 7 p.m. Finalists will face off in two categories — one for performers younger than 20 and one for those 20 and older — with a $2,500 cash prize for the winner in each group. The audience also will have a chance to vote for Fan Favorite. The performers in the younger category are: The Borin Brothers (from Boca Raton), Midnight3 (Parkland), Unravel (Pompano Beach) and Nothing Wrong With Wet Socks (Miami). In the older group are 212 Degrees (Coral Springs-Pompano Beach),  Leave it to Us (Fort Lauderdale), the (highly recommended) Ryan Cooper Band (Miami) and vocalist Jass. Food and beverages will be available for purchase (no outside food/beverages or pets permitted). Blankets and chairs are encouraged, and there will be chairs available to rent ($5). You also can support entrepreneurs age 13 to 20 at the Young Entrepreneurs Market, which is open from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Visit MiznerAmp.com.

Def jam: Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Def Leppard will bring their stadium-scale hits to the intimate confines of Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Friday. A handful of single seats are available for around $200+ and a number of Verified Resale tickets can be found at MyHRL.com. 

Panic! at the Iceplex: Friday is Emo Night at the Florida Panthers’ Baptist Health IcePlex in downtown Fort Lauderdale, with skating to your favorite sing-alongs courtesy of 104.3-FM The Shark. The party runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free, and skating costs $17. Visit FTLWarMemorial.com.

Weekend burger: Creator of the best burger in South Florida, according to Sun Sentinel readers, Cheffrey Eats (the chef also known as Jeffrey Lemmerman) is up to his old-new tricks at Barrel of Monks Brewing in Boca Raton. His burger of the month for August is the diabolical Grilled Cheese Burger, which stacks an Angus beef patty, bacon, cheddar cheese and smoked tomato jam between two deep-fried, “uncrustable” grilled-cheese buns. He elevates it with a side of tomato bisque for dipping. Because, of course. Price: $19, with a side of fries an extra $2. Visit Instagram.com/cheffreyeats.

Girls’ night out: Influential podcaster, TikToker and author Drew Afualo will be joined by sister Deison at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale at 8 p.m. Friday on the LOUD Book Tour featuring Two Idiot Girls. The sassy gabfest will lean into Drew’s patriarchy-smashing book “Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve.” Tickets to the all-ages appearance cost $30.50+. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

Ticket window: Bell Biv DeVoe (“Poison,” “Do Me!”) will bring The R&B Forever Tour to Miami’s Kaseya Center on Oct. 18, with co-headliners TGT (Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank), as well as Silk. In advance of the general on-sale at 10 a.m. Friday, tickets will be available via a venue presale (password FOREVER) from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday at KaseyaCenter.com.

Take the kids: Fort Lauderdale’s popular Starlight Musicals series of free downtown concerts in Holiday Park is scheduled to bow out for the season on Friday with the eclectic party jams of the Shane Duncan Band. These family friendly musical picnics, set up on the football field on the east side of the park, take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Visit Parks.FortLauderdale.gov/starlight.

New music series: The Deerfield Beach Historical Society on Friday will introduce a new music series called the Acoustic Cafe inside its beautiful mid-century modern Deerfield Beach Cultural Center. First up is longtime local favorite singer-guitarist Scott Avery, a memorable presence on many stages, including Maguires Hill 16 in Fort Lauderdale (if your memory goes back that far). The show is from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $10. Visit DeerfieldBeachHistoricalSociety.com.

SATURDAY

Shell games: Even Keel Fish Shack in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, in collaboration with Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival and Mike Mayo’s Lunchbox, will host their inaugural oysterpalooza known as Pearl Jam by the Sea on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. The celebration costs $65 for unlimited oysters and sparkling wine and live entertainment. An oyster-slurping contest will crown the winner with the inaugural Pearl Jam Necklace. VIP tickets, which include additional bites and Taittinger Champagne, are available for $100. Visit OysterPearlJam.Eventbrite.com.

Future oysters: Speaking of a lively meeting over mollusks, tickets are on sale for Oyster Fest 2024, the annual tented affair hosted by Fort Lauderdale beach hot spots Coconuts and G&B Oyster Bar, which is set to return on Oct. 4. The event will include unlimited grazing at eight food stations, bottomless Funky Buddha Pearl Diver Oyster Saison, live music, slurping contests and more. Cost: $85. Visit CoconutsFortLauderdale.com/oyster-fest.

Saturday jams: A week after Simply Stoopid stopped in West Palm Beach (if you were there, you know), a similar vibe takes over iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre on Saturday as SoCal sunchasers Stick Figure make a stop on the Sacred Sands Summer Tour with SOJA and Little Stranger. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show start at $54.35+ at LiveNation.com.

Meet Masvidal: Miami’s own MMA and UFC legend Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal will be at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Saturday at 4 p.m. to sign copies of his memoir, “Born to Fight: How a Street Fighter Living on the Edge Became ‘Gamebred’ and Found Success” (Threshold Editions, $29.99). Tickets (required) cost $34.75 and include a copy of the book and a spot in the signing line, where you can get the book autographed and take a photo. Visit BooksAndBooks.com/events.

Keep on trucking: Led by dirt-shredding favorites Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Megalodon and ThunderROARus, Monster Jam rumbles into Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise this weekend with performances at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets to the main events start at $25+ at SeatGeek.com. Tickets for the popular preshow Pit Party (10:30 a.m.-noon each day) are sold out on Saturday, but were still available for Sunday for $20+ (Monster Jam admission extra).  

Back to school: Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub in downtown Hollywood reminds us of what college life is all about with its inaugural “Animal House”-themed Toga Party on Saturday, with prizes for best costumes, raffles and two-for-one drinks from 8 to 11 p.m. with a donation to Blue Waters Dog Rescue. Visit Facebook.com/MickeyByrnesIrishPub.

Saturday tributes: Popular Journey/Styx tribute band Majesty of Rock, showcasing the soaring vocals of John D’Agostino, plays Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach on Saturday from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Admission is free, with seats starting at $30 for a table for two. Visit Galuppis.com. …  Mathews Brewing Co. in Lake Worth Beach hosts the free Heat Wave Grunge Festival on Saturday from 6 to 11:30 p.m., with performances by tribute bands 46 & Tool (Tool tribute), Nothing’s Shocking (Jane’s Addiction) and In a Nutshell (Alice in Chains). Visit Facebook.com/mathewsbrewing.

Lost and found: The pastoral Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach on Saturday and Sunday hosts its annual Obon Weekend, which honors the memory of loved ones who, according to Japanese tradition, make a brief return to visit the living. Events include creating traditional memorial messages on slips of paper, taiko drummers, dance, garden tours and the annual floating lantern ceremony on Morikami Lake on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost  $16, $14 for seniors, $12 for students and military, $10 for children age 6 to 17. Visit Morikami.org.

SUNDAY

Musical explorer: Five-time Grammy winner PJ Morton, who has spent more than a decade as keyboardist for pop giants Maroon 5, is an engaging performer of eclectic inspiration: His 2021 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album and 2024 Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance with “Good Morning” bracketed his share of the 2022 Album of the Year for helping out on Jon Batiste’s “We Are.” Morton’s performance at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale at 8 p.m. Sunday is part of his Cape Town to Cairo Tour, which takes its name from an album released in June that he created in 30 days after a transformative journey across Africa. The Cavemen open. Tickets cost $34.50+ at ParkerPlayhouse.com. 

LOOKING AHEAD

OPAW! That hidden slice of funky eclecticism along Northeast 12th Avenue in downtown Oakland Park will be celebrated during the free Oakland Park Art Walk on Saturday, Aug. 17. The three-hour stroll from 6 to 9 p.m. will showcase creative and culinary talent in the area from Northeast 36th Street to Northeast 34th Court (along the Brightline tracks south of Funky Buddha Brewery). Participants include The Butcher’s Barrel,  Nour Thai Kitchen,  Rebel Wine Bar, Black Flamingo Brewing, D’Gusta Distributions and Beans-n-Dough Cookie Co. Visit OaklandParkFL.gov.

Block luau: Chef/partners Alex Kuk and Diego Ng of Temple Street Eatery in downtown Fort Lauderdale will celebrate a decade of serving their acclaimed Asian street-food inspired cuisine with a Polynesian block luau on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 5 to 11 p.m. The party will feature eats, live music, Chinese lion dancers, special cocktails, games and giveaways. Visit TempleStreetEatery.com.

Groove tonight: Enduring hits of the 1970s and ’80s will be in the air as Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago bring their Heart & Soul Tour to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug.17. Tickets are available, starting at $49.15+, at LiveNation.com.

A new Maren: Singer Maren Morris will share music from her bold new EP “Intermission” — a transformational collection for the popular Nashville performer who came out as bisexual in June — at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday, Aug. 18. Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert are available, starting at $29.99+, at MyHRL.com.

Summer vibes: One of those shows that defines the summer concert season in South Florida (anywhere, really), Train and REO Speedwagon will perform at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, Aug. 21. Get there for the opening act, the hilariously awesome Yacht Rock Revue. Tickets start at $48.65+ at LiveNation.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.

About 400 people showed up at Miami’s O Cinema Wynwood and, for Igor Shteyrenberg and Marc Ferman, that was a success.

A decade later, the founders expect about 10,000 people to take part in this year’s Popcorn Frights, which runs Thursday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 18, at two Fort Lauderdale movie houses and online via the festival’s website.

The 10th anniversary festival offers a lineup that ranges from new foreign and indie horror films to 1980s Hollywood slasher classics. And in a decidedly non-frightening twist, admission for most films is free.

“It’s our 10th anniversary, we wanted to give back to the community,” Ferman says.

Technically, the all-volunteer festival is using a pay-what-you-want pricing model: When booking tickets online, you’re given the option to pay as much or as little as you’d like. Donations are happily received but, the organizers stress, you don’t have to pay anything. That is, except for admission to a handful of special screenings.

Those who don’t want to miss anything can buy a ticket that guarantees seating for every screening — it costs $66.60. (Drop the zero to get the joke.)

For Shteyrenberg and Ferman, the open-door policy keeps with the philosophy of an event in which every dollar made has always been reinvested in the festival or given to the community.

“By opening these doors so widely, we hope to inspire the next generation of storytellers and creatives in South Florida,” Shteyrenberg says.

Screenings will take place at Savor Cinema and Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Fort Lauderdale. The communal experience is the best way to see a film, but they also want to put on a festival that can include everybody, Shteyrenberg says. Hence the online programming.

“Popcorn Frights is deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity, and our hybrid festival model is also an important testament to this core mission,” he says. “By offering multiple ways to engage with the festival, we’re able to bring together a diverse community of fans from different backgrounds and circumstances.

“Just as importantly, this inclusivity helps enrich the festival experience and creates a space where all voices can be heard and celebrated.”

Back when Shteyrenberg and Ferman began Popcorn Frights, they were frustrated by what they saw as other festivals’ lack of interest in genre films. To find good genre film festivals, according to Shteyrenberg, South Florida film fans had to travel to places like New York, Los Angeles or Austin.

The pair wanted to create a festival that was unabashedly about horror and rooted in community. As the festival has grown, Ferman and Shteyrenberg have worked to make it about more than 11 days of programming.

In addition to serving as one of the event venues, the Gateway theater now serves as the home of the festival’s year-round programming. In July, it hosted a Popcorn Frights screening of a remastered version of “The Shining.”

Over the years, the festival has also raised money for people affected by Hurricane Irma and the Surfside building collapse, as well as for Wynwood businesses during the 2016 Zika virus outbreak. The festival also “stood against (Florida’s) ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that affected many of our friends and fans,” says Shteyrenberg.

Through all that, they’ve kept it defiantly indie.

“Popcorn Frights stands as one of the few truly independent festivals in the state, beholden to not a single foundation, organization, sponsor or financial entity,” Shteyrenberg says. “This freedom and autonomy have allowed us to push the boundaries and elevate the creativity of our programming each year, resulting in unique, truly one-of-a-kind events and experiences that have attracted thousands of fans.

“In an era where festival programming is often driven by corporate and business interests, what you find at Popcorn Frights is a purity and natural excitement that are rare in today’s festival landscape.”

The festival receives thousands of submissions from all over the world, according to the producers.

“What we aspire to find is the most twisted, hilarious, intelligent, horrifying and no-holds-barred badass cinema on this planet,” says Shteyrenberg.

For “Nightmare on Elm Street” fans, there will be an “Up All Night With Freddy Marathon.” Additionally, Tony Todd, who played the title role in 1992’s “Candyman,” will be on hand to receive the Popcorn Frights Golden Skull Award and give a special introduction to the film screening.

All in all, there should be no shortage of jump scares. Shteyrenberg says that during a frightening, polarizing time, “a good, healthy scream inside the safety and comfort of a theater” might be something people need. “After all, horror films don’t create fear. They release it.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Popcorn Frights

WHEN: Aug. 8-18

WHERE:

• Savor Cinema, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale
• Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Fort Lauderdale, 1820 E. Sunrise Blvd.
• Online at watch.eventive.org/popcornfrights

COST: RSVP with pay-what-you-want pricing model. Some films have a fee, including “Candyman: Special Presentation” for $12. A $66.60 full-festival pass guarantees admission and reserved seating to all screenings, plus access to additional events.

INFORMATION: 305-573-7304; popcornfrights.com

This story was produced by Broward Arts Journalism Alliance (BAJA), an independent journalism program of the Broward County Cultural Division. Visit artscalendar.com for more stories about the arts in South Florida.

Similar to Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Obon — being commemorated Saturday, Aug. 10, and Sunday, Aug. 11 — is a time for families to reunite, as it’s believed ancestors return for a short time to visit their living relatives.

“This year, I’ll be filling out a slip in memory of my mother, who passed away last summer in Osaka, Japan,” said Miwako Patton, the museum’s marketing manager.

Since it opened in 1977, the museum has celebrated Obon, which commonly takes place in Japan over several days in August. Through the years, the traditional one-day festival has grown into a weekend-long celebration featuring taiko drummers, crafts, dance, garden strolls and the popular lantern ceremony on the lake in the evening.

This year, however, the museum’s patio renovation, which is part of an ongoing beautification project, has been delayed because of weather, forcing organizers to cancel its Lantern Dinner, according to museum director Bonnie LeMay.

“While we’re disappointed that we won’t be able to host this beloved event as planned, we’re excited about the improvements underway and look forward to welcoming guests to an even more beautiful and inviting space once the project is complete,” she said.

Instead, visitors may purchase floating lanterns for $8 or guiding lights (round lanterns on a stick) for $5 during Obon Weekend at the museum and take them home to continue the celebration.

“Place a guiding light in front of your house to welcome and honor your loved ones. You can also write messages on the sides of the lanterns, light the candles inside and let them float on a lake or river,” LeMay said. “In Japan, these lanterns are traditionally believed to guide the spirits of loved ones back to their resting place.”

Share your at-home lantern ceremonies on social media using #LanternAtHome and #MorikamiObonWeekend.

What else can museum visitors do throughout the weekend?

• Pay respects at the Bon altar dedicated to museum founder George Morikami on display in the Kamiya Room.
• Take a stroll and spend a moment of reflection in the six landscaped gardens.
• Enjoy Fushu Daiko live drumming performances in the Morikami Theater both days. Taiko performances are $10 for nonmembers and $5 for members; this is an addition to museum admission. (Purchase advance tickets through Friday, Aug. 9, at morikami.org/event/obon-weekend. Remaining tickets will be available at the door.)
• Take part in Saturday’s Family Fun Day, which will include a Cicada Noisemaker craft for kids of all ages.
• Head to the lakefront terrace at 3:30 p.m. Saturday to learn the Bon dance, or Bon Odori in Japanese.
• At 4:30 p.m. Sunday, gather at Morikami Lake to end Obon Weekend with the floating of the large lantern filled with messages to lost loved ones.

“The dance is typically performed in a circle around a raised platform called a ‘yagura,’ where musicians and singers provide live entertainment,” LeMay said. “Participants wear ‘yukata,’ a casual summer kimono, and follow simple, choreographed movements. This makes it easy for everyone to join in and experience the joyful communal spirit of the dance.”

After the 20-minute workshop, participants will perform the Bon dance to live music by Fushu Daiko.

“We hope that through Obon Weekend, we can inspire meaningful reflections and celebrate the shared human experiences that bring us all together,” LeMay said. “It’s a time when we come together to remember those who have passed, immerse ourselves in Japanese culture, and find inspiration through traditional rituals and activities.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Obon Weekend

WHEN: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and Sunday, Aug. 11

WHERE: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach

COST: Museum admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, $12 for students and military, $10 for children age 6-17, and free for museum members. Fushu Daiko live drumming performances cost extra.

INFORMATION: 561-495-0233; morikami.org/event/obon-weekend

The titan truck tussle, taking place Aug. 10-11 at Amerant Bank Arena, will feature vast vehicles that weigh 12,000 pounds and are about 10.5 feet tall, 12.5 feet wide and 17 feet long.

On both days, a Monster Jam Pit Party will kick off the activities from 10:30 a.m. to noon, allowing guests to see the massive trucks up close, meet the drivers and crews, get autographs and take selfies. Attendees must have both an event ticket and a Pit Pass to gain access.

Then, the Monster Jam starts at 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11.

However, fans might want to take their seats an hour beforehand for the Monster Jam Trackside. That’s where there are driver interviews, competition previews, opening ceremonies, power rush truck introductions and prize giveaways.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS

• Drivers will race their monster trucks and perform stunts (including backflips, big-air launches, wheelies).
• There will also be a donut competition, quickly rotating the truck as many times as possible.
• The freestyle battle is where drivers get creative with their skills, performing tricks.

ADVICE FOR FIRST-TIMERS

• It’ll be loud. You might want to bring earplugs.
• For some, it is a good idea to keep eye drops handy, as the monster trucks kick up a lot of dirt and dust.
• Take a few moments to learn the lingo. Fortunately for you, there’s a helpful glossary at monsterjam.com/monster-jam-lingo.
• Believe it or not, the Amerant Bank Arena MIGHT be a little chilly for some people. Often, Monster Jam events request that air conditioning be on full blast to keep the trucks from overheating (though there’s no confirmation of this from the arena). If you’re the type always turning up the thermostat at home, you may want to dress in layers.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR

• Adam Anderson won Monster Jam World championships in 2013, 2014 and 2018 for racing as well as in 2008 and 2016 for freestyle.
• Ryan Anderson‘s titles include a Monster Jam World Finals championship in 2017 for racing and 2022-2023 for high jump.
• Tristan England won his first Monster Jam World championships for racing in 2023.
• Todd LeDuc won the Monster Jam World Finals championships in 2014 for freestyle and in 2015 for racing.
• Coty Saucier won the Young Guns Shootout Championships in 2015.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Monster Jam

WHEN: 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11

WHERE: Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise

COST: $22-$103, varies by showtime

EXTRA TIDBIT: The Monster Jam Pit Party, which requires a separate ticket, will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon on both days. Pit Passes are $20, but you must buy a show ticket before you can purchase a Monster Jam Pit Party Pass.

INFORMATION: Visit monsterjam.com, amerantbankarena.com and/or seatgeek.com.

FRIDAY

Uneasy riders: South Florida’s newest team, the Florida Freedom of the Professional Bull Riders league, will make their home debut this weekend during their inaugural homestand at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. Featuring teenage phenom John Crimber, the No. 1 pick in the recent PBR draft, the Freedom will compete at 7:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:45 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $20+, or $99+ for a three-day pass. Visit Instagram.com/flfreedompbr or pbr.com/teams/florida-freedom.

A new dish: Fort Lauderdale chef Paula DaSilva (once of Gordon Ramsay’s reality-TV competition “Hell’s Kitchen”) continues her monthly culinary series Paula’s Food Diaries at Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits in Fort Lauderdale with an August menu featuring a favorite dish by celebrity chef and friend Aarón Sánchez. Debuting this weekend, Sánchez’s Cobia Tiradito ($23) is composed of thinly sliced cobia paired with Creole tomatoes, crispy hominy and an array of seasonings, dressed in a tiradito sauce made with yuzu juice and white soy sauce. It will be available at Burlock Coast, the waterfront restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, through Aug. 31. Visit BurlockCoast.com.

Power trip: Teatro Avante’s 38th annual International Hispanic Theatre Festival of Miami at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts offers performances of “Disonancia” (Dissonance), prolific Havana-born playwright Abel González Melo’s compelling treatise on the lasting effects of authoritarian regimes on society. Performances (in Spanish with English supertitles) will be at 8:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $29-$34+ at ArshtCenter.org.

Weekend laughs: Comedian and South Florida native Brittany Brave, most widely known locally as a sassy Hits 97.3 radio personality, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday on the Box 2.0 stage at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts in Boca Raton. Tickets cost $28+ at BocaBlackBox.com. … Cult-fave comic and sports podcaster Sam Morril (also an unrepentant Knicks fan) has performances at the Miami Improv at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $30+ at MiamiImprov.com. … Veteran stand-up and talk-show fixture Steve Byrne will be at the Dania Improv in Dania Beach for performances at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $22+ at DaniaImprov.com.

Weekend beers: Friday is International Beer Day, unlike every other day. Here are some ways to celebrate: NOBO Brewing Co. in Boynton Beach recently unveiled Dragon Fruit Imperial Blonde Ale with extra dragon — it checks in at 12% ABV. Visit Instagram.com/nobobrewing. … Funky Buddha Brewery is offering the IPA Maximum Effort, a marriage of blood orange and fiery habanero, on draft in the Oakland Park taproom. Visit Facebook.com/FunkyBuddhaBrew. … Tarpon River Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale will bring back its beloved Watermelon Wit for the first time in five years on Saturday, which is — as you know — National Watermelon Day. Visit Facebook.com/tarponriverbrewing.

Summer haze: Funky SoCal groovers Slightly Stoopid and Dirty Heads will unfurl their infectiously sunny soundtrack at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Friday at 6 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.). Common Kings and The Elovaters complete the bill. Tickets start at $45.15+, with $1 from every ticket sold going to the Maui Food Bank. Visit LiveNation.com.

Sunday worship: Twenty-five years after they formed on Long Island, emo heroes Taking Back Sunday will perform at Revolution Live at the Backyard in Fort Lauderdale on Friday at 7 p.m., on a bill with openers Citizen. The tour supports the album “152,” which was released in October. To the surprise of no one, the all-ages show is down to resale tickets starting at about $100+. Check availability at JoinTheRevolution.net.

Weekend movies: Some favorite female actors will be found on FLIFF screens this weekend: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep,” “Seinfeld”) delivers a powerful performance in A24 Films’ emotional fairy tale “Tuesday,” playing the mother of a teenage daughter as they face Death, in the form of a talking bird. The film will be shown at Savor Cinema in downtown Fort Lauderdale from Friday to Sunday. … Cinema Paradiso in Hollywood devotes its screen all weekend to “The Fabulous Four,” which follows a bachelorette celebration in Key West among friends played by Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally. (The Daily Beast pronounced it “chintzy but pleasingly familiar — and very funny.”) For information on both films, visit FLIFF.com.

Two nights of Jonas: The forever-young Jonas Brothers bring the tour supporting their 2023 Jon Bellion-produced release “The Album” to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood for performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets for both shows are available, starting at $55+. Visit MyHRL.com. 

Electric vehicle: A performance by Miami-based, Latin-funk fusionistas Electric Piquete is the centerpiece of Friday’s Art After Dark events at the Norton Museum of Art in downtown West Palm Beach. Art After Dark, with docent tours of the museum and art workshops (this week by guest teaching artist Gregory Dirr), runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Electric Piquete performs from 6 to 8 p.m. Art After Dark tickets cost $10, or $5 for students. Visit Norton.org.

SATURDAY

Saturday tributes: Nationally touring Taylor Swift simulator Rikki Lee Wilson will perform from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach. General admission tickets cost $20, or $10 for children age 12 and younger. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Visit Galuppis.com. … Turnstiles, Tony Monaco’s popular homage to Billy Joel, will return to The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $30+ for general-admission standing room. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com. … Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale will host The Linkin Park Tribute from Orlando and Miami-based Lavola’s excellent tribute to Radiohead on Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $15+. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

Emo night: More than just another night of sing-alongs, Emo Night Karaoke will allow you to sing your heart out to your favorite teary-eyed anthems in front of a live band. Taking place on Saturday at West Palm Beach music venue The Banyan Live (8199 Southern Blvd.), the 18-and-older event begins at 9 p.m., with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15. Visit TheBanyanLive.com.

Something different: In Margate on Saturday, Tribe Tea Lounge, “where the art of tea meets the magic of community,” will host TribeCon, with a gaming tournament, a $100 cosplay contest,  food trucks, DJs, vendors, raffles and more. The fun runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Admission is $5 in advance, $10 at the door (and includes a free drink). Tribe Tea Lounge is at 1448 N. State Road 7. Visit Instagram.com/tribetealounge.

SUNDAY

Fashionable brunch: Alert Lady Whistledown! Thrōw Social in downtown Delray Beach will be the setting for the Bridgerton Brunch on Sunday, a celebration of the Netflix cult hit that promises decadent dishes, stylish sips, photo ops, live music, games and a best “Bridgerton” outfit contest. There will be two seatings: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m. Seats start at $50+ for a single spot at the bar and $100+ for a table for two. The most luxe option is a cabana for up to 10 people for $600+. Visit Facebook.com/throwsocialdelray.

Pure Kane: Platinum-selling country star Kane Brown brings his In The Air Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood at 8 p.m. Sunday, with scattered seats starting at $65+. Dylan Schneider (“Bad Decisions,” “Ain’t Missin’ You”) opens. Visit MyHRL.com.  

LOOKING AHEAD

Sweet dreams are made of this: Funky Buddha Brewery and Wilton Creamery will again collaborate on the popular Ice Cream and Beer Pairing on Thursday, Aug. 8, with five beers presented alongside five small-batch ice cream servings. Tickets cost $25 plus a 20% gratuity. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Visit FunkyBuddha.com.

Let’s get rocked: Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Def Leppard will bring their stadium-scale hits to the intimate confines of Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday, Aug. 9. Scattered tickets remain, starting at $259+. Visit MyHRL.com. 

‘Girls’ night out: Influential podcaster, TikToker and author Drew Afualo and sister Deison will be at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, on the “Two Idiot Girls Live” tour supporting Drew’s patriarchy-smashing manifesto “Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve.” Tickets to the all-ages appearance cost $30.50+. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

Garden memories: The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach hosts its annual Obon Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10-11. The traditional Japanese festival and holiday honors the spirits of ancestors, who make a brief return home to visit their living relatives. Tickets are on sale:  $16 for adults; $10 for children (free for museum members). Visit Morikami.org.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.

An expanding cultural oddity with adherents around the globe, the movement known as the Mrs. Roper Romp features pop-up bar takeovers by women and men dressed in the garb of the beloved sitcom character from “Three’s Company”: colorful muumuus, curly wigs and sunglasses. The events are open to anyone and typically executed guerrilla-style, without warning to the venue. They just show up. 

In South Florida, which hosted its most recent Mrs. Roper bar crawl in downtown Delray Beach in June, the trend is officially heating up, with costumed Ropers planning to gather in Lake Worth Beach on Aug. 17 and in Key West during Fantasy Fest on Oct. 21. Plans are percolating for a future Roper takeover in Wilton Manors, and there is a Mrs. Roper-themed cruise leaving from Miami in February. 

The clearinghouse for details about all this fun is the Facebook group for the South Florida Chapter of Mrs. Roper Romp, which Sunrise resident Tina Ashley started last summer with three best friends. It now has more than 500 members. It is a spinoff of the national Mrs. Roper Facebook group that began in New Orleans in 2013 and has more than 57,000 members. 

Ashley wasn’t sure anyone would show up to her first Mrs. Roper Romp, which took place in October at Fort Lauderdale’s iconic Elbo Room. It attracted more than a dozen Helens, as they call themselves. Her Roper Romp at Thrōw Social in Delray Beach in June drew more than twice that. 

Coordinating these events and the Facebook group is a welcome relief from her day job with the Department of Homeland Security, Ashley says. 

“Everybody appreciates a good old-fashioned hang. You’ve got the wig and the caftan … and you just look at each other and the ridiculousness of it,” Ashley says, recalling the inaugural outing at the Elbo Room with a laugh. “We’re talking about complete strangers. Everyone was genuinely, authentically excited to be there and have fun connected to this one thing.” 

Who is Mrs. Roper?

If the name Helen Roper is familiar, you may officially be an old head, or just very good at TV trivia. Mrs. Roper was, for the uninitiated, the beleaguered wife of comically tyrannical landlord Stanley Roper on the 1970s-’80s sitcom “Three’s Company.” 

The premise of the show was bold for its time: Three attractive young tenants, two female, one male — played by Suzanne Somers (for five seasons), Joyce DeWitt and John Ritter — live platonically together in an apartment only after they convince their cranky landlord (played by Norman Fell) that no shenanigans will be taking place because Ritter’s character is gay (he isn’t). 

Helen Roper (played by Audra Lindley, who died in 1997) isn’t fooled, but she supports the trio’s scheme. In her subversion of her husband’s bumbling authority, not to mention her wild fashion sense and saucy wit, Mrs. Roper remains an irreverent symbol of freedom. 

“Mrs. Roper to me is a woman ahead of her time. She was judgment-free: live and let live,” Ashley says. “Everyone sees that she’s just an authentically, genuinely open and inclusive person. That resonates with me. And, of course, she had some really great one-liners. They seemed like such an unlikely couple, but she was devoted to her Stanley.”   

What to expect

Part of the appeal of the Mrs. Roper Romp is the unpretentious anonymity of the costume, an antidote to the obsessive focus on the physical and the fashionable that we’re surrounded with in the Miami area, Ashley says.  

“The anonymity was big. South Florida in general is a little bit more conscious of how you look — my god, if I get another invite to a Botox party,” she says, laughing. “[At the Mrs. Roper Romp], I don’t have to worry about how I look, or if my pants are too tight. I always say, caftans are freedom.” 

The environment is perfect for new residents. In advance of the Romp in Delray Beach, a woman messaged Ashley to ask whether she should come. She had just moved to South Florida and described herself as “super introverted,” not a bar person, nor someone who dresses up in costumes, but interested in meeting new people. 

“I reached out to her and said, ‘Absolutely, this is a great way to meet people.’ Everyone is very open and welcoming. We were all friends instantly, you know?” Ashley says. “She came to Delray and I immediately approached her, and then afterward she said, ‘I’m really glad I came.’” 

There aren’t any rules to the Mrs. Roper Romp, though the group tries to stick together when they move among neighboring bars. “No Helen left behind,” Ashley says, laughing. 

Men are encouraged. “What surprised me at the Elbo Room [was] the men who came in full costume. How comfortable they were, standing there in their flip-flops and their wigs and just smoking a cigar, having a beer. It’s just hilarious,” she says.

You pay your own tab, but the bartenders at the Elbo Room were so impressed by the group that the Ropers were offered more than a few free drinks. 

Be prepared to share the Helen Roper story with strangers. “At the Elbo Room, it was a lot of Gen Xers, right? Either you got it or you didn’t, and I had fun explaining it,” Ashley says.  

Newbies welcome

“Three’s Company” was a staple of Wellington resident Helen Archer’s childhood in Los Angeles in the early ’80s. 

“That was one of the shows that my parents let me watch. It was funny, and the fact that two grown women had their own place and were living with a man, I thought it was hilarious,” she says. “The whole concept of that show was great fun. It was one of the only shows that all the family members could relate to.” 

“Mrs. Roper to me is a woman ahead of her time. She was judgment-free: live and let live. Everyone sees that she’s just an authentically, genuinely open and inclusive person. That resonates with me.” — Sunrise resident Tina Ashley

Archer started throwing muumuu-themed parties with friends during the pandemic and was intrigued when she discovered the South Florida Chapter of the Mrs. Roper Romp on Facebook. She is hosting her first Romp at The American German Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth Beach on Aug. 17.

Archer chose the date because that night the club will feature the band Private Stock, which covers classic hits from the heyday of “Three’s Company.” The night also will include German Fest activities from 5 to 10 p.m., with German and American food and all-you-can-drink beer, wine and soft drinks for $30. Admission for ages 13-20 will be $15+, ages 6-12 $8, 5 and younger free.  

The appearance of Mrs. Ropers at the club that night “will be a surprise,” Archer says.

Part of the fun of the event will be creating the outfit. Many women have a muumuu in the back of their closet, she says, but thrift stores and Etsy offer unique discoveries. Amazon is good for wigs, but it can be risky if you’re trying to avoid seeing someone in an identical muumuu. 

“You want to be the one with the most elaborate muumuu. Thrift stores are the best. The fun part is looking for a muumuu that is appropriate, colorful and loud,” Archer says, laughing. 

Archer is hopeful that newbies at her event will be inspired to host their own Mrs. Roper Romp.   

“Basically, just go out and do it. Don’t be afraid to make friends. Come up to me or anybody else and see if you want to do another one on your own. We’ll support them,” Archer says.

Ropers in Mexico

Rae Craven is a longtime “Three’s Company” fan who has attended events as Mrs. Roper, but she’s also a Pittsburgh-based travel agent who saw a business opportunity in the trend. She’s a member of the South Florida Roper Facebook group, but also chapters all over the United States and the national group. 

Craven does a lot of themed travel, from groups of pickleball fans to a pride cruise, and says Mrs. Roper Romp was “a natural.”

She has organized two trips to Mexico with a Mrs. Roper theme. First up is a Nov. 14-18 stay at TRS Coral Hotel, an adults-only, all-inclusive resort in Costa Mujeres (visit WOWTravelAgency.com/roperinmexico).  

From Feb. 5 to Feb. 9, Craven will host a Mrs. Roper-themed cruise from Miami on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady, with stops in Key West and Bimini, Bahamas (visit WOWTravelAgency.com/roperatsea). 

Both in person and online, Mrs. Roper brings out the best in people, Craven says. 

“You’re a Helen, and everyone’s friends, and everyone is so kind,” she says. “In the groups, we talk, we chat, it’s kind of a judgment-free thing. You are who you are, because technically you’re a Helen.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Mrs. Roper Romp

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 17

WHERE: The American German Club of the Palm Beaches, 5111 Lantana Road, Lake Worth Beach

COST: $30 for German Fest admission, including food and drinks. Admission is $15 for guests age 13-20, $8 for children age 6-12, and free for those 5 and younger.  

INFORMATION: Search for “South Florida Chapter of Mrs. Roper Romp” at Facebook.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.