Hands Across the Sand, beach cleanups, wrestling, mountain biking top this weekend

Here are the best events and things to do in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart and Hobe Sound.

This weekend marks the middle of May. Spring lasts for another month, but these events and things to do across the Treasure Coast sure make it feel like summer. Here’s What To Do in 772.

Indian River County

Florida’s Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross will host its annual Hangar Party in the Corporate Air Hangar of the Vero Beach Regional Airport from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. May 17. Pictured is a scene from the 2018 Hangar Party. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED BY REBECCA TORRIANI)

The American Red Cross Hangar Party is 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday at the Corporate Air Hangar at the Vero Beach Regional Airport at 3450 Airport West Drive. Learn how to prepare for this hurricane season, which starts June 1, and enjoy live music, food and beverages, a silent auction, exhibitors and a children’s zone. Admission is free. Proceeds benefit the local Red Cross to aid in response to disasters ranging from home fires to hurricanes. For more information, call 772-562-2549 or go to redcross.org/hangarparty.

More: American Red Cross asks: Are you ready for hurricane season?

The Boots & Brews outdoor country music concerts are 6-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in front of Riverside Theatre at 3250 Riverside Park Drive in Vero Beach. Enjoy live music from two bands, as well as food, beer and cocktails for sale, plus free beer samples from Walking Tree Brewery. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. Dress in cowboy or cowgirl attire to enter a raffle. For more information, go to www.riversidetheatre.com.

Laurie’s Stories: Laugh it up at adults-only comedy shows in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce

A restored 1929 Ford Tri-Motor airliner flies over South Beach and the Fort Pierce Inlet on Thursday Feb. 15. The plane, one of only six Tri-Motors still flying and now owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association, is almost identical to the aircraft Dorothy Binney Putnam flew in July 1929 from New York to Los Angeles. (Photo: ANTHONY WESTBURY/TCPALM)

The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 99’s Young Eagles event is 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Vero Beach Regional Airport at 3400 Cherokee Drive. Airplane rides are free for kids ages 10-17 with parents or guardians. EAA Chapter 99 has flown 870 kids in the past 20 years. To register, call 772-713-0607. For more information, go to eaa99.org.

More: Historic plane ride stirs memories for FP woman | Anthony Westbury

Team up with Walking Tree Brewery and Keep Indian River Beautiful for the May Cleanup from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center at 4875 43rd Ave., in Vero Beach. Gloves, pickers and buckets are provided. Volunteers get a ticket for a free beer or soda redeemable that day. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/walkingtreebrewery.

Photos: Keep Indian River Beautiful beach cleanup and replanting in Vero Beach

Buy PhotoIGNITE Wrestling’s Ready for War pro wrestling invitational was held on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at Walking Tree Brewery in Vero Beach. (Photo: MOLLY BARTELS/SPECIAL TO TCPALM)

IGNITE Wrestling is noon-3 p.m. Saturday at Walking Tree Brewery at 3209 Dodger Road in Vero Beach. The event features multiple matches and includes the IGNITE debut of former IMPACT star Caleb Konley. Tickets are $5-$15 plus fees. For more information, go to ignitewrestling.com.

Photos: Chokeholds and piledrivers draw cheers at IGNITE wrestling invitational in Vero Beach

Martin County

Buy PhotoBen DeVico and his son, Christian, 7, both of Port St. Lucie, relax on the 1000-foot lazy river Sunday at Sailfish Splash Waterpark in Stuart. “It’s close for us and the price is good,” said DeVico. (Photo: MOLLY BARTELS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

The Splash and Movie Night featuring “Aquaman” is 5:45-9:30 p.m. Friday at Sailfish Splash Waterpark at 931 S.E Ruhnke St., in Stuart. Enjoy two hours of waterpark access from 5:45-7:45 p.m. After sunset, watch the movie while floating on an inner tube. Kids ages 12 and younger require adult supervision. Tickets are $12.95 each, plus taxes. The event isn’t included in season passes. If rained out, the makeup date is May 24. To get tickets, go to www.sailfishsplash.com.

More: Martin County’s Sailfish Splash Waterpark pursues 10-year, $5 million expansion plan

Family Movie Night in the Park featuring “Zootopia” is 7-10 p.m. Friday at Sailfish Ballpark at 600 S.E. Georgia Ave., in Stuart. The movie begins at sunset. The night also includes free popcorn, lawn games and trivia. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Admission is free. Bring a new or gently used life jacket to donate to the YMCA for Water Safety Month. For more information, call 772-288-5340.

More: Stuart commissioners vote to keep Sailfish Park ballfields for baseball players

About 75 enthusiastic people showed up for Hands Across the Sand at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach Saturday, to show their support for the environment and stand against offshore drilling and offshore seismic testing.  (Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

The Treasure Coast Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation’s Hands Across the Sand is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Stuart Beach at 866 N.E. Ocean Blvd. Participate in a beach cleanup starting at 9 a.m. and learn about the issues of seismic airgun blasting and offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. Paddle out with your surfboard, kayak or paddleboard starting at 10 a.m. Join hands in solidarity starting at noon for 15 minutes, forming a continuous line in the sand. For more information, go to handsacrossthesand.org.

Photos: MC, PBC locals gather up garbage for C4CW Beach Cleanup in Stuart

The Avant-Garden Party, an outdoor benefit for the Arts Council of Martin County, is 3-9 p.m. Saturday at 130 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., at Dixie Highway in downtown Stuart. Watch four artists paint large-scale murals and enjoy live music, artists and vendors, food trucks, a full bar and garden games. Admission is a $10 donation. For more information, call 772-287-6676 or go to www.martinarts.org.

Photos: ArtsFest 2019, by The Arts Council of Martin County, opens for the weekend in Stuart

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day introduces boys and girls to the thrill of outdoor off-road bike trails 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY ARTIFACTS PHOTOGRAPHY)

Club Scrub’s Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the Camp Murphy Trail Head at Jonathan Dickinson State Park at 16450 S.E. Federal Highway in Hobe Sound. The day introduces kids and their families to mountain biking and features guided trail rides for all ages, snacks, beverages, goodie bags, raffles and a free barbecue lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The park entrance fee is $6 per vehicle for up to eight people. Kids must bring their own bikes, helmets and closed-toe shoes and come with adults. To register, go to clubscrub.org.

More: Twenty-four hours not enough time to see, do all that Jonathan Dickinson State Park offers

St. Lucie County

The U. S. Coast Guard Station’s Open House and Community Appreciation Day is Saturday in Fort Pierce. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED BY CITY OF FORT PIERCE)

The U. S. Coast Guard Station’s third annual Open House and Community Appreciation Day is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 900 Seaway Drive in Fort Pierce. Tour the boats, touch the gear and see live demonstrations from local law enforcement agencies, including the K-9 unit. The event kicks off National Safe Boating Week, which is Saturday through May 24. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/uscgstationfortpierce.

More: Ed Killer: Coast Guard Auxiliary has provided a history of service

The Lincoln Park Advisory Committee Family Fun Day is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Percy Peek Gymnasium at 2902 Avenue D in Fort Pierce. The day includes children’s activities, music, face painting, bounce houses and food for sale. Admission is free. The subcommittee of the Roundtable of St. Lucie County coordinates programs and initiatives across Lincoln Park to help the Restoring the Village Youth Initiative. For more information, call 772-466-4766.

More: Lincoln Park Advisory Committee’s Family Fun Day is May 18 at Percy Peek Gym

Pet Supermarket’s grand opening in Port St. Lucie is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at 3015 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd. The event includes refreshments, samples of dog food and treats, pet-themed raffles and giveaways, face painting for kids and dogs and cats available for adoption. The first 25 paying customers get a free bag of dog food. For more information, call 772-408-1800 or go to www.petsupermarket.com.

More: Martin County needs a pet-friendly hurricane shelter — and could soon get one

Buy Photo“A lot of Haitian families migrate here, and the younger generations tend to lose the connection to their history, background and culture, so it’s important that we have festivals like this to keep things going,” said Barbara Beausejour, center, of Port St. Lucie, who pours coconut water for a customer before the Haitian Flag Day celebration on Friday, May 18, 2018, at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center in Port St. Lucie. This is the fourth year for the free, family-friendly event which includes a parade, food, live music, arts and crafts, and children’s activities. Flag Day is the Haitian Independence Day. (Photo: MOLLY BARTELS/SPECIAL TO TCPALM)

The Haitian Flag Day Festival is 2-10 p.m. Saturday at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center at 9221 S.E. Civic Center Place. The festival includes live music and DJs. Admission is free. The organization’s purpose is to bring the Haitian community together, promote Haiti’s art and culture and educate about the history of Haiti. For more information, call 772-240-3039 or go to www.facebook.com/treasurecoastculturalfestival.

Photos: Haitian Flag Day celebrated in Port St. Lucie

The Memorial Day Beach Cleanup is 8-10 a.m. Saturday at the Smithsonian Marine Station and Ecosystems Exhibit at the St. Lucie County Aquarium at 420 Seaway Drive in Fort Pierce. Pickers, gloves and buckets are provided. Registration isn’t required. Aquarium admission isn’t included. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/smithsoniansms.

Laurie’s Stories: How to show visitors the best of Fort Pierce in one weekend

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm’s entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Read her weekly column, Laurie’s Stories, on TCPalm.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TCPalmLaurie or Facebook at faceboook.com/TCPalmLaurie.

Source: Hands Across the Sand, beach cleanups, wrestling, mountain biking top this weekend