Summer doesn’t last forever, even in Florida.
Schoolkids are keenly aware of that right about now, of course, but there’s another sign: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp only have two more home stands left on their schedule after this weekend. Do you really want to go a whole summer without seeing at least one baseball game?
The Shrimp, who were the best team in all of AAA baseball last year but don’t seem likely to repeat, welcome the Syracuse Mets to VyStar Ballpark at 7:05 p.m. Friday, 6:35 p.m. Saturday and 5:05 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14-16. Nashville comes to town Aug. 35-30 and Gwinnett visits Jacksonville Sept. 8-12, and that’s it for this year.
The Jumbo Shrimp plan fireworks shows after the Friday and Saturday games, and they’re giving out safari hats to the first 2,000 fans through the main gate Saturday. It’s Girl Scout Night on Sunday, and kids are invited to go out on the field and run the bases after the game ends. Tickets are $9-$49.
Here’s what else is going on this weekend in the Jacksonville area:
Rumours ATL
7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, at the Thrasher-Horne Center. $37-$79.
There are about a zillion Fleetwood Mac tribute acts on the road on any given weekend, so how do you tell which ones are any good? Fortunately, the good folks at protributebands.com have done the hard work for us and found Rumours ATL to be the third-best Fleetwood Mac band out there. They formed in Atlanta in 2014 and focus on the band’s Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham era. Info: thcenter.org
Smokey Bear’s Birthday Celebration
9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at Mike Roess Gold Head State Park. $5 per vehicle.
Ordinarily, you don’t want to run into a bear while visiting a state park. But Smokey Bear is big, friendly, wears a ranger hat and just wants you to know that only you can prevent forest fires. Celebrate Smokey’s 82nd birthday at the park between Middleburg and Keystone Heights, where kids can touch a fire truck and hear Smokey tell stories. Activities run until 1 p.m.; the park remains open until sunset. Info: floridastateparks.org
Beefare
10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16, at Duval Hall. $10.50.
Bee Friends Farm, which sells honey and beekeeping supplies, celebrates National Honeybee Day in a big way, with a two-day festival at the new Jacksonville Fairgrounds. On Saturday, they’ll have vendors, kids’ activities, honey to sample and apiary-education seminars. Sunday features the Busy Bee marketplace, vendors and exhibits. Info: duvalhall.com
Jordan Davis
7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. $60-$116.
Make no mistake, Davis is as country as they come. All three of his albums and eight of his singles have made Top 10 on the country charts and he sings songs about trucks, bars and God. But don’t be surprised when he plays a few well-chosen rock n’ roll cover songs during his show. Stella Lefty opens the show. Info: theamp.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Baseball, bees and other fun stuff to do this weekend in Jacksonville
Reporting by Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
