Your heart belongs to daddy, so show the old man some love this weekend, all for the low, low price of free. (How’s that for a father figure?) At the Tampa Bay History Center’s Father’s Day Watch Party, you and Pops can get heartwarmingly old-timey and catch a game of afternoon baseball displayed on a 20-foot LCD in adjacent Cotanchobee Park as the Rays take on the Marlins. Kids will be able to occupy themselves with fuzzy blue mascot Raymond, the Rays street team, batting cages, Nintendo Wii consoles, and a craft area. Dads get in free to the History Center with one paid admission and can register to win a VIP Rays Experience that includes tickets to a game, player meet-and-greets and on-field passes to watch batting practice. The Lowry Park Zoo, MOSI, Florida Aquarium and Henry B. Plant Museum are also letting in daddy-o gratis this weekend. Be sure to check with the individual venues, as many require one paid admission for the freebie. 12:30 p.m., Sun., June 20, Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Old Water St., Tampa, tampabayhistorycenter.org; noon-5 p.m., Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, plantmuseum.com; June 19-20, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., Tampa, lowryparkzoo.com; and Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Dr., Tampa, flaquarium.org; 9 a.m.-6 p.m., MOSI, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, mosi.org.
If you’re easily excited by the thought of knitting, jewelry-making or crafting in general, then Friday’s Etsy Tampa Craft Party and Indie Bazaar is not to be missed. In honor of the fifth birthday of the website that singlehandedly made crafting hip (and profitable), Etsy fans around the world are gathering to celebrate. The Tampa meetup allows fellow crafters to network, shop the handcrafted wares of their local peers and get their groove on. The festivities include three crafting stations, a slew of indie crafters selling their wares, food, homemade cupcakes and birthday cake, music and more. (Pictured: Dark Cycle Clothing reps their hip, handcrafted tees at the Etsy Craft Party) 8 p.m. Fri., June 18, Tempus Projects, 5132 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, free; RSVP at meetup.com/Etsy-Craft-Party/2925. —Katie Machol
Tune in to WMNF 88.5 AM for the annual Juneteenth Celebration, where you can hear African-American programming all day in commemoration of the emancipation of slaves in the United States. The public is also invited to the station to join in a celebratory potluck and block party to recognize African-American achievements. juneteenth.com or wmnf.org. 3 a.m. Sat., June 19 - 3 a.m. Sun., June 20, WMNF Studios, Tampa.
The star-studded guest list of the Night with the Stars Gala includes a veritable pantheon of sports and entertainment celebrities, pageant winners, political figures and business tycoons. Rub elbows with the movers and shakers, show them what you're made of in the limo photo hunt, hoist your paddle in the live and silent auctions, all while noshing on heavy hors d'oeuvres and sipping classy cocktails. Proceeds benefit the Ryan Nece Foundation. ryannece.com/foundation.html. Sat., June 19, 8:30 p.m., TPepin Hospitality Center, Tampa, $85.
This Sunday, American Stage returns with their latest after hours gig, Odd Man Out. The "hilariously provocative" show follows a troupe of three female comedians as they introduce a new, male member to their show. Things go awry when the odd man out's act doesn't quite gel with the sassy diva-dom of these feminine humorists. Odd Man Out promises sexy dance numbers, improvisational premises, and an ex-Playboy bunny somewhere in the mix. "Odd Man Out is that perfect experimental piece of theatre that is funny, edgy, and just bordering on being a little too sexy," according to Scott Olsen, American Stage's artistic director. (Pictured: Larry Bukovey, Kimberly McVicar, Jannette Sepwa and Victoria Vodar) 8 p.m. Sun., June 20, American Stage, 163 Third St. N., St Petersburg, pay-what-you-can at the door, $15 in advance, americanstage.org. —Andrew Silverstein
Live Art After Dark, featuring Wimmin of the Pit and The Danse du Fête, to benefit for the St. Francis Society Animal Rescue. See belly dancers, artists, music, face and body painters, and tarot readers, and give love to the adorable, adoptable St. Francis dogs. Sat., June 19, doors at 6 p.m., show at 8 p.m., Ybor Art Studio, 2702 Seventh Avenue, Ybor City, $8 in advance, $10 at the door, (813) 868-4879. —Lily Reisman
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are over 69,000 refugees in the U.S. seeking asylum, and over 279,000 settled refugees in our country currently. Next week, Tampa Bay hosts several events celebrating and recognizing the courage and experiences of local refugees for World Refugee Day. Largo’s Public Library hosts several events to observe the internationally recognized day, including a naturalization oath ceremony and an awards ceremony for refugees. Also, a screening of the 2000 film, The Cup (pictured), about two Tibetan refugees exiled to a monastery in India who sneak out each night to watch the World Cup on a neighbor’s TV. 1-4:30 p.m., Sat., June 19, Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Largo, free, largopubliclibrary.org.—Mitch Perry
So Bay area beaches might not be sporting barrel waves and hordes of surf rats, but if you're a 'board devotee, hit the water for the sixth annual International Surfing Day celebration. Sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation, it began as a way to reconnect surfers to their roots: a day at the beach and a reminder to protect and preserve our shores — and it's taken hold in countries as far as Sweden, Korea and West Africa. surfrider.org. Sun., June 20.
Becca McCoy takes on contemporary Broadway in Love with the Lights On, American Stage's latest Late Night Cabaret, a rollercoaster of love-inspired songs of devotion, affairs and parenthood, from "Everybody's Girl" to "Loving You" and "Fifty Percent." James Weaver accompanies on piano. americanstage.org. June 18-20, 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m. Sun., American Stage, St. Petersburg, "pay what you can" at the door; $15 in advance.
Choreographers and dancers descend on the University of South Florida for the annual Florida Dance Festival, a summer dance school that boasts an intensive series of performances open to the public at bargain ticket prices. The full line-up stretches through June 26, with offerings including “Florida Dances,” a compilation of works by Florida-based or affiliated artists; “Disavowal,” a performance by David Dorfman Dance of New York, inspired by the biography of abolitionist John Brown; and a festival finale showcasing work choreographed by festival faculty and performed by students. All performances take place at USF’s School of Theatre and Dance except for “Hello Dalí” by Sarasota’s Fuzión Dance Artists, a multimedia tribute to the art of surrealist Salvador Dalí, staged at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Pete. (Pictured: Fuzión Dance Artists perform “Hello, Dali”. Photo by Gini Smith) June 15-26, University of South Florida, School of Theatre and Dance, 305-310-8080, floridadanceassociation.org. Faculty Concert, Sat., June 19, 8 p.m., USF Theatre II, $12 general, $8 students/seniors. Fuzión Dance Artists, Wed., June 23, 8 p.m., Salvador Dalí Museum, 1000 Third St. S., St. Petersburg, $12 general, $8 students. David Dorfman Dance, Thurs., June 24, 8 p.m., USF Theatre I, $22 general, $15 students/seniors. Festival Finale, Sat., June 26, 7:30 p.m., USF Theatre II, $6. A Florida Dance All Access pass if available for $79 general, $49 students/seniors.
