Like bats out of the Hell's Angels, 40,000 crotch-rocket enthusiasts will be revving up their engines and throttling over to the Miami Motorcycle Show. Weekend road warriors will mingle with those tattooed long-hairs who scare the bejesus out of grandmothers when their clubs zoom down the highway. Don't forget to wear a helmet, because you'll need one to endure the crazy motorized antics of the Precision Thunder Drill Team, not to mention the safety-defying vroom vroom of New Jersey's Underground Riders. Both will perform throughout the show, and there will be three (obviously insane) riders who will dare to tackle the Globe of Death, a ball of steel in which the drivers scoff at the law of gravity. Along with the stunts will be exhibitors showing off the latest gear, topnotch manufacturers, a fashion show, and, of course, a bike show featuring the sickest rides imaginable. The fourth annual Miami Motorcycle Show takes place today from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Coconut Grove Convention Center, 2700 S. Bayshore Dr., Miami. Admission each day is $12 for adults and $3 for kids under 13. Call 305-441-2865, or visit www.miamimotorcycle.com. --Kris Conesa
Ahoy, Culture Lubbers!
Celebrate the arts at MDC
WED 4/6
Miami Dade College's annual celebration of creativity and the written word has eclipsed its title. The thirteenth annual Arts and Letters "Day" has swelled into a week-long festival that brings live performances, contests, and film screenings to the Kendall Campus (11011 SW 104th St., Miami). This year's theme is "Sprites, Sea Chanteys, and Fish Tails," and it comes with an enticing range of seafaring events. The Sea Creatures Film Festival illustrates the history of cinematic aquatic monsters. Dinner in Venice comes with an authentic Italian meal and live opera. The Mermaids and Magic Fish Fairy Tale and Fantasy Contest allows kids to judge children's stories crafted by MDC writing students.
This year's keynote speaker is Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish; the Tim Burton film his novel inspired will also be screened. Arts-and-letters day will officially be celebrated Wednesday, April 6, but events began Tuesday, March 29. Call 305-237-2320, and visit www.mdc.edu/kendall/events/artsandletters/index.htm for a complete schedule. --Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
Bibliophiles Bust a Move
Party at the Miami Beach Regional Library
FRI 4/1
The days of stinky old books and leaking ceilings are gone. The new Miami Beach Regional Library (227 22nd St., Miami Beach) is celebrating its grand opening this weekend, starting with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon at 2:00. The new two-story library designed by architect Robert A. M. Stern features a collection of 75,000 materials, a coffee shop and reading garden, and an auditorium.
Sunday, April 3, the library is hosting a free Family Festival Day from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., which includes storytelling and craft activities for the kids, a visit from local young-adult author Alex Flinn (Breathing Underwater and Fade to Black) at 1:00, and door prizes. Call 305-535-4219, or visit www.mdpls.org. --Lyssa Oberkreser
Hodgepodge for Sale
SAT 4/2
The early shopper gets the bargains at today's Spring Is Here Rummage and Bake Sale at the First Church of North Miami Congregational (1200 NE 135th St., North Miami). You'll find everything from furniture and plants to unidentified objects. "Every year we have an item that it takes us all day to figure out what it is," says publicist Judy Feldman. Find the perfect tchotchkes for your knickknack shelves from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Call 305-891-5286. -- Lyssa Oberkreser
