Warmer weather, blooming flowers and singing birds are just some of the sights and sounds of springtime. Florida residents can add the crack of a baseball bat to this list as well.

Yes, it’s that time of year again when the teams that make up the Florida Grapefruit League take to the diamond for spring training. The Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals all call Florida their home for the next month.

Major League Baseball’s spring training has been a staple in Florida for nearly 100 years. What started out as a single exhibition game between the Cincinnati Reds and the then-St. Petersburg Saints has grown into 15 Major League teams training throughout Central and South Florida. Games started the first week of March and continue through the first week of April.

For baseball fans, this is a great opportunity to check out your team before the season starts, as well as keep an eye on the competition. Each game is competitively played, however the scoring doesn’t matter. Yet the games are just as exciting and fun.

For those new to spring training, here’s a quick look at some of the teams:

Watch the Atlanta Braves at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee. Lawn seating starts at $15, or pay a little more ($24-33) for reserved seats in the bleachers. Scheduled games include Washington Nationals on March 27 and Houston Astros on March 31.

In Port St. Lucie, the New York Mets take to Tradition Field for a game line-up through April 3. Ticket prices begin at $6 for the bleachers and $12 for the upper reserved.

Fans can find the New York Yankees a little further south in Tampa. Playing on the appropriately-named George M. Steinbrenner Field, they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays on March 18 and play the Yankee Future Stars on April 3. Tickets start at $17 and go to $31.

The Baltimore Orioles practice at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. You can take in the game against the Pittsburg Pirates on March 20 or the Minnesota Twins on March 26. There are different ticket options, including prime game prices, beginning at $11 for general admission. General admission for other games start at $9.

For more information, including a full schedule and pricing guide, visit the Florida Spring Training website.

Ah, March – the month of leprechauns and St. Patrick. While some celebrate with corn beef and cabbage, others celebrate…with books.

That’s right, March is the month of reading, starting on the 2nd, which was not only legendary writer Dr. Seuss’s birthday, but also the National Education Association’s Read Across America day. Hundreds of students across the county joined together to celebrate by reading The Cat and the Hat, as well as other exciting books, including NEA’s top rated series, Harry Potter. Join in on the celebration and read along by picking up any book. Afterward, for the more daring, visit Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando to see both stories come to life. Inside the park, Seuss Landing is still one of the most favored attractions, with The Cat and the Hat ride, the If I Ran the Zoo play zone and more entertaining kids daily, while this Spring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to open, with its signature attraction Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, as well as a Dragon Challenge roller coaster and numerous places to buy all your favorite wizarding treats.

To continue the literary week, today is World Book Day. Started overseas, today is dedicated to getting millions of kids around the world to read. Local bookstores, libraries and schools are all having events to celebrate children’s literacy.

At Florida Monthly, we’re currently reading Florida State Parks…75 years. This beautiful book chronologically tells the story of the park system’s exciting past. With historical photographs filling almost every page, it’s a wonderful read for anyone who’s ever enjoyed swimming, fishing, or relaxing at any of the parks.

Check out our bookstore for more Florida reads.

So what are you reading?

For those in the roping and cattle herding mood, the 82nd annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo will take place March 12 - 14, 2010. This annual event was established in 1928 by the American Legion as a way to raise money to help pay for a new building. Later, the Arcadia Rodeo Association, as part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, was formed. Members of the community make up the non-profit organization; their goal is to provide family-friendly entertainment in the setting of a world-class rodeo.

Events this year start on March 12, where the theme is Are You Tough Enough to Wear Pink? Guests are invited to wear pink that day only, with the shoot-out performance starting at 1 pm, and the rodeo beginning at 2 pm. Saturday, March 13, the rodeo parade wanders through downtown Arcadia at 10 am, starting the day’s activities. On both March 13 and the 14, the shoot-out performance begins at 1 pm and the rodeo starts at 2 pm. The ticket window open at 9am every day and prices range from $10 - $25.

For the shoot-out, a number of colorful characters fill the arena for each performance, including cowboys such as the Notorious Tater Hill Bluff Shoot-out gang, and beautiful Dance Hall Girls.

In regards to the performance, associate member of the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo Association John Schudel states "The universal theme of good versus evil has been played out in westerns since the days of the frontier itself. It isn't any different in our shoot-out performance. Here, you'll see the Good Guys patrolling the streets of a small cow town, upholding law and order. And the Bad Guys out to loot and pillage the town, no matter who gets hurt. Toss into this volatile situation an itinerant troupe of dance hall girls, and you have a mixture that could spark into flaming gunplay at any moment. The ensuing story of greed, vengeance and frontier justice may not be historically true...but it ought to be!"

After, real cowboys take the stage for the stunning rodeo performance.

For more information, visit www.arcadiarodeo.com

This past July, while on temporary leave from the Army, Grant George had one thing he wanted to do – marry his fiancée Stacy Stevens. Although the goal was small, one large problem stood in their way: they couldn’t afford a wedding. Putting the vision of a large ceremony in front of family and friends aside, they decided to simply recite vows at the courthouse on a Friday night. The Monday before, however, plans changed.

Thanks to the South Florida program Operation Open Arms, the two were married that Saturday at 6 p.m. in a traditional ceremony. She wore a white dress, him his army regalia. They didn’t pay a single dime for the wedding.

Operation Open Arms is a not-for-profit organization that provides free services and excursions to active duty U.S. service men and women on temporary leave from a foreign station. After returning home to Southwest Florida, these individuals receive benefits through sponsors before returning back to Iraq, Afghanistan or other foreign duty stations.

Created by Captain John “GiddyUp” Bunch, Operation Open Arms is his way of thanking and supporting the troops. Bunch is a professional fishing guide along the southwest Florida Gulf Coast waters. He hosts a weekly fishing report on The Keys Radio Group and acts as the contributing editor for the “Waves” section of News-Press.

Individuals who qualify for benefits may visit the Operation Open Arms website to see what offers are available. Donated by sponsors, such offers include free hotel reservations, golf sessions, fishing outings, gift certificates and dining opportunities. The founders of the program work hard to find contributors who will work with the soldiers, providing them what they want. Service men and women are to contact the sponsor and request the offer.

Originally sanctioned for those soldiers returning home to Pine Island in 2005, the program has grown and now includes Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. Operation Open Arms is one of the top volunteer programs geared towards the military in the United States. It has helped soldiers relax, or even get married, during their precious days off.

For more information, visit www.operationopenarms.org

Disney stars Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato celebrate Disney's new "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program.

Disney is all about celebration, as their latest venture, “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” has already taken off and the reception has been enormous. The program is simple – Disney wishes to inspire one million people to volunteer for a day of community service. Their reward? One free pass to a Disney theme park of their choice.

Going to any of the Disney theme parks is always a celebration, which is why they ask “What will you celebrate?” Currently, Disney is celebrating the hard work of volunteers across the country. To participate in the program, sign up at the Disney website and pick a participating HandsOn volunteer program. After completing the day, volunteers can print a voucher redeemable for a 1-day, 1-theme park ticket, or they may donate the ticket to a charitable organization. In the six weeks the program has been running, already 600,000 people have committed to volunteering.

115,000 cans were collected to make this sculpture

The past two days, Disney has been celebrating some these volunteers. Yesterday, they invited volunteers from each state to Epcot, where they were greeted with animated applause. Walt Disney World Ambassador Clay Shoemaker welcomed them, and informed the crowd of an exciting surprise. Behind stacked balloons, the largest sculpture (as verified by the Guinness Book of World Records) made solely of canned food was waiting. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition host, Ty Pennington, revealed the dazzling display of 115,000 cans of food, enough to create 70,000 meals. For the rest of the day, volunteers, as well as notable celebrities, such as fresh Disney faces like Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, helped plant trees and pack the canned food in trucks in order for it to be distributed to shelters. Representatives Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy led the brigade.

Disney doesn’t stop there; they have quite a bit more up their sleeves. Aside from their volunteer program, the year 2010 will bring a lot of excitement to the Orlando theme parks and resorts. New attractions, such as the American Idol Experience – where guests can compete to audition for the TV show American Idol by singing to the crowd – and The Hall of Presidents featuring Barack Obama have been well received.

This summer, the parks will feature Summer Nighttastic!, which will bring back the ever popular Main Street Electrical Parade, premier a new fireworks spectacular, and add special effects and new elevator drops to the Tower of Terror. Most excitingly, the largest renovation in Walt Disney World will happen in Fantasyland, where they’re adding a princess village, allowing kids to visit and interact with their favorite Disney Princesses, such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Ariel. The famed Dumbo ride will also be expanded, having two tracks and an indoor circus where those waiting can engage in carnival games.


Aside from that, there will be new places to stay within the Disney resorts this year, including treehouse villas at Saratoga Springs Resort, and new places to eat, such as Kouzzina at Disney’s Boardwalk, specializing in Mediterranean dishes. Two new cruises will come in the following years, the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Modeled after an early 1900s ocean liner, the cruise ships will host all of the favorite attractions, but add virtual portholes to inside rooms, interactive kids rooms, and new restaurants. The Disney Dream will have the Aquaduck water coaster, a clear tube water slide that will actually veer off the boat, so those sliding can see the water down below as they zip around a corner. At their island, Castaway Key, there will now be rental cabanas and the Pelican Plunge water park.

Disney offers a lot of reasons to celebrate this year. Whether it’s a birthday (when those celebrating get in free) or a volunteer effort, there’s always a reason to visit a Disney theme park.