The Islander: Get Out!

By Islander staff

Febraury 11, 2005

Fun things to do on and around Marco Island from Feb. 11 to Feb. 17.

To jump or not to jump

If you're looking for some adventure this weekend, head over to the Beach Boogie at the Radisson Suite Beach Resort. Professional sky divers from Skydive Greensburg will take people on tandem jumps for $179 per person.

The jumps will take place from 9 a.m. to sunset today through Sunday, Feb. 11 to 13. Sign-ups will be available on site.

For those not quite ready to make the jump, there will be plenty to see as the jumpers compete in free-fall and accuracy competitions.

The Kiwanis Club of Marco Island will be there to collect donations for the Tsunami Relief Fund.

Elvis sighting

He's back, folks — Chris "Elvis" Purtee will return to Porky's Last Stand at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13.

Reservations are very strongly suggested for this popular act. Call Porky's at 394-8727 for this and future Sunday night shows.

If Sinatra's more your speed, check out Ray Livosi's Ol' Blue Eyes tribute show at Blú Fusion on Feb. 13.

Again, reservations are encouraged. Call 389-4545.

Wrap for lunch

The weatherman forecasts cooler weather this weekend, so conditions should be perfect to head up Collier Boulevard and across Immokalee Road to the Collier County Fair to see the cows, pigs and horses and to take a few spins on the Ferris wheel.

But first I'll need a healthy lunch at Summer Day Market & Café to balance the frivolous fare (like fried Oreos) found at the fair's food vendor booths.

Summer Day's salad bar is my favorite, but I also like the warm veggie wrap, a super-delicious, healthy melange of sautéed eggplant, onions, peppers and more tucked into a spinach wrap — just yummy!

Summer Day Market & Café is at 1069 N. Collier Blvd., suite 216, in the Marco Town Center Mall. It's open seven days a week, but the café shuts down a half-hour before the market closes. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Most major credit cards are accepted.

Call 394-8361.

Good Will hunts laughs in Hitch

Will Smith brings his supercilious brand of wit and humor to Marco Movies this weekend in Hitch (PG-13). He plays a "date doctor" who's upended when he falls for a jaded gossip columnist (Eva Mendes).

Early reviews range from "strangely irresistible" to "flimsy but likable" to "an unwieldy, excessively talky affair."

Oscar contenders The Aviator (PG-13) and Sideways (R) are still there for the taking, and both are well worth seeing.

Leonardo DiCaprio is riveting as eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes in The Aviator , while Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church are hilarious in Sideways , a dysfunctional buddy movie that uses wine as a metaphor for life.

Will & Grace 's Debra Messing moves from annoyingly klutzy to reasonably credible as The Wedding Date (PG-13) unfolds. She plays a yuppie who hires a male escort (Dermot Mulroney) to make her ex-fiancé jealous at her half-sister's wedding in London.

Follow the dots as to whether they'll needle each other at first, then fall in love.

Still amusing people with unsubtle crudities is Meet the Fockers (PG-13). The follow-up to Meet the Parents , it is driven by the big-star cast of Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand and Blythe Danner.