5 Things You Need To Know This Weekend: September 24-26

1. It's officially fall and that means that there are only a few weeks left before the snowbirds arrive en masse. Get outside and enjoy your favorite sights and hot spots before the crowds arrive.

2. Banana Bob's Tiki Hut is hosting a golf tournament on Sunday at to raise funds for Manasota Operation Troop Support. The registration fee is $40 per golfer. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The entry fee includes golf, lunch and 4 drink tickets.

3. Royal Palm Car Wash, 2515 Cortez Road W, has won the 2011 Landscaping Award in the Small Business category from Keep Manatee Beautiful. Royal Palm Car Wash was recognized for developing a formerly contaminated service station into a state-of-the-art carwash while more than doubling the landscaped area from 6,500 square feet to 14,000 square feet. For more information, see www.royalpalmcarwash.com or call 941-753-6272. 

4. Backyard Getaway has received the Manatee Chamber of Commerce's 2011 Business/Education Partnership Award for its donated water feature project at "Learning Takes Flight" was a hands-on project coordinated with Holly Clouse & her students in the STAR program at Haile. The students installed a pondless with guidance from Dave and Lisa Burns of Backyard Getaway. The students also created a 40-foot mural complete with individual clay leaves with guidance from local artist Brenda Smoak. Backyard Getaway, a family owned and operated pond service business, was nominated in four of the twelve categories.

5. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Manatee-Sarasota will host a free Latin Dance Exhibition on Oct. 5, from noon to 1 p.m., at the Performance Pavilion at 5840 26th St. West. The event is free and open to the public. Dance instructor Katherine Woodward will teach Merengue and Salsa dances at the event, which is sponsored by the SCF Diversity/Multicultural Awareness Committee. For more information contact Gloria Tracy at tracyg@scf.edu or 941- 752-5323.