5 Things You Need To Know Today: February 16

1. This weekend features the 30th annual Cortez Seafood festival designed to raise money to benefit the F.I.S.H preserve. Last year more than 20,000 people attended the popular festival featuring fresh seafood. The weekend features great live music, nautical arts and crafts, children’s activities, environmental exhibits, more seafood than imaginable and beer. On sale are festival T-shirts designed each year reflecting a commercial fishing theme. The festival takes place Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.

2. It's time for the 5th Annual Bradenton Beer Festival and with so many new breweries popping up around Florida, this year's event will focus on some new breweries ranging from Bradenton's Little Giant and Dunedin's 7th Sun to Tampa's Florida Ave and Sarasota's Darwin's on 4th. For the first time the festival will also feature food trucks. The list includes some Bradenton favorites like Hickory Hollow BBQ , Flying Sliders and Fully Belly Stuffed Burgers. Some Tampa trucks are making the journey including Fire Monkey, Wicked Wiches, and Keep'n it Reel Time.  The ever popular State Road 64 Bluegrass Band will perform in downtown Bradenton.

3. The Film Fridays continues its salute to the Academy Awards with a screening Friday of the The Sting starring Robert Redford as a young grifter in 1930s Chicago who teams up with the veteran flim-flam man played by Paul Newman to seek vengeance upon the mob boss who killed their mutual friend in this epic heist film. Their plot involves a phony racetrack con. All screenings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the all-digital Bishop Planetarium Theater located at 201 10^th Street W. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for general admission with discounted rates of $3 for Museum Members. For reservations and information call 941-746-4131, ext. 27 or visit www.southfloridamuseum.org.

4. Studio 84 Productions will present "Blithe Spirit" at 8 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Monday in the David S. and Anne V. Howard Studio Theatre, at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. West, building 11.  A matinee performance is scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $10. Tickets are $5 for SCF students and employees. Tickets are on sale now in the Neel Performing Arts Center box office, open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.  For more information, call 941-752-5252.

5. is celebrating the grand reopening of its ReStore located at 1227 Hardin Avenue on Friday. The store has been expanded to include an additional 5,000 square feet showroom and home improvement department. In addition to deals on furniture, appliances and building supplies, the store now includes apparel, linens and jewelry. Proceeds from store provide support for the local Manatee Habitat affiliate and helps builds Habitat homes for qualified families. Donation pickup of resalable items is free and available by calling 355-7082. The Store is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays until 6 p.m.