Palm Beach Gardens is turning its Burns Road Community Center into a 1930s London supper club for one night. On Friday, Nov. 13, the city's recreation department hosts a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater in which the Fourth Wall Theater's cast performs a comic send-up of Alfred Hitchcock's spy thriller The 39 Steps, with dinner served while the plot unspools around the tables. The show runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m., tickets are $75 for city residents and $94 for everyone else, and the evening is limited to adults 18 and older.

The city bills the night as mystery, romance and laughter in equal parts, with a cast it describes as zany and an audience that is in on the fun from the start. It is a murder mystery format, so guests are not just watching a play at the front of the room: the story plays out around them while they eat, and anything can happen before dessert.

The same building, earlier that day: 70 holiday vendors

Anyone heading to the dinner can come early and shop. The Gardens Harvest and Holiday Bazaar opens in the same community center that Friday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and runs again Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city says more than 70 local vendors will be selling handmade goods, from crafts, textiles and art to food. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.

That makes Nov. 13 the rare day when one city building handles both a two-day craft market and an adults-only dinner show, with the bazaar closing its Friday hours right as dinner guests arrive.

A free Toy Story 5 night on the field

A week earlier, on Friday, Nov. 6, the city's Films on the Field series shows Toy Story 5, rated PG, on Field 10 at Gardens North County District Park, 5101 117th Court North. The movie night runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and is free. Families are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs and their own snacks, and the city is asking moviegoers to carry in a new, unwrapped toy for the City of Palm Beach Gardens Joy Drive, its holiday toy collection.

Veterans Day at Veterans Plaza

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the city holds its annual Veterans Salute Celebration at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Plaza Amphitheater beside City Hall, 10500 N. Military Trail. U.S. Army veteran Clint Lowe gives the keynote, and the Palm Beach Gardens High School Chorus performs. The ceremony is outdoors, seating is provided and the city asks guests to leave pets at home.

Before all that: Halloween at The Nest

The next city event on the calendar is closer. On Friday, Oct. 30, the city's Nest Par-3 Golf Club at 9900 Sandhill Crane Drive hosts Halloween at The Nest from 4 to 9 p.m. Guests who show up in costume get half off Trackman and Casey's Cafe runs a Halloween menu with $5 drink specials. From 4 to 7 p.m. kids can visit a candy apple station, a friendship bracelet table and a trick-or-treat table, and The Nightmare Before Christmas plays at 6 p.m. The city's listing does not show an admission charge, and questions go to The Nest at 561-630-1160.

And one to put on the December calendar

Registration is already open for the Gardens Trailblazer 5K on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Gardens North County District Park. A 2K starts at 3:30 p.m. and the 5K follows at 4:15 p.m., and runners are encouraged to stay for the city's tree lighting celebration afterward. The city is offering 10 percent off registration with the promo code SLEIGHTHETRAIL10.

How to get tickets

Murder Mystery Dinner Theater tickets are sold through the City of Palm Beach Gardens recreation department, linked from the city's news post about the event. The show is Friday, Nov. 13, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Burns Road Community Center, 4404 Burns Road, Palm Beach Gardens; $75 for residents, $94 for non-residents, dinner included, ages 18 and up. The Harvest and Holiday Bazaar in the same building is free, Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. General city questions go to City Hall at 561-799-4100.

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