The Harlem Globetrotters have been coming to Erie since the 1950s. They're back this week.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of January. The weather hasn’t been too bad – nothing like the tornadoes and such in other parts of the country. But it would be nice to go outdoors again.

Fortunately, some shows that always draw big crowds are heading to Erie Insurance Arena in the coming days. The Harlem Globetrotters, scheduled to perform Wednesday at the arena, really know how to put on a show.

They’ve been coming to Erie since the 1950s and they please their fans year after year. Players appear at schools and other events during their visit, and they’re always great ambassadors for the sport.

“Disney on Ice” will also perform at the Erie Insurance Arena on Feb. 9-12. It’s amazing how these shows continue to attract large crowds year after year. But maybe the fans are as sick of winter as I am and just want to get out for the night.

More: 'Light in Odd Spaces,' 'Fantasticks,' 'Planets' coming to Meadville, Erie stages in January

● The recent death of David Crosby at age 81 rekindled fond memories for many Erie fans who saw Crosby Stills & Nash perform on the beach at Presque Isle State Park in June 2012.

Dave Richards recalled that the trio was in good form that night, although Crosby complained over and over that he kept swallowing bugs every time he tried to sing.

For subscribers: Erie bassist 'Fuzz' Samuel's rich musical life: Jamming with Hendrix, CSNY, local musicians

● Erie native Maria Sansone is getting a lot of publicity for her new book, “Oh, $#!%, What’s for Dinner.” It has yet to come out but is generating a lot of online sales.

Sansone, 41, originally gained national fame as a sports reporter for WJET-TV when she was 11 years old. She interviewed many big-time sports celebrities, such as Michael Jordan, and even appeared on NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

Sansone formerly co-anchored “Good Day LA” on the Fox station in Los Angeles and also worked the red carpet during many major awards shows.

Married for 14 years, she and husband Joshua Guthartz are raising their two children.

● The Sunday Morning Show on CBS recently featured the new Carl Reiner Keep Laughing exhibit at Jamestown, N.Y.’s National Comedy Center. It was a flattering report on the comedy center, which has become home to Reiner’s massive TV and film archives. His kids, including film director Rob Reiner, appeared on the CBS Morning Show.

If you haven’t visited the National Comedy Center, it’s well worth the trip.

More: At National Comedy Center in Jamestown, you're in on the joke with hands-on, personalized exhibits

● Another class for baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., has been selected, and former Cleveland shortstop Omar Vizquel is nowhere to be found. Vizquel has been soiled by several nasty incidents in his post-playing career, and he’ll probably never make it to Cooperstown, which is a shame. He ranks with baseball’s top all-time shortstops.

● One Cleveland baseball figure who’s wearing a big smile these days is Guardians manager Terry Francona, whose stolen motor scooter was found Wednesday by Cleveland police. It had been swiped several days earlier during the Guardians fan fest. The photos of Francona hugging the cops will make you smile.

More: Guardians manager Terry Francona has scooter stolen, then recovered

● Jack Tufts, who died Jan. 19 at the age of 69, was the ideal manager of the J.C. Martin Golf Course. Jack was a well-known and successful coach of local youth baseball and other sports when he went to work at the golf course in Glenwood.

He had a wonderful rapport with kids, scores of whom flocked to the course during his tenure. Once, when my son and I went to play a quick nine holes at Martin, Tufts moved us ahead of a group of kids. We refused to jump in line, but Jack said, “Go ahead, they’ve already played 45 holes today.”

More: Former J.C. Martin Golf Course superintendent, high school coach Jack Tufts dies

● If you take a drive around Presque Isle these days, you might see a bald eagle or two. This is their mating season and it seems more and more of the glorious eagles are taking up residence there.

More: It's beginning to look a lot like eagle nesting season on Presque Isle State Park

● Dr. William Trice, one of Erie’s best-known leaders, is being remembered for all the good he did before his death at 98 on Jan. 13. Trice was one of Pennsylvania’s best-known dentists and was a revered figure at the University of Pittsburgh. He was involved in scores of community projects, and just mentioning his name opened the doors for many charitable groups that went looking for support. Dr. Trice was a great man who was beloved by practically everyone who knew him.

1924-2023: Dr. William Benjamin Trice

● Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board banned four adults on Jan. 25 from entering casinos around the state. They were accused of leaving children unattended in order to gamble at the casinos. It’s pretty low to leave the kids in the car while you go inside to feed your habit.

Kevin Cuneo can be reached at kevin.cuneo1844@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA things to do: Globetrotters, 'Disney on Ice' halt winter blahs