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No matter how you like strawberries — served with shortcake, dipped in milk chocolate, buried inside a pie or unencumbered on a napkin or plate — you’ll find them at the 54th annual Mattituck Strawberry Festival and Fair on Father’s Day weekend, June 13-15. “It’s a local thing, but people come from all over Long Island,” says Don Stirnweis, third vice president of the Mattituck Lions Club, which puts on the event with co-sponsor Capital One Bank and others each year to raise money for local causes and people in need.
Since the festival began in 1954, Stirnweis says it has grown to attract an estimated 50,000 people over the three days, particularly if the weather’s good. This year’s festival includes a carnival, rides and a midway, live music, a raffle, games of chance, a coloring contest display, arts and crafts, an international food court, craft, art and jewelry vendors, and fireworks displays Friday and Saturday nights. Special events include crowning of a Strawberry Festival queen on Saturday afternoon and the second annual shortcake- eating contest on Father’s Day.
In preparation for the festival, volunteers will gather Thursday for Hulling Night, starting at 5 p.m. under the big tent, Festival Field, Route 48, east of Cox Neck Road. Stirnweis’ company, Century 21 Agawam Albertson, sponsors Hulling Night, which attracts hundreds of volunteers who help remove the stems and leaves from thousands of strawberries before they’re washed and prepared for the festival.
“It’s a fun event that really kicks off the start of the festival,” Stirnweis says. “Last year, there wasn’t an empty spot to be found. We give out sodas and free strawberry daiquiris — virgin strawberry daiquiris — and then we give them dinner after that.”
Admission to the festival is free on Friday and Sunday, but bring cash for concessions and ride tickets.

newsday.com

‘The president feels the distress of the flood victims in centraland southern Taiwan and decides to cancel his plan to take part inthe dragon boat race on Saturday,’ said presidential spokesmanWang Yu-chi in a statement.
Ma’s plan to take part in the annual Dragon Boat Festival racesdispleased both ruling and opposition lawmakers, who felt theisland’s leader should visit the inundated areas in central andsouthern Taiwan.
Ruling Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker LeeChia-chun said Ma should go to southern Taiwan to inspect theinundated areas as ‘people there would feel better.’
Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Fridaylashed out at Ma for wasting taxpayers’ money in deploying up to 200security agents to protect him in the fun race on Saturday.
‘If the expenditure cost in safeguarding him could be used to aidthe flood victims, all the farmers would be thankful to him,’ saidDPP lawmaker Chen Ting-fei in a parliament session.
Torrential rains in the past three days have created seriousflooding in central and southern Taiwan. Many low-lying areas,including those in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second largest city, reportedflooding up to one metre deep.
Agriculture authorities have reported more than 20 million Taiwandollars (662,251 US) in lost farm produce so far. Earlier onFriday rescuers had to evacuate some 70 households in a mountainvillage in the southern county of Pingtung due to a rockslide.
Ma has taken part in the race almost every year while he served asTaipei mayor between 1998 and 2006.

monstersandcritics.com

Basignani Winery, 15722 Falls Road, Sparks, (410) 472-0703, www.basignani.com This 18-acre vineyard in Maryland’s pretty horse country produces wines using old-school cellar methods. You can stop by to try the wine and meet the winemaker Wednesday through Sunday afternoons, or contact them for a tour.
Boordy Vineyard, 12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes, (410) 592-5015, www.boordy.com Organic wine from Baltimore Country grapes, tours, tastings, and regular events.
Elk Run Vineyards, 15113 Liberty Road, Mount Airy, (410) 775-2513, www.elkrun.com The facilities are charmingly old, but not run down, making us feel further removed than we really are. Makes tasting a min-vacay.
Frederick Wine Trail, 18125 Comus Road, Dickerson, (301) 600-2888, www.frederickwinetrail.com Six wineries and 120 acres of grapes make this trail, covering half of Maryland’s wine production. With numbers like that, it’s shocking and charming that the trail can be covered in one day. Start at the furthest point, in Dickerson at Sugarloaf, and work your way back through Loew, Frederick Cellars (which recently acquired Catoctin Vineyards), Elk Run, Berrywine, and Linganore Wine for a grape-fueled field trip.
Little Ashby Vineyards, 27549 Ashby Drive, Easton, (410) 819-8850, www.littleashbyvineyards.com The first winery on the Eastern Shore, Little Ashby uses its own microclimate–science we can use!–to control its grape production.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard ,18125 Comus Road, Dickerson, (301) 605-0130. Montgomery County’s only winery is unassuming with its quiet red barn but houses a diverse collection on its 92-acre farm.
Terrapin Station Winery, 80 Ricketts Mill Road, Elkton, (301) 916-5415, www.terrapinstationwinery.com Terrapin does more than name its product line after native animals; it donates proceeds to research and rescue efforts for the turtle it’s named for.
Wine and Herb Fest, 1-5 p.m. May 24-25, Boordy Vineyard, 12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes, (410) 592-5015, www.boordy.com, $12, children $5. Potted herbs, plants, and flowers, spring release wines, and live music in Boordy’s Woodstock version of wine tasting.

citypaper.com

ALBANY, N.Y. – The 60th annual Tulip Festival in Washington Park is just one week away and it seems like some tulips this year are blooming early. The early blooms are causing many to fear there won’t be enough flowers for the celebration.
But Albany’s head gardener, Judy Stacey, said that’s not the case as there are currently about 208,000 tulips planted in Washington Park. The early bloom is caused by the erratic weather conditions but Stacey said there are plenty of good things to expect from the festival.
The 60th annual Tulip Festival in Washington Park is just one week away and it seems like some tulips this year are blooming early. That’s causing many to fear there won’t be enough flowers for the celebration.
“Fabulous showing of tulips. The early tulips will have gone by then. There will be many thousands of tulips that have yet to bloom so it’s an ever changing show,” Stacey said.
The Tulip Festival takes place next Friday through Sunday at Washington Park.

capitalnews9.com

Tickets for the 2008 IPL 500 Festival Parade can now be purchased at select AAA Hoosier Motor Club service centers and through Ticketmaster. The 2008 IPL 500 Festival Parade is Saturday, May 24 and will be a celebration of the 2008 theme: Fuel the Dream. Reserved bleacher seats are $13.50; reserved chair seats $17 and reserved VIP seats are $30.
Last year, seats for the Parade sold-out with nearly 30,000 tickets sold.
There are 15 AAA locations in and around Indianapolis. AAA Hoosier Motor Club customers can show their membership card and save on Parade tickets at any location. Parade spectators can also purchase their tickets at all Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (866) 448-7849.
More than 300,000 spectators are expected to line the two-mile parade route to catch a glimpse of the 33 starting drivers of the 92
year, is a representation of the power and pageantry of the month of May in Indianapolis. The Parade has grown to be one of the signature events in the U.S. each year, ranking among the top three parades in the nation including the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The Parade will be televised nationally on ESPN2 from 5-6:30 p.m. (ET), and locally on WISH-TV Channel 8 from 8-10 p.m.
Tickets to the IPL 500 Festival Parade are also available by calling the 500 Festival ticket hotline at (317) 614-6400, or online at www.500festival.com .
Over the past 50 years, the 500 Festival, a not-for-profit organization, has grown to become one of the nation’s largest festivals. The mission of the 500 Festival is to produce events and programs that celebrate the success of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Indiana and their guests.
2008 IMS tickets: Tickets for all three world-class events in 2008 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the 92

indianapolismotorspeedway.com

But does jazz have a future or is it caught in a time warp, reproducing musical gestures that are merely variations of past styles?
Some who believe that jazz is a dead, or else a heritage form, say that improvisation has supplanted it. For them, jazz is no longer the site of innovation but a formalised tradition that has forsaken experimentation in favour of eternal verities such as the blues and swing.
Non-jazz improvisation, on the other hand, offers many of the possibilities that staunch supporters of the jazz tradition have rejected: the use of electronics and computers, multimedia performances and so on.
The argument that jazz is dead has its roots in the 1960s and ’70s, in the debates among British and European avant-garde jazz musicians who sought to create a space for their work where it wouldn’t be subject to endless comparisons with American jazz.
The rhetoric of the debate was political, born of a wish to create new musical forms that were explicitly anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist and not racially discriminating.
Even at the time, some prominent musicians thought the exclusion of all jazz elements from a new improvised music was nothing short of a new orthodoxy. And today echoes of the argument that jazz has run its course can still be heard in Australia.
In the view of English critic Stuart Nicholson, American jazz is caught in permanent stasis, partly because highly influential musician Wynton Marsalis has steered the music into an aesthetic cul-de-sac and partly because the private jazz education system permits little time to nurture individuality. For Nicholson, the really vibrant, innovative jazz is being played in Europe, where it has been taken seriously as an art form for decades and where adequate public funding enables artists and private entrepreneurs to take risks.
Much of what Nicholson writes about the creativity of European and, especially, Scandinavian jazz could apply equally to Australia. The American style wars caused only a ripple in this country because the deeper issues involved - such as race - had no social foundation. Today, Australian contemporary jazz musicians are open to engaging with any music that interests them: from noise and rock (Bucketrider) to Afro-Cuban (Barney McAll), music from New Guinea (Aaron Choulai), music of the Pacific Islands (Aron Ottignon) and minimalist influenced improvisation (the Necks and Band of Five Names).

theaustralian.news.com.au

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Festivals from April-June across the Southeast
Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Spring Festival of Flowers. Through April 30. Month-long salute to spring has garden tours, horticultural classes, fashion shows, children’s workshops and a gigantic “Bunny Bonanza” Easter egg hunt. Huntsville, Ala., 256-830-4447. www.hsvbg.org .
Beulah Sausage Festival. Friday-Sunday. Nashville headliners bring 40,000 music buffs to the beach for rides, games, a bounty of seafood treats and carnival sweets. Pensacola, Fla., 850-944-3167, www.beulahsausagefest.com
Springing the Blues. Friday-Sunday. Oceanfront event celebrates the blues during this free weekend of fun. Jacksonville Beach, Fla., 904-247-6100, www.springingtheblues.com .
Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival. Friday-Sunday. Flower fans celebrate 35 years of community camaraderie. 200 artisans, sporting events, food and family entertainment. Summerville, S.C., 843-871-9622 x119,www.summervilleymca.org.
Strawberry Festival. April 11-13. Everyone’s favorite freckled fruit is celebrated at this free, family event that includes parades and pageants, music, food and a carnival. Ponchatoula, La., 985-634-5137. www.lastrawberryfestival.com
Charlotte Harbor Kayak and Wildlife Festival. April 12-13. Kayak races, fishing tourneys, birding, conservation programs, tours of Charlotte Harbor Blueway Trails. Port Charlotte, Fla., 1-800-652-6090, www.charlotteharbortravel.com.
Hillbilly Days Festival. April 17-19. Parade, carnival, bluegrass and gospel music, square dancing and clogging, handmade crafts and traditional foods. Pikeville, Ky., 606-432-5063, www.tourpikecounty.com.
Rivers & Spires Festival. April 17-19. Celebrating Cumberland River heritage with parades, pageants, entertainers, car show, kids events. Clarksville, Tenn., 931-552-9006, www.riversandspires.com.
Crawfish Festival. April 17-20, 24-27. Succulent foods and spicy music highlight this Cajun celebration along the Gulf of Mexico. Carnival games, spectacular midway, sky-high rides, cook-offs, music and more. Biloxi, Miss., 228-594-3700, www.mscoastcoliseum.com.
Vidalia Onion Festival. April 24-27. Cook-offs, pageants, auto and cycle shows, children’s parade, sporting tourneys, arts and crafts, rodeo, music and street dancing. Vidalia, 912-538-8687, www.vidaliaarea.com.
RiverRun International Film Festival. April 23-28. Showcase of films by established and emerging filmmakers from around the world. Audience and jury prizes, retrospectives, screenings, family matinees. Winston-Salem, N.C., 336-724-1502, www.riverrunfilm.com.

ajc.com

Georgia is known for peaches. And in its capital city, there are dozens of places named for the fuzzy fruit. From businesses to streets like Peachtree Plaza, Peachtree Way and Peachtree Park Drive, to name a few. But it's the original Peachtree Street that is the spine of the city. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Westin Hotels
ATLANTA — Georgia is known for its peaches. And in its capital city, there are dozens of places named for the fuzzy fruit - from businesses to streets like Peachtree Plaza, Peachtree Way and Peachtree Park Drive, to name a few. But it’s the original Peachtree Street that is the spine of the city.
Running north and south from the heart of downtown Atlanta to suburban Buckhead and beyond, you could actually use the route as a key to the city. To be sure, not all of Atlanta’s biggest attractions are on Peachtree - you won’t find the Georgia Aquarium here, or the New World of Coca-Cola. But you will find plenty of hotels, some interesting landmarks, shopping and other places to visit.
Peachtree Fountains Plaza marks an entrance to Underground Atlanta, a major retail and entertainment district - http://www.underground-atlanta.com/. Concerts, specialty vendors and eateries make this subterranean site a favourite among tourists and natives alike. New Year’s Eve at Underground Atlanta is marked by the drop of - what else - a giant glittering peach, and you’ll also find the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau visitor’s centre here - http://www.atlanta.net/.
Peachtree Street is in the midst of a new hotel boom. The Sheraton Colony Square Hotel at Peachtree and 14th streets is scheduled to reopen March 18 as the W Atlanta Midtown. Another W hotel, the W Atlanta Buckhead, is scheduled to open on Peachtree in the fall; and The Mansion on Peachtree, a luxury hotel, opens in Buckhead in May. Another boutique hotel, Twelve Centennial Park, is located at West Peachtree Street and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard.

canadianpress.google.com

Get ready for some fun outdoors. The Bayou City Art Festival kicks off Friday, March 28 and runs through Sunday, March 30.
The event will take place in Memorial Park and it features 300 artists from around the country and the world, plus wine cafés, an interactive Creative Zone for children, restaurants, Broadway in Houston’s Broadway Café and a performing arts stage with on-going multicultural musical and dance entertainment.
There will be something to do for everyone. Art lovers can indulge their eyes with artwork from 19 different media formats. There will also be musical performances ranging from Mariachi to Reggae.
It’s open all three days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission for adults is $10 and it’s free for children 12 and under.
There is no public parking in Memorial Park, but there will be free shuttle service in several locations.
Over the past 37 years the Bayou City Art Festival has raised more than $2.4 million for local charities.

khou.com

Experience the drama, the pageantry, the splendor … the indisputable genius of Dariusz Pawlas … as he offers his breathtaking virtuosity and wide-ranging musical palette to celebrate National Autism Month at Christian Community Church in The Woodlands, April 25, 2008.
Dr. Pawlas, graciously accepted an invitation from Project Launch, Inc. CEO Dr. Josephine Ong-McBride to present an Evening Rendezvous for the organization’s Autism Benefit Concert when he learned the focus of this fund-raising event is to increase awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders and strive to provide funding for appropriate diagnostic and treatment services for individuals in the Autism Spectrum.
Project Launch, Inc. – a 501(C)3 non-profit organization composed of medical and educational professionals, corporate and community leaders, parents and interested individuals working together to improve access, services and funding for children and adults with learning/behavioral disabilities – concentrates on helping remove the financial barriers faced by those with special needs through its fund-raising efforts.
Recognizing that everyone wants to be treated with respect, members of Project Launch work to empower minds, strengthen bodies and transform lives so they may attain that respect.
While the April concert centers on Autism, the overall target population of Project Launch includes children and adults with myriad conditions that significantly impair their ability to learn fully, encompassing those with ADD/ADHD; Dyslexia; Autism; Aspergers; Depression; Bipolar Disorder; Tourette’s Syndrome; Mental Retardation; Cerebral Palsy; Sensory Problems; Spina Bifida; Behavior Disorder; Physical Mobility; Physical Disabilities; Childhood Obesity; and other physical, emotional or mental problems that affect the course of their lives.
The Project Launch goal is to maximize every individual’s potential by providing funding for superior brain-based learning skill services to children, adults, adolescents, and their families. We hope to provide solutions for children and adults with learning disabilities and help them rediscover that they are intelligent and capable, and can be successful.

woodlandsonline.com