event calendar

DON'T MISS

THE BMW ART CAR WORLD TOUR

The BMW Art Car U.S. Tour is coming to New York City's Grand Central Terminal, in Vanderbilt Hall, for a limited time. View four BMW Art Cars, painted by some of the greatest artists of the 20th Century: Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Stella. BMW also presents "An Expression of Joy," a collaboration by 21st century artist Robin Rhode and filmmaker Jake Scott. Rhode's vision as “creative navigator” eloquently captures the exhilarating performance of the all-new BMW Z4 Roadster. On view: March 24 to April 6, 2009.

^©2009 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

NOW

CALISTOGA, CA

MUSTARD, MUD & MUSIC- A CALISTOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL . "Mustard, Mud & Music" will be the theme of the day for this seventh annual event as cool tunes and hot jazz take over the town of Calistoga on Saturday and Sunday, March 7th and 8th to celebrate the 2008 Napa Valley Mustard Festival.

PETALUMA, CA

Artisan Cheese Festival This festival is the first-ever weekend-long celebration and exploration of handcrafted cheeses, foods, wines, and beers from California and beyond. Meet the artisans who have brought back the traditional art of making cheese in small batches. Events include cheese-making demonstrations, private tours of creameries, seminars, and wine and cheese pairings, and a cheese marketplace.

EVEREYWHERE

Earth Hour It's as simple as a flick of the switch. What began as a campaign to get Australians to turn their lights off has grown to become one of the world's biggest climate change initiatives. In 2009, at 8.30pm on March 28, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour – Earth Hour. This year aims to reach one billion people, more than 1000 cities, all joining together in a global effort to show that it is possible to take action on global warming.

SEATTLE, WA

Seattle Green Festival The Seattle Green Festival will continue to create a forum to explore and build sustainable solutions for green living. For two days, Green Festival attendees will explore the latest in clean technology, green building, socially responsible investing, eco-fashion, renewable energy, natural foods, eco-tourism, green building, and more.

NEXT

ST. ALBANS, VT

Vermont Maple Festival. The 43rd-annual event features activities exploring Vermont’s first crop, maple sugar, from the 1600s through 2009. All of the usual delights of the festival will be back including antiques, crafts, cooking demonstrations, the historic museum, grand parade, and one-of-a-kind maple-inspired food.

SKY MEADOWS STATE PARK, VA

Star Party. Join host Sean O'Brien and other local amateur astronomers for public telescopic observing under dark, star-filled skies, away from city lights. The evening begins with a presentation by a Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador, followed by a night sky orientation during and after dusk. Weather allowing, volunteers provide telescopic observing of various astronomical objects.

CALISTOGA, CA

MUSTARD, MUD & MUSIC- A CALISTOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL . "Mustard, Mud & Music" will be the theme of the day for this seventh annual event as cool tunes and hot jazz take over the town of Calistoga on Saturday and Sunday, March 7th and 8th to celebrate the 2008 Napa Valley Mustard Festival.

LATER

PHOENIX, AZ

Birds in the Garden. Join expert birders for an early morning bird walk along the Garden trails of the Desert Botanical Garden. Everyone, including first-time birders, is welcome.

• Check out past events here.