It’s May. It’s May. The lusty month of May!  And for me (and, please, that’s all that counts) it signals the kick-off for the summer season.  Beginning with the Spring Festival  (April 25-May 4) and ending with the real kick-off – Memorial Day Weekend, Cape May’s to-do calendar fills to the brim.

One side note for those coming down and planning to attend events scheduled in Convention Hall – Convention Hall is closed until further notice because of reported structural deficiencies. Keep your eyes posted to this website and the city’s http://www.capemaycity.com to find the alternative venues.

For example the traditional Memorial Day celebration normally held at Convention Hall at 11:15 a.m. has been moved to the Columbia Ave monuments at 8:30. Crafts at Memorial Day and the Antiques at Memorial Day shows, held that same weekend (May 24-25) and sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), have been moved to Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Hall on Ocean Street.

But I get ahead of myself. The fun begins with Spring Festival. You can celebrate the arrival of springtime in American’s first seaside resort with Sweet Treats House Tours, Private Homes Tours, Ghosts Tours, a Chef’s Fine-Around, a Murder Mystery Dinner, Vintage Dance Workshops and …well it just doesn’t seem to end. Plenty to do for all age groups.

The Murder Mystery Dinners come with a three-course gourmet meal and sleuthing at Aleathea’s Restaurant on Ocean Street on Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3 at 7 p.m.. If you don’t have time to solve a crime at night, try the Murder Mystery Luncheon Sunday at 1 p.m. Solve the mystery in which snake oil, quackery and phrenology are part of the clues.

Or enjoy a five-course gourmet feast at this progressive dinner, aka the "Chef’s Dine-Around," Thursday, May 1. Each course will be served at a different restaurant. As a bonus, wine will be served with each course and a wine representative will be on hand to explain the pairing. Sponsored by MAC, a trolley will shuttle participants to each venue. Make your reservations early though this event is limited to 34 people and sells out quickly. For more information and to make reservations for these dining events or any of the tours call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

Music and birding head Cape May’s marquee of beautiful events. May 18 marks the opening of the 19^th Annual Cape May Music Festival (May 18-June 25) with Road to the Isles. This talented ensemble performs the pipe and fiddle music, dance, and folksong traditions of Scotland & Ireland, just the ticket back to the lochs and glens of Celtic lands of old. Concerts are held on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning at 8 p.m. The Sunday concerts are among the venues affected by the closing of Convention Hall. This particular group will be in the ballroom of Congress Hall. And be sure to catch the very popular Atlantic Brass Band, Sunday May 25. Long a favorite with Cape May audiences, the 35-piece Atlantic Brass Band returns for a rousing concert of American music, a perfect celebration for Memorial Day Weekend! The event has been moved to the Paul W. Schmidtchen Theatre, at Lower Cape May Regional High School. The MAC trolley will be available to shuttle patrons to and from the new venue. Look for signs announcing the locations or as the time nears, call MAC at  609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278.

If you are a lover of classical music, a couple of unusual events which you might find intriguing are the Bach’s Lunches (Get it? Box lunch? Geez. I have to tell ya everything) held Wednesday from May 28 through June 4^th at 12:30 p.m. You can enjoy an elegant tea luncheon at the Carriage House Tearoom and Café at the Emlen Physick Estate, followed by a mini-concert featuring members of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony. Reservations limited to 50, $25 per person.

    It’s just not people flocking to Cape May when spring rolls around. The birds are just as anxious to stop over as well and to that end the 25^th Annual World Series of Birding (May 10) will be assembling teams again this year to take an inventory in a 24-hour period of the numbers of different species vacationing here that day. New Jersey Audubon will proudly host the 25th annual World Series of Birding – North America’s premier conservation event. This event has changed the birding landscape and raised over $8 million for bird conservation. Every species found – every dollar raised preserves and protects critical bird habitat. You can watch or pledge, your choice! If you just getting into birding be sure to check out the New Jersey Audubon Society’s Cape May Spring Weekend held later in the month (May 16-18). Congregate where the birds migrate – join NJ Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory for 3-days of field trips, programs and workshops including horseshoe crab & shorebird migration phenomenon, field trips, boat trips, workshops & programs. Something for the nature lover in everyone—from the beginner to the seasoned naturalist! For more information call 609-884-2736 or visit www.birdcapemay.org.

On May 23rd the Beach Theatre is scheduled to reopen all four auditoriums for a full season of movies from big blockbusters to Classic and Independent films.

And don’t think for one minute Cape May doesn’t have something for the sports loving or the athletically inclined. The 7th Annual South Jersey / ASA Spring Striper Tournament will be held Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4. The Presented by South Jersey Marina and the American Striper Association, call 609-884-2400 or visit sjmarina.com for more information.

And the 29th Annual Great Cape May Footrace will be held on Saturday, May 17. Sponsored by the Cape May Chamber of Commerce (10K & 5K), sign-up is at 8:30 a.m. in front of Convention Hall. To sign up for the race visit www.capemaychamber.com/PDFs/29thraceform2008.pdf.

Another relatively unknown sport is shopping. Cape May’s tournament of shopping is in the spring, and again in the fall. Be sure to check out the Washington Street Mall’s Sidewalk Sale, Thursday, May 15 though Sunday, May 18.

If you’re looking to add a little culture to your life, we have several offerings this month beginning with Sandra Bloodworth’s exhibit, Intimate Feasts, showing at Saturday, May 17-Sunday, June 15 at Soma Gallery, located at 31 Perry Street in the Carpenters Square Mall. Sandra Bloodworth's oil paintings depict chronologically shared moments through meals.

Another Cape May favorite, Marie Natale, will open her latest watercolor exhibit entitled Seven Sisters, Sunday, May 25 with a reception at the Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard Street from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Exhibited in The Magnolia Room of the historic hotel, the self-guided exhibit will be on display from mid-May until the end of June from 11a.m.-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 609-884-8409 or visit www.chalfonte.com.

For theatrical entertainment, Cape May Stage presents Fully Committed by Becky Mode, opening Wednesday, May 21 and running through Saturday, June 28 with an 8:00 p.m.In the basement of Manhattan’s trendiest and hottest new restaurant, Sam Peliczowski is an out-of-work actor who mans the red-hot reservation line. With the phones ringing off the hook, Sam juggles a range of eccentrics -- from scheming socialites and name-dropping wannabes to fickle celebrities and egomaniacal bosses. It’s a frenetic 90-minute circus high-wire act featuring 40 characters and only one actor! Shows run Wednesdays through Sundays at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse at Bank and Lafayette Streets. Please call 609-884-1341 or visit CapeMayStage.com for more information.