“It’s May. It’s May. The lusty month of May.”

And May in Cape May is the merriest month of all. We’re so delighted and excited to see summer coming, we can barely contain our enthusiasm. In May we have all the great spring stuff plus Memorial Day weekend to launch us into high beach-going season.

May 11-14 is open season for you bargain hunters. Cape May merchants roll out the carpets and do a little spring cleaning of their own. The Washington Street Mall Sidewalk Sale is a semi-annual event and a treat. No tickets needed. Just come as you are.

 For you birders, the New Jersey Audubon Society is sponsoring their 23^rd World Series of Birding May 13th. This fun-fundraising event begins at the stroke of midnight and ends at 11:59 p.m. Form a team in birding's premier event. Where everyone wins, nobody loses, and it saves birds and their habitats. To learn how to participate, contact the Cape May Bird Observatory at 609-884-2736 or email shiela.lego@njaudobon.org

 Speaking of birding, the following weekend (May 19-21) is the Cape May Spring Audubon Weekend. This 3-day celebration of spring has something for the nature lover in everyone - field trips, boat trips, workshops and programs - for the beginner to the seasoned naturalist! Experience the phenomenon of migration. For more information, contact the Cape May Bird Observatory.

 Beginning May 20 music lovers are in for a real treat. If you don’t already know about the Cape May Music Festival, listen up. The 17th annual Cape May Music Festival offers four weeks of world class orchestral and chamber music performances along with a world-traditions series, featuring the festival’s Orchestra-in-Residence, the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, and the New York Chamber Ensemble. The series runs from May 20 through June 18. The concerts are Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday, and are held in Cape May Convention Hall, Beach Avenue at Stockton Place and the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets. The event is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org. And, as an added bonus, set aside Friday afternoon at 12:30 on May 19 for the Bach’s Lunch. (Get it? Box lunch? Geez! Do have to tell you everything?) Listen to live chamber music played by musicians from the Bay-Atlantic Symphony and enjoy an elegant Tea Luncheon at the Twinings Tearoom. Word to the wise: the lunches sell out quickly.

 And, is you’re feeling particularly perky Saturday morning, May 20, why not go for a run? In 27th Annual Great Cape May Footrace, that is. Beginning at 8 a.m., runners will gather at Convention Hall on Beach Avenue for a 10K or 5K race. For details call 609-884-5508 ext 103.     

 And that brings us to May 24. Our cultural scene extends to art shows at The Mad Batter Restaurant on Jackson Street and the opening of Cape May Stage’s 2006 theater season. With the production of “K2.”

 Hailed as one of "the most fulfilling theatrical experiences of the year," K2 reaches heights as lofty as the mountain it portrays. K2, by Patrick Meyers, is about two stranded mountain climbers. Stuck at 27,000 feet on an icy ledge of K2, the world's second highest mountain, two climbers attempt to save themselves from forbidding elements, while reaffirming their loyalty to each other. For tickets call (609) 884-1341 for reservations and information or visit us online at www.capemaystage.com

 That brings us up to Memorial Day Weekend. Whoo Hoo!! Beaches, lifeguards and night life, not to mention crafts at and antiques at Convention Hall.11:15 AM, 609-884-9565.