Festival

On a recent fall day, gardeners at Franz Burda's home were putting in 20,000 tulip bulbs. Once they've bloomed next spring, each bulb will be dug up and donated to charity.The German publisher's three full-time staff members clip and groom the impeccable gardens and emerald-green lawns, as well as tend the raised swimming pool on the $5.1 million estate.For formal dinners, Burda's starched damask cloths are ironed on the tables -- after they are sprinkled with Pellegrino, some say -- before the guests jet in.Palm Beach?

A pictorial postmark commemorating the 28th annual Towsontown Spring Festival will be offered this weekend at a temporary festival post office.Fairgoers may create their own collectible by having the postmark stamped on a page of the fair booklet. The cancellation will be applied without charge at the postal site at 101 W. Chesapeake Ave. in Towson.The festival, around the county courthouse buildings in the heart of Towson, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The Ann Arrundell County Historical Society is presenting an Autumn Apple Festival Saturday on the grounds of the Benson-Hammond House.The festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature activities for all ages. Food items will include apple pies and pit beef.Proceeds will go toward renovation of the house, at Andover Road and Aviation Boulevard. The society recently completed a $19,000 exterior renovation of the house. Plans are in the works for an interior renovation.The Benson-Hammond House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Love shopping for unique crafts and unusual fine art? Head south to the Virginia Fine Craft, Folk & Art Festival in Annandale, Va., on Saturday and Oct. 29. Eclectic works, including decorative art objects, traditional and contemporary paintings, photography, functional pottery vessels, wood carvings, rugs, jewelry, clothing and more, will be on display and for sale from regional artists and craftsmen. The festival runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day at the Community Cultural Center, Northern Virginia Community College, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale.

The Memorial Day weekend is more than the beginning of the swimming pool season: It kicks off a series of festivals which stretch long into the fall.Everyone has a favorite festival, be it a block party, the Howard County Fair (Aug. 10-17) or the Maryland State Fair (Aug. 24-Sept. 2). The Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster is always a fun place to go to, particularly during the June 9 Deep Creek Fiddlers Convention. Annapolis is another sure bet, rain or shine.The following are our picks for this weekend:Baltimore City: Leakin Park's herb festival, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, familiarizes you with wild culinary and medicinal herbs in an extraordinary city wilderness park.

The Johns Hopkins Spring Fair represents the first of the big seasonal festivals. Mark your calendars for some of these additional events:26th Annual Towsontown Spring Festival, May 1 and 2, around the Towson courthouse square.77th Baltimore Flower Mart, May 5, surrounding the Washington Monument at Mount Vernon Place.Preakness Fun Festival, May 7-9 in Patterson Park.12th Annual Ellicott City May Arts Festival, May 8, at the B&O Railroad Station Museum in downtown Ellicott City.All-Star Fanfest, July 9-13, at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Ask city officials about last weekend's Baltimore Home Festival and they blame its dismal turnout on summer-like weather. Poppycock!If anything, the fine weather -- combined with a daytime Orioles game -- would have provided a splendid backdrop for the festival in the Convention Center, had it been better organized.Hundreds of potential visitors walked by the festival site, but there were no clear signs to pull them in to see more than a hundred exhibits by Baltimore neighborhoods, non-profit organizations and real estate-related private firms.

The Australian romantic comedy "Muriel's Wedding" will kick off the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's 10th anniversary with a gala screening on March 3.Running through March 12, the annual fest will have as its closing night film "Oklahoma!" which will be screened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the release of the classic musical. Actress Shirley Jones will be feted at the "Oklahoma!" screening.

Success begets traffic jams -- a maxim for modern times.Lines of visitors' cars headed to the recent Maryland Wine Festival at the Carroll County Farm Museum were backed up for a mile along both sides of Md. 140. Upon reaching the ample grasslands, people out for an afternoon of fun in the September sun again had their patience taxed by long lines before they reached the ticket booths. The two-day festival that celebrates Maryland's vinticulture and wineries has become the most popular annual event at the museum, drawing visitors from Canada to California.