Open Bar

Social Calendar Nov. 3: "Book Bash 2002." Benefits Literacy Works. Wine; beer; martini bar; food stations from 25 restaurants; more than 40 authors, including honorary chairwoman Alice McDermott; book signings; live music. The Shops at Kenilworth, 800 Kenilworth Drive, Towson. 6 p.m. Tickets $60 at door. Call 410-887-2001. Nov. 8: "Movin' and Groovin' with St. Agnes Healthcare, Dancing to the Sounds of the '50s through the '80s -- Annual Gala." Beer, wine, cash bar, hors d'oeuvres, buffet dinner, live music, dancing, vintage costume and dance contest.

When you walk into the main building of the Maryland Institute College of Art and the first person you see is dressed as the MilaMilla Jovovich character in 1998's The Fifth Element - scantily clad in strategically placed bandages, you know you're in for a unique evening. But what else would you expect at a party given by MICA students? It's a night when art students use themselves as their canvases. Wings were big. You had the occasional bumblebee and woodland fairy float by. But the largest wings - with a height and span of at least 6 feet - were those elaborately constructed of bamboo and chartreuse nylon and attached to "luna moth" Monnica Hansen.

Themed sweaters and eggnog have run their course this holiday season. It's time to welcome in the new year. Break out your party hat and festive attire -- Baltimore has plenty of events for singles, couples and families who are getting a late start on planning their New Year's Eve celebrations. Here's a sampling: Bars, clubs and parties Enjoy an eclectic mix of live musical performances by Big in Japan, All Mighty Senators, Technicolour Brother, Lucid, DJ Impulse, Remix Renegades and Turnstyle Soundsystem.

Stop the presses! Oops, too late. Then, pull out your scissors and stapler for this little addendum to the Aug. 29-LIVE Fall Party Roundup, the details of which we got after our deadline. And just when you thought you had your seasonal party plan all figured out. Sept. 26: "Casino Night." Benefits Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology Friends. Business / casual attire. Two drinks, cash bar, dinner buffet, casino-style and pool games. Edgar's Billiards Club, 1 East Pratt St. on the Skywalk.

FridayVagabondsThe Vagabond Players, the oldest continuous little theater in the United States, will celebrate its Diamond Jubilee season tonight with a performance of Ruth and Augustus Goetz's romantic drama "The Heiress," followed by a post-performance champagne reception. "The Heiress" is about a possessive father's attempts to thwart his plain daughter's chance for love and happiness. The Vagabond Players building, 806 S. Broadway, has been recognized as a landmark in the Fells Point Historic District: H.L. Mencken wrote the group's first play.

It's not just the end of the year, it's the end of the decade. Tonight, New Year's Eve revelers across Baltimore will kiss off 2009 and welcome 2010 with booming dance parties, hard-rocking live bands and the dull click of plastic champagne glasses. Though there is less than a day left in the year, it's still not too late to join the fun. This year, it's easier than ever to save money on New Year's Eve celebrations. Sonar is hosting a free dance party with live music and DJs and an optional open bar that costs only $20. Tickets to see three solid local rock bands at the Ottobar are a mere $13 each, $20 for couples.

I f you watch Spike TV's "Bar Rescue"you know how hard Jon Taffer's job is. Recruited by drinkeries, Taffer not only revamps bars' design, menus and business practices, but deals with bullheaded owners. He's already had to fix a pirate bar (!) in Silver Spring (!!) for the premiere of Season 2 last week. But for this Sunday's episode (9 p.m.), he attempts to fix Fells Point's J.A. Murphy's, which became Murphy's Law ... and then closed. What went down? We decided to awkwardly ask Taffer.

Company's coming to Pimlico Race Course . For the throngs expected at Saturday's Preakness, the hospitality team at Pimlico Race Course is bringing in 7,000 pounds of crab meat and 3,000 pounds of aged tenderloin. Did someone remember to get ice? Yes: 30,000 bags of frozen water are already in place. Those were just a few of the items on the Preakness list of Tommy Inzer, director of hospitality for the Maryland Jockey Club, which has been hosting the Preakness since 1873.

Stillwater Artisanal Ales is opening its own bar in Brewer's Hill this year, and it isn't just lending its name to the effort. To be called Of Love & Regret, the bar is a creative and business collaboration between Stillwater founder Brian Strumke and Ted Stelzenmuller, chef and co-owner of restaurant Jack's Bistro in Canton. Its opening underscores the success the Baltimore microbrewer has had in the past two years. Strumke said he expects production of Stillwater beers to double to 5,000 barrels in 2012.

Boston Cannons midfielder Paul Rabil , a former All-American at Johns Hopkins, is hosting the second annual Paul Rabil Foundation Holiday Magic Gala on Thursday, Dec. 6 at Sammy's Trattoria Restaurant in Baltimore. Entertainment will be provided by Maryland Live Casino, and all proceeds will go to the Paul Rabil Foundation, which specializes in benefiting children with learning disabilities. The event, which runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, is open to those age 21 and older; it will include a silent auction, wine and martini tasting, and top-shelf open bar. The gala is black tie optional, and the total cost of the event is $125, covering the cost of production, with all other proceeds going to the Paul Rabil Foundation.