Preview Party

NEXT WEEK IN LIVE Getting ready for the water at the Baltimore Boat Show ... Visiting a wolf sanctuary and Lancaster County, Pa. ... Chatting with Ambrosia Parsley of the pop group Shivaree, whose new album just came out. COMING UP Actor Henry Winkler -- also an acclaimed director, producer and author -- is this year's celebrity honoree at "Heartfest 2005" Saturday at Martin's West. The 15th annual event features an evening of heart-healthy gourmet dining, dancing and education, as well as book signings by Winkler (Hank Zipzer)

Current volunteers' news and needs:Union Memorial Hospital's volunteers are presenting The Rites of Spring, a three-day event with 42 local and national boutiques participating. Available for sale will be plants, toys, games and home accessories.The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 10 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 11 and 12 in the 4-H building at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Admission is $5.Free demonstrations and lectures each day will address such topics as planning a garden party, bonsai techniques, growing orchids and more.

If you thought it would be at least nine months before you had to think about Christmas again, you didn't know about Christmas in April.This volunteer organization undertakes minor rehabilitation projects and major repairs for some of Anne Arundel County's elderly and disabled people who are unable to get help through normal channels.Christmas in April is in its 21st year nationally, and its second year in Anne Arundel County. The local organization's president, Brooke Perkins of Eastport, spearheads a drive that identifies the houses and apartments that will be worked on, solicits donations of materials and supplies, enrolls hundreds of volunteers, and raises money to cover out-of-pocket expenses.

BIRDS OF A feather flocked together at the gala preview party of the Maryland Antiques Show, the Maryland Historical Society's largest fund-raiser of the year. Hundreds of people were at the Boumi Temple on North Charles Street for a firsthand look at paintings, prints, furniture, rugs, silver, ceramics and porcelains brought to Baltimore by 30 of the country's premier dealers.Again this year, Megan Wolfe and Cindy Rief put together a spectacular show with the theme "Fancy Feathers: The Tradition of Birds in Maryland."

Last chanceIf you've been planning to skate at the Inner Harbor Ice Rink this winter, but just have not found the time, find the time today, because this is your last chance. The ice rink is open today from noon to 6 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. After that, the rink closes for the season. What are you waiting for? Nothing could be more invigorating than a winter skate in the great outdoors, especially with the great view of the Inner Harbor the Rash Field rink offers. What do you mean it's too cold to be outdoors?

Alexandra Stoddard, interior designer, author and philosopher of "fulfilled living," will be the keynote speaker at this year's Hunt Valley Antiques Show. The show, which takes place this coming weekend at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn, will feature more than 60 dealers from around the country offering a wide array of furniture and decorative items.Stoddard's topic will be "The Decoration of Houses: Open Your Eyes," after the title of her latest book (William Morrow, 1998, $28). The book, and the lecture, offer guidelines for helping people "see better," so they can find the beauty around them, whether they live in a penthouse or an efficiency apartment.

THE MOVERS and shakers of Salisbury and its environs gathered at the Centre at Salisbury for a preview party and auction to kick off their annual Festival of Trees. The festival began eight years ago, when "the powers that be" at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and Peninsula Regional Medical Center decided to have a fund-raiser for happier "birth" days for Eastern Shore babies.More than 500 guests, dressed in holiday finery, attended this year's party, which included a cocktail buffet and a silent and live auction of all the lovely Christmas trees, wreaths, swags and other holiday goodies, decorated and donated by area people.

ROLAND PARKING: As part of Roland Park's Centennial Celebration, there will be a reunion tonight beginning at 6 on the grounds of St. Mary's Seminary for "anybody and everybody who lives in, used to live in, went to school in, plays in or jogs in Roland Park!" Dubbed "A Taste of Roland Park," neighborhood restaurants will provide the eats and drinks with entertainment provided by -- get this -- those marvelous butchers from Eddie's Supermarket who'll be lipsynching a routine.Party organizer Betty Davis explained the choice for such, ah, "prime" entertainment.

Lately the food pages, even the front pages, have been vibrating with reaction to the latest broadside from Michael Jacobson and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.Having exposed the dangers of standard Mexican, Chinese, and Italian restaurant food, the Center for Science recently declared seafood restaurants reasonably healthy places to eat, if one avoids fried offerings.Our forebears in the 17th and 18th centuries did not have the benefit of Mr. Jacobson's research . . . or even of restaurants, generally.

Half a dozen landscapers and more than three dozen vendors will guarantee a blooming good time at "2000 Blooms," this year's 14th annual Rites of Spring garden show, sponsored by the Union Memorial Hospital Foundation. The show also features demonstrations on such topics as creating indoor topiary gardens and arranging silk flowers, plus educational exhibits, activities for children, a book corner and a perennial plant fashion show by Bluemount Nurseries. Light fare will be available from a bistro by Linwood's/Due.