Looks like it's going to be another gorgeous, sunny, blue-sky, perfect temperature weekend in Monterey County! The folks in Pacific Grove made sure of it - nothing but the best weather would do for the Good Old Days Festival this weekend! We know you're going to be there, but if you can squeeze in a few other things, here's the list: Friday It's the first Friday of the month, and you know what that means - it's time for the Salinas First Fridays Art Walk! The art walk runs from 5 to 8pm, and the epicenter is the intersection of Main and Gabilan. Walk in any direction to find venues. Just look for the balloons! While you're there, visit the opening of Like Oil and Water at the National Steinbeck Center, an exhibit of photos about the Exxon Valdez spill. It kicks off with a presentation on Salinas and the Environment event. The artist reception runs from 6-8pm, and the educational presentation runs from 6-7pm. Out in Carmel Valley, Quail Lodge is hosting a grand opening of works from the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association. There will be wine, hors d'oeuvres, and commentary from the artists. Free. Pac Rep's Man of La Mancha begins its first weekend, 7:30pm at the Circle Theatre in Carmel. Violin, cello and piano trio Triple Helix performs at All Saints Church in Carmel-by-the-Sea tonight with Paul Hersh joining them on viola. The performance includes Beethoven's piano trio in E-Flat major, Mozart's piano quartet in G minor, and Mendelssohn's trio in D minor. The performance begins at 8pm. Tickets are $25, $10 for students. See jazz-stars-to-be for free as the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Festival kicks off at the Monterey Conference Center. The opening concert is in the Serra Ballroom at 8pm. Did we mention it's free? Saturday Pacific Grove's Good Old Days Festival kicks off with a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11am at Jewell Park. The parade begins at 10am - line up early on Pine to get a good viewing spot! See the rest of the schedule, including the many, many live performances, on the Good Old Days website. Just down the road in Monterey, it's a long day of great live performances as the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Festival continues. The free performances start at 9am with the high school competitions, and run late into the evening. There will also be free performances at Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey Live and Cannery Row, so keep your eye out! Get in touch with nature in Carmel Valley, at the Kahn Ranch Hitchcock Trail Wildflower Hike. The hike begins at 10am. It's got a 1,100 elevation gain and a length of 3.7 miles. Wear sturdy shoes, and bring water and a bag lunch. The hike is free, but you have to reserve in advance on the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District site, which also has detailed directions. Meanwhile, in Salinas, the National Steinbeck Center is hosting a timely weekend event about the Great Depression and the New Deal. The New Deal features a screening of The Grapes of Wrath at 1pm on Saturday. Educational presentations follow. Included in the cost of admission. Pac Rep's Man of La Mancha takes its first Saturday night bow at 7:30pm at the Circle Theatre in Carmel. Mellow-voiced folk singer Asher Satori performs at Fernwood Resort in Big Sur at 9pm. Sunday It's the last day of Good Old Days for this year. Squeeze out every last drop of fun that you can! See the official event schedule on the Good Old Days website. The Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Festival winds down with high-energy big band and vocal jazz competitions. The middle school big bands compete from 8:30am to 12:30pm, the conglomerate big bands battle from 9am to noon, and the college vocal jazz and big band competitions run from 1:30 to 4:30pm. See beautiful wildflowers and get a workout in Carmel Valley, at the Snively's Ridge West Wildflower Hike. The hike has a monstrous 1,600 foot elevation gain over 4.5 miles, but the views make it well worth the effort. It starts at 9am. Wear sturdy shoes, and bring water and a bag lunch. The hike is free, but you have to reserve in advance on the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District site, which also has detailed directions. The New Deal continues in Salinas at the National Steinbeck Center. There's an educational program on New Deal architecture at 1pm, followed by a walking tour of the New Deal projects in Salinas and a screening of New Deal films from 3-5pm. Catch a matinee performance of that classic Man of La Mancha at 2pm at the Circle Theatre in Carmel. As always, there's more stuff going on than we can cover in one blog post. Check out the Monterey County Weekly online calendar for more ideas.