Mermaids, Poppies and Cheese

Wow, what a range of options you have before you this weekend. There's something for everyone! Or, if you're like me and can't choose, a little of everything.

For good old-fashioned family fun, head up to the Antelope Valley for the annual Poppy Festival. Held Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm in Lancaster City Park, the festival will have all the traditional attractions: live entertainment, arts & crafts, and food, as well as a "Healthy Living Pavilion" and an International Market. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children and seniors.

For more high-brow family fare, you can check out "Splash! A Celebration of Mermaids and the Sea" at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Sponsored by Heal the Bay and held in conjunction with the exhibition "Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas," this water-themed festival includes a costume contest and procession, live music, children's art workshops, face painting, and a live touch tank. Saturday, April 19, 11:30 am-3:30 pm. Free admission, $8 parking. For more info, click here.

Finally, we have a festival dedicated to every schoolkid's favorite, that comfort-food staple, the humble grilled cheese sandwich. The Grilled Cheese Invitational has apparently been traveling the country, spreading the joy of melted cheese on bread to the masses. On Saturday, it arrives in Griffith Park. It's too late to register to be a competitor, but for free you can show up, sample the "sammiches" (as they're called on the official website) and be a judge.

All I can say is, any contest that advises its entrants to "Have sex with somebody before the competition - Let your hair down and relax, then come and grill cheese. You'd be surprised how much of a difference it really makes in the grill" must be fun. 5:00-9:30 pm, somewhere in Griffith Park.