Be There Then

THE PROPHETS CONFERENCE It''s a little like Lallapalooza for the New Age movement. And for whatever reason-be it the magnetic vibe of Big Sur and Esalen or the proximity to good food and wine-it''s happening here. Ram Dass, Riane Eisler (best known for her book The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future), psychologist and Esalen Institute scholar Stanislav Groff and a host of other luminaries in the mind-body-spirit universe are meeting to take a fresh look at growing older, finding meaning in a confusing world and making sense of the endless complexities of the human mind. Fusion jazz artists Jai Uttal and Geoffrey Gordon bring a culturally rich and invigorating blend of the sacred and the secular to the stage at 8pm on Saturday night.

11AM-11PM FRIDAY; 7:30AM-10PM SATURDAY; 7:30AM-7:30PM SUNDAY. ASILOMAR CONFERENCE CENTER, PACIFIC GROVE. $25 FOR INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS. (888) 777-5981 OR VISIT WWW.GREATMYSTERY.ORG FOR SCHEDULE.

Honking

TERRY HANCK AND THE SOULROCKERS When it comes to showmanship, Elvin Bishop is no slouch. But back in the late ''70s and early ''80s, when the Elvin Bishop Band was in its prime, bandmember Terry Hanck would regularly steal the show from the boss. (This was okay with Elvin, whose friendly country-boy image was more than just show.) Hanck''s Chicago-rooted, New Orleans-flavored saxophone style, his bluesy vocals, and his effusive stage presence made him an audience favorite then, and he remains so now, having maintained a successful solo career since 1987. During that time, he has also backed greats such as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Charlie Musselwhite and the Neville Brothers.

9PM, SLY MCFLY''S 700 CANNERY ROW, MONTEREY. CALL FOR PRICE. 649-8050.

saturday 3|30

Thirteen Miles of Joy

MONTEREY BAY HALF MARATHON There are so many great things about running. It''s exercise (so it''s good for you). It can be measured (and thus

creates a sense accomplishment). And the more you do it, the better it feels. If you just run for fun and haven''t yet raced, you should think about competing, and either a 10-K or a half-marathon is good way to start. There is still time to register for the Third Annual Monterey Bay Half Marathon on Saturday. It''s a 13.1-mile single loop course over hilly terrain at Fort Ord. Last year 700 people raced in this, the official training race for the Big Sur International Marathon, scheduled for April 28. If you don''t feel like running this one, head over and cheer on the racers.

6:30AM REGISTRATION; 7:30 RACE STARTS. FREEMAN STADIUM ON GEN. JIM MOORE BLVD, MARINA. $35. 582-3015. REGISTRATION FORMS MAY BE HAD FROM THE RACE HOTLINE, AT ASHR@CSUMB.EDU OR AT FLEET FEET IN MONTEREY.

An

EASTER FESTIVITIES What is it about Easter that makes parents want to give little hollow chocolate bunnies to their children, even when those children are old enough to go to bars and misbehave there? We can''t hope to solve that mystery here, but we can divulge the scoop on where to go for Easter egg hunts and the like this weekend. The City of Seaside is sponsoring an EGGFEST AT OLDEMEYER CENTER (986 Hilby, Seaside, 899-6273), starting with an egg hunt at 11am sharp. A bounce house, petting zoo and visit by the Easter Bunny round out the bill. MONTEREY''S 32ND ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT (7,000 eggs hidden; 100 of them hold prizes; feelin'' lucky?) starts at 10am at Frank E. Sollecito, Jr. Ballpark, next to Dennis the Menace Park. There will be four hunt areas, separated by age group. And Carmel is hosting BREAKFAST WITH THE BUNNY AND EGGSTRAVAGANZA, not to be confused with an Easter egg hunt. Breakfast with Mr. Bunny begins at 8:30am at Devendorf Park, Ocean and Junipero, Carmel. Then kids can go to Eggland for cookies, face painting, music and games ($5).

Wonderful World of Wordsmithery

HIGH SCHOOL POETRY AWARDS Sometimes saying less is more. No statement could more aptly describe the delicate process of creating the perfect poem. The judges of the 2002 Monterey County High School Poetry Awards would certainly agree with both of the sentiments above. These poetry enthusiasts have weeded through over 200 submissions from high school students throughout Monterey County in order to come up with the crème de la crème of artistic endeavors to be honored at this annual event. Twenty-five of the poems receiving awards will later be published in an anthology, an extension of the event''s goal to motivate young poets to continue the timeless tradition of creative expression through language. Future Whitmans and Nerudas will be accepting a wide range of prizes commending their efforts, including certificates of merit, cash awards, and books of poetry. The event is co-sponsored by the Monterey Public Library and The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts.

1PM. MONTEREY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 625 PACIFIC STREET, MONTEREY. FREE. 624-7491.

Hope

ROBERT BLY While packs of scholars were busy dissing maleness in the ''80s and ''90s, Robert Bly was formulating an original take on the imperiled state of manhood at the close of the 20th century. And it appears his readers welcomed the fresh perspective. His book Iron John: A Book About Men was a national bestseller that''s credited with spawning the Men''s Movement. The Sibling Society followed suit. But Bly''s no one-trick pony. Before he became a new-male icon, he was a respected poet and translator. He has introduced the works of Pablo Neruda, Antonio Machado and other foreign poets to American audiences, and between churning out books of thoughtful and powerful verse he has edited several anthologies, including The Best American Poetry of 1999. Accompanying Bly on this special evening will be Marcus Wise on tabla and Bruce Hamm on sarod.

8PM. MPC LECTURE FORUM 103. $10. 980 FREMONT STREET, MONTEREY. 624-5725.

Chanteuse

JENNA MAMMINA When Jenna Mammina and her siblings were kids, they would perform together at church, kind of like an Osmond family for Catholics. Now Mammina is selling out Yoshi''s and The Knitting Factory and sharing magazine covers with Diana Krall. Plying a delightful voice around songs written by Elvis Costello, James Taylor and Leonard Bernstein, Mammina reinvents the pop standard with artful assistance by guitarist Andre Bush. For full story see page 28.

7:30PM. THE JAZZ AND BLUES COMPANY, 236 CROSSROADS, CARMEL. $30. 624-6431.

The

SAMBADÁ Cheaper than a flight to Rio, more fun to dance to than old Jobim CD''s and more happy-making than a flotilla of mai tais is Sambadá. The six-piece band from the beach town up the street has a very agreeable case of ADD that manifests itself in an inability to stick to one style of Brazilian music. So Sambadá does as many varieties of sunny, energetic, sexy music as its members can think up: bossa nova, samba, samba reggae, samba batucada, pagode, reggae, funk and hip-hop. Percussion instruments galore and a bank of guitars and singers pretty much guarantee that the crowd will be on its feet for most of the evening. That''s how it always is.

9PM. SLY MCFLY''S, 700 CANNERY ROW, MONTEREY. CALL FOR PRICE. 649-8050.

sunday 3|31

Flower Power

WILDFLOWER HIKE Already, this year promises to be exceptional for wildflower lovers. The California poppies look more abundant and the early wild irises look purpler than in years past-but maybe that''s true every spring. The new Bobcat Trail winds to a little-used section of the Marks Ranch/Toro park area known as the St. John''s property. Gordon Williams will lead this walk, which is sure to lead to a rich abundance of bloomers.

9AM, MARKS RANCH/TORO COUNTY PARK (TAKE PORTOLA DRIVE FROM HIGHWAY 68 AND MEET AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE.) BRING WATER AND BAG LUNCH. 372-6374.

monday 4|1

Terror Summit

PANETTA LECTURE SERIES If you''re sick of the "terror thing," you''d better wake up. It''s not going away, and there is probably more to come. Learn what that might be and what the country is doing about it at a lecture called Fighting Terrorism-Diplomacy, Defense and Deficits, the first of four terrorism talks hosted by the Panetta Institute. Featured at this particular event will be New York Times columnist William Safire. A grand master of the English language, Safire was also a speechwriter for President Nixon and has been penning ever-insightful columns since September 11. He will share the dais with former Sen. Warren Rudman, a co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on National Security. That body, which Rudman chairs with former Sen. Gary Hart, produced a report last year warning of looming terror, but was universally ignored.

8PM. STEINBECK FORUM OF THE MONTEREY CONFERENCE CENTER. TICKETS GO TO SERIES SUBSCRIPTION HOLDERS, BUT STAND-BY TICKETS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE FOR $20 APIECE. 582-4200. THE PROGRAM WILL ALSO BE BROADCAST ON C-SPAN AND LIVE ON CABLE CHANNEL 26 IN THE MONTEREY AREA.