My husband and I have been going to the James Dean Festival in Fairmount, Ind., for the past 10 or so years. It's not a bad drive (about 3 hours) and if the trees have begun to turn, as they have this year, it can be downright gorgeous along some stretches.

But this is also the date set to celebrate the life and exceptional career of Rosemary Clooney.

This decision won't be easy. Two wonderful small towns. Two worthy causes. Two stars we both admire and respect. It may come down to a last-minute whim. Either way, I thought it only fair to celebrate them both here.

•  www.rosemaryclooney.com. Ladies first. It was never my pleasure to meet Rosemary Clooney, although I often imagined myself in her shoes (not to mention her red velvet dress with the fur cuffs and hem). For me, as for millions, "White Christmas" holds a special spot in my holiday celebrations as well as in my heart. This site is an absolute must for any fan of Rosie's. You'll find photos that reflect the joy of her life out of the spotlight as well as in it. There are tributes to Maysville, Kentucky's favorite "girl singer" from the biggest names in Hollywood, from throughout the music industry and from within our own community. Visit it now to read about the special events planned for this weekend and bookmark it for later, so she's never farther than a song away.

•  www.rescuetherussell.com. The original purpose of the Festival was to raise funds to save a true gem. Mays-ville's Russell Theater was, by all accounts, a place where imaginations were brought to life, and not just by the films that played there. Nothing was spared to make the movie house magical -- so it was only logical that Rosie would want her first film to premiere there. Read the history (both happy and sad) of this theatrical landmark. Find out what's being done to restore it and what you can do to help.

•  www.jamesdeanartifacts.com. And now on to the man who will be forever young, forever hip, forever tragic and unquestionably, forever the rebel without a cause. This is the site for one of two museums that used to be a trip requirement during our time in Fairmount. Although the Web address has changed, ( www.comteck.com/~hmuseum still works, too), the physical address remains the same.

•  www.jamesdean.com. For this one, the Web address is the same but the museum has moved. What was once a stop in Fairmount will now become an extra drive up to Gas City. The James Dean memorabilia has been relocated to classy new digs, where it is displayed in style. The Deco-style gallery opened May 15 so that may tip the scales for our weekend plans in favor of the Indiana visit.

•  www.deaners.net. Not just one of the largest James Dean sites, but one of the largest fan sites period. There's so much here you'll just have to set aside some time to explore. But I wanted to point out another cause that might be of interest to Dean fans. There's a movement to save the place where "cool went to school." The school is in dire disrepair but if they can get the support (and financial backing), the plans for its future use are actually pretty cool. Read about it (and a ton more) here.

Jan Perry is a Kentucky-based freelance writer. Contact her at SiteSeer2K@aol.com.