Beaujolais Nouveau release party?

[Sarara]

Hi all!

My name is Sara, and I am pretty new to the world of wine. About 6 months ago I was handed a wine list and asked to pick a wine for the table at a conference dinner and I just froze up! I set out to educate myself so that would never happen again. It has been enjoyable but difficult so far (in that my friends are still in the cheap beer-swigging college mindset and usually just scoff when I suggest a wine bar or a wine tasting party) but I am pleased to find this board and hopefully I will learn a lot here and eventually be able to help others learn as well!

So there's my introduction, now here's my question: having never experienced one before, I am interested in attending a Beajolais Nouveau release party or dinner in my area (even though I know it is mostly hype...any excuse, right?). A couple of months ago I remember seeing a website that had a list of events by area, but I can't remember where I saw that. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I would also like to join a wine club, but I live in MD which I believe is one of the few states to which wine can't be shipped (to consumers) due to laws and regulations. What is the best way to go about finding out if there are any wine clubs in my area?

Thank you all!

-Sara