Check out our picks for the best in visual art, music, family fun, theater, film and more this week, and then vote on the event that interests you most.

As 2009 winds down, events take a bit of a break as well, but there are lots of exciting options for New Year's Eve. Roger LeLievre breaks them down from A to Z, plus you can browse our complete NYE listings.

• Tuesday, December 29

One-Day Zen Meditation Retreat: Sitting and walking meditation, simple manual work, vegetarian meals, rest, and some discussion - an interval of deepening, of slowing down, noble silence, and mindfulness. At the Zen Buddhist Temple, 1214 Packard Street, at 9 a.m. | More info

• Tuesday, December 29 Cherry Cheva author appearance: Huron High School grad Cherry Cheva talks about her teen novels, "Duplikate" and "She's So Money" and her experiences as a writer for the TV show "Family Guy." At the AADL Main Branch, 343 South Fifth Avenue, at 7 p.m. | More info

• Thursday, December 31-Sunday, January 3 Mittenfest IV: Annual music festival and 826michigan fundraiser featuring 40 bands, including Chris Bathgate, Great Lakes Myth Society, Fred Thomas and Champions of Breakfast. At the Elbow Room, 6 South Washington Street in Ypsilanti. | Dates and times

• Friday, January 1 Tribute to Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt: Chris Buhalis returns with his annual New Year's Day salute to Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt, both of whom died on the holiday. At Old Town Tavern, 122 West Liberty Street, doors at 5 p.m. music at about 6 p.m. | More info

• Saturday, January 2 Comedy Showcase All-Stars: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase invites back five of its favorite comedians, including Billy Bushart, Adam Sokol and Nate Fridson. At the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, downstairs at 314 East Liberty Street, at 8 and 10:30 p.m. | More info

• Sunday, January 3 "The Lens of Impressionism": Curator Talk: Join exhibition curator Carole McNamara on this final day of the exhibition as she shares the paintings of Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, and Claude Monet as well as pioneering photographers such as Gustave Le Gray and Henri Le Secq. At the University of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 South State Street, at 2 p.m. | More info

• Sunday, January 3 Louis Smith Tribute Project: Jazz octet featuring Randy Napoleon (guitar), Sean Dobbins (percussion), Rick Roe (piano) and Rodney Whitaker (bass) pays tribute to jazz educator and former Blue Note Records trumpeter Louis Smith. At Kerrytown Concert House, 415 North Fourth Avenue, at 4:30 p.m. | More info

poll by twiigs.com