events_controller.rb

class EventsController < ActionController::Base
  layout 'events'  # uses the layouts/events.html.erb file instead of the default layouts/application.html.erb

  # This will fire the setup_global_data function before calling any controller action in this class.
  before_filter :setup_global_data

  def index
  end

  def calendar
  end

  private
  def setup_global_data
    # Grab the events so we can always render the calendar
    @events = Event.find(:all)   # or whatever...
  end
end