How do I filter a view page with contextual filter?
You could use this module to set up the date field for the events: http://drupal.org/project/date.

This video explains how to use arguments with the date module:
http://www.drupaltherapy.com/date_d7

Then create 3 view pages, with the only difference being the arguments of each page view to determine if the date is: 
1) in the past 
2) in the future
3) doesn't need to be filtered by date

Each view page would get its own path.
Then you could create a menu with the different paths as links.

Once you have your menu set up, go to Structure- Blocks - and you can configure the menu to be in the content area, and paste the paths of the 3 pages you've created, separated by commas in the section that says SHow Blocks on Specific Pages.

Hopefully that gets you on the right track.