NATCHEZ — The long weekend will allow time to memorialize fallen heroes and offer the community one last chance for music.

Memorial Day

The Natchez National Cemetery will host a Memorial Day service at 11:30 a.m. Monday.

Vietnam veteran James E. Calhoun will be the guest speaker.

The ceremony to honor all military members who have served or are currently serving the U.S. military will be underneath the pavilion overlooking the Mississippi River at the cemetery.

A walking parade will also commemorate the day of remembrance, said Sheila L. Smith, supervisor of the Natchez National Cemetery. The parade will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Magnolia and Alabama streets in Vidalia and will proceed across the bridge to Natchez. The parade, which will include “patriot guard riders” on motorcycles, will stop at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center briefly to rest and then continue to the cemetery in time for the ceremony.

For more information contact Smith at 601-445-4981.

The Veterans Post 590 Memorial Day Gospel Fest will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center.

Natchez Festival of Music

The Natchez Festival of Music will host the last three events of this year’s festival this weekend.

The festival’s artistic director, Jay Dean, said audiences have grown this year compared to years past, partly because of the increase in the quality of talent in the performances.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the event “Night and Day — An Evening with Cole Porter featuring Maryann Kyle and Will Earl Spanheimer,” will commemorate popular composer, Porter, with his “swinging tunes and grooving melodies,” a festival of music press release said.

Admission is $100, and the event will be at The Towers at 801 Myrtle Ave.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Natchez Festival of Music Opera will present “Don Giovanni,” a popular comic opera that tells the story of the womanizing Don Juan.

Admission is $25, and the two-hour event will be at the Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center at 64 Homochitto St.

Following the opera on Saturday will be the 22nd Annual Music Festival Gala, which will give guests a chance to mingle with the performers.

Flowers, food and a cash bar will be part of the event at Linden.

Admission is $20, and the event is at 1 Linden Place.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com or by calling 601-445-2210.

Concordia Airport Spring Fly-In

Residents interested in aircraft or an interesting sight can attend the Concordia Parish Airport’s annual spring fly-in from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the airport.

Donna Maroon of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 912 said the association joins those with an interest or hobby in small aircraft, some of which are home built and certified for use.

Members of the chapter from Mississippi, Louisiana and throughout the region will fly in and allow the pubic to take a look at their aircraft, ask questions and perhaps even score a free ride, Maroon said.

“It’s just a fun day if you like airplanes,” Maroon said.

Concessions with food and drink will be available, and attendees are encouraged to bring cameras and lawn chairs to enjoy the show.

USAF Reserve Brass Quintet

Following Memorial Day, the Band of the U.S. Airforce Reserve Brass Quintet will perform a free concert at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the gazebo on the Natchez bluff.

The troupe is traveling around the South over the next few months.

The Brass Quintet is the most versatile component of the Band of the United States Air Force Reserve, with a repertoire spanning five centuries.

“We are excited they included Natchez in their schedule,” Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Jenkins said. “It will be a real treat for anyone who comes to come hear them play because they have such a wide range of music in their repertoire.

“There will surely be something for everyone to appreciate.”

The event is free and the public is invited to come enjoy the concert, and attendees should bring lawn chairs and blankets for seating.

Ferriday Soul Survivors

From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, the third-annual Soul Survivors Festival celebrates music’s living history in Ferriday, Louisiana.

This year, acts such as Sylvia Johns Richie & Crew, Nathan Shell, Lil’ Poochie, Jimmy Anderson, Elmo Williams, Hezekiah Early, YZ Ealey Band and Angola Prison Band will perform in the new Jerry Lee Lewis Rockabilly Park and Plaza.

Admission is free until 7 p.m., when Mayor Glen McGlothin will cut a ribbon for a new million-dollar Will Haney Big House Music Hall plus the Jerry Lee Lewis Rockabilly Park and Plaza and Concordia Hotel.

Will Haney Circle and Peewee Whittaker Avenue will also be dedicated.

Following the ceremony, Easy Eddie and the Party Rockers will perform at the Will Haney Music Hall Stage for a $3 admission.

Vidalia Schools Reunion

Registration for the Vidalia Schools reunion will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, with a meet and greet from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Vidalia Recreation Center.

A family picnic will be scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Vidalia Recreation Center.

A banquet will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center.

Call 601-431-3741, 318-336-8958 or visit www.vidaliareunion2010.com for information.

Arts, Crafts and Gift show
A for-profit arts, crafts and gift show will be at the Natchez Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5 for both days. Children under 12 are admitted free.