Memorial Day is a two-sided holiday, juxtaposing remembrance of loved ones we’ve lost in war with the summer-kickoff fun of a long weekend.

The 55th Sonoma Valley Memorial Day observance starts at 11 a.m. Monday at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park, 126 First St. W., Sonoma. The speaker will be Francis J. Harvey, Secretary of the Army from 2004 to 2007.

Santa Rosa Memorial Park, 1900 Franklin Ave., will present its annual “Annual Avenue of the Flags” display from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday. John Logan of the Military Order of the Purple Heart will speak. There also will be live music and children’s activities. 542.1580, srmp.org.

The Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery’s Memorial Day ceremony starts at 1 p.m. Monday at the cemetery’s Franklin Avenue gate. 543-3292, ci.santa-rosa.ca.us

And on the lighter side:

Viansa Winery kicked off its three-day barbecue Saturday and it continues through Monday, with live music each day. Free admission. Wine and food for purchase. 25200 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. viansa.com.

The Russian River Rose Company’s “Tea and Memories in the Rose Garden” event also began Saturday and runs through Monday. Sip organic tea and relax amid more than 650 varieties of antique and modern roses, surrounded by vineyards. 1685 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg. $4 donation. 433-7455, russian-river-rose.com.

Taft Street Winery launches the second season of its “A Little Street Music” free summer concert series with the Pulsators, from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tasting room opens at 11 a.m. Wine for sale. 2030 Barlow Lane, Sebastopol. 823-2049, taftstreetwinery.com.

Join Arista Winery for its Memorial Day Backyard Party from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday for a traditional Southern barbecue lunch, featuring a whole roasted pig, flatbreads from the backyard pizza oven, a live band and new wine releases. $85. 7015 Westside Road, Healdsburg. 473-0606, aristawinery.com.

photo by Will Bucquoy

May 23-25
Healdsburg FFA Country Fair: The fair kicks off tonight with their annual Twilight Parade (themed Blue Jeans & Country Dreams), and then continues on through Saturday with livestock and small animal judging and exhibits, a petting zoo, performances, games, food, activities, and more. Recreation Park (corner of Piper and University in Healdsburg). healdsburgfair.org

Friday, May 24
Red Dress Party: The Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence don their red frocks, and ask you to as well. Multiple guests will make an appearance at the party, including the Resurrection Roller Girls, The Russian River Sisters Chior, and Lolita Hernandez and D-Licious. $5 if wearing red, $10 without. 21-plus. 9 p.m. Mavericks. 397 Aviation Blvd., Suite E, Santa Rosa. maverickssantarosa.com

Friday, May 24
Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt-a-Whirl Band: The infamous blues-rock guitarist (and older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan) will play Hopmonk Sebastopol, with local faves Lost Dog Found opening. $45. 8:45 p.m. 21-plus. Hopmonk Sebastopol. 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. hopmonk.com/sebastopol

Saturday, May 25
Out of Order art show:  You will not want to miss this event, because once it’s over, it’s OVER.  Put together by visionary artist, Roman D’Argenzio, the one-day gallery features local talent (including Ricky Watt) and artists from afar, art on the walls and standing sculptures, and an entire room full of inspiration for the night of the event, and THAT’S ALL.  The show will be at the former Santa Rosa Printing Co, 575 Ross St., Santa Rosa, from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.  The show is free, but you can donate to their Kickstarter campaign at kickstarter.com/projects/outoforder/out-of-order-mural-exhibit.

Saturday, May 25
Ukulele Festival: A day of workshops and music, featuring performances with Uni, Ralph Shaw, Faith Ako, Jon Gonzales, Mr. December, local Uke Clubs, and more. $25. noon to 9 p.m. Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. seb.org

Saturday, May 25
Wine Country Spring Fling:  Peruse 30 different vendors, with various items of beauty, health, jewelry, accessories, toys, apparel, and more.  Admission is free, and first 75 in the door receive a tote bag.  Plus, raffle prizes, food, and sweet treats will be available.  10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Finley Community Center. 2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa.  socoboutiqueshoppersexpo.com

Saturday, May 25
Tristan Prettyman: The singer/songwriter is well known in the folk circuit, and will be performing live at Uptown Theatre. She’s joined by Ben Taylor, who’s a musical genius in his own right, but his musically royal lineage doesn’t hurt – his parents are none other than James Taylor and Carly Simon. $28. 12-plus. 8 p.m. 1350 Third Street, Napa. uptowntheatrenapa.com

Saturday, May 25
Russian River Memorial Day Fest: From noon to 6 p.m. check out the Monte Rio Amphitheater for an afternoon of BBQ, live music, dog and human contests, arts & crafts, activities, and so much more. Also happening is the historical plaque dedication ceremony for the Monte Rio Community Center and a historical silent film shown at the center. Free entry, all ages. 9925 Main St., Monte Rio. russianriveralliance.org/Memorial-Day-Festival.html

Sunday, May 25
Sunday Cruise In: The monthly cruise in at Fourth & Sea is considered one of the coolest. Check out classic cars, delicious grub, live music, a raffle, and the prestigious Sunday Cup Trophy. Free. All ages. Noon to 3 p.m. 101 Fourth St., Petaluma. sundaycruisein.blogspot.com

Sunday, May 26
Oysterpalooza: This year’s annual oyster extravaganza brings six bands to two stages, delicious oyster dishes, scrumptious food, local wine and beer, and more. To perform is Windy Hill Bluegrass, The Crux, Supermule, The Far West, Church Marching Band, and Arann Harris and the Green String Farm Band. $15 at door. All ages. Rocker Oysterfeller’s (Valley Ford Hotel). 14415 Hwy. 1, Valley Ford. oysterpalooza.brownpapertickets.com

Glenn Myles and Karen Harrison drink coffee and visit outside at Plank Coffee in Cloverdale. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

If someone were looking for an authentic “Small Town USA,” the hamlet of Cloverdale would certainly be on the list.

With its wide streets and Victorian houses, the former lumber town exudes the innocence and timelessness of a Norman Rockwell painting. Yet the city renowned for its flourishing citrus trees has elicited less pleasant slogans, such as “Ghost Town USA.”

But change may be afoot in Cloverdale; some new energy has arrived with the latest wave of new residents. Sonny Childress, an architect who moved to Cloverdale last fall, said his friends in Healdsburg are still amazed by his exodus.

“Every time I’m in Healdsburg, people go, ‘You moved to Clover-Tucky?’ ” he said. “To me, it’s a better quality of life… For people who are downsizing, there are all kinds of opportunities.”

And those opportunities offer a pricetag that’s hard to resist, especially if you’re just starting, or easing out of, your career.

“It’s a lot less expensive,” said Domenica Catelli, chef/owner of Catelli’s restaurant in Geyserville, who bought a a Craftsman-style home in Cloverdale this spring. “Personally, my lifestyle is so busy and hectic that the sense of quiet and peace has been really good for me.”

Cloverdale’s diminutive downtown boasts a few wine tasting rooms plus a brand-new performing arts center, but there are lots of empty storefronts and a shuttered movie theater. For some residents, that adds to its gritty appeal.

“People like it because it’s still real,” said Cynthia De Martini, a Cloverdale resident for 38 years. “The whole town is eccentric. That’s why I like it.”

Catelli, who grew up in Healdsburg when it was still called “Hicks-burg,” believes it’s only a matter of time before Cloverdale gains critical mass as a destination.

Barista Camille Jessen fills orders for drinks at Plank Coffee. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

The arrival of Plank, a coffee shop opened last May by Marne Dupere and Mike Morisette, marked a watershed moment. With its own cafe to serve as a hub, the community started to wake up.

“Plank has brought out so many good things in this town,” said Lou Preston, of Preston Family Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley. “What it has been missing is a nucleus.”

In 2007, Dupere and Morisette escaped from the five-lane freeways of Los Angeles and drove around the country in an Airstream travel trailer. They settled in Healdsburg and opened 14feet, an artsy home decor shop, then started searching for a piece of land big enough for a family compound and a garden.

“The idea was to find a place to live and walk to work,” Dupere said. “It turned out that Healdsburg was too expensive for what we wanted.”

In 2009, they bought 40 acres on Pine Mountain Road, moved north to Cloverdale, and took their boutique with them. The new shop, located next to Plank, allows the couple to live within their means.

“I’m saving $40,000 a year in rent by moving here, on this shop alone,” Dupere said.

Short stories, a graphic novel, local history, fantasy and literary fiction. And food.

On Tuesday May 28, Press Democrat reporter, Robert Digitale, will join four other local authors for a dinner and reading at Redwood Cafe in Cotati.

It’s a chance for readers to dine with writers and to hear different voices sharing their work.

The evening will feature Daniel Coshnear, author of the short story collection “Occupy and Other Love Stories;” John McCarty, author of the novel “Memories That Linger;” Evelyn McClure, author of “Beneath The Mountain of The Burning Bird, Bennett Valley History & Memories” (image not available); and Alexis E. Fajardo, author of the graphic novel Kid Beowulf and the Rise of El Cid.” Robert Digitale will be reading from my fantasy novel, “Horse Stalker.”

The event begins at 6 p.m. at the cafe, 8240 Old Redwood Highway.

To read more on Jeane Slone and Mona Mechling, the two women who make these author dinners happen, click on this story by Press Democrat Staff Writer Diane Peterson.

For more information, call 889-3419 or send an email to monamech@gmail.com.

In 1981, a movie came out that combined the talents of giants in two very different fields: comic books and rock ‘n’ roll.

It was called “Heavy Metal,” after the slick, magazine-format comic book, an American version of the similar French magazine, “Metal Hurlant.”

Now you can see it on the big screen again, after several decades, at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at the Roxy Stadium 14 cinemas, 85 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa.

But be warned, just like the magazine it was created after, this movie is filled with graphic sexuality, nudity, and violence.

The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the film’s production designer, Michael Gross.

It’s a special occasion, partly because for a long time, it was difficult to see this cult classic at all.

Legal problems with the copyrights for some of the music used in the film blocked commercial home-video release for 15 years. Bootleg tapes, made from occasional cable TV showings, circulated among fans.

The soundtrack was released on LP in 1981, but again, for legal reasons, it was not released on CD until 1995.

The soundtrack features Sammy Hagar, Devo, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Journey, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath and Stevie Nicks, among others.

The film is an anthology of animated short fantasy and science stories adapted from Heavy Metal magazine.

Contributors included Rich Corben, creator of the bald and hulking young adventurer, “Den,” and Berni Wrightson, best known as co-creator of “The Swamp Thing.”

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The mystery surrounding jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd for many years could be summed up in a simple question: Where did he go?

In the early 1970s, at the top of his game, he dropped off the musical map.

“I hit a wall,” he said in a spiritual, meandering interview that ranged from his Memphis childhood to his latest 75th-birthday run of sold-out concerts.

In the early 1960s, he’d first made a name as a Southern horn player who once backed Howling Wolf and B.B. King, was heavily influenced by John Coltrane, and then tapped to play with Cannonball Adderly.

But as he began to shape his own sound — a very profound and unique vision unbound by genre, he reached far beyond jazz. His live album “Forest Flower,” recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1966, was as likely to be owned by Deadheads and folkies as jazz fans, selling more than a million copies. Crossing over with ease, he was the first jazz musician to play the Fillmore and later recorded with the Beach Boys. He even toured Russia in the unlikely year of 1967.

And then one day, he took off for Big Sur to “live in a cave and drink lemon water,” he said.

That’s where his wife of more than 40 years, Dorothy Darr, tracked him down, several years after they’d met at a festival while she was in college in Rhode Island.

Dorothy Darr

Her new documentary, “Charles Lloyd: Arrows into Infinity,” screens June 8 at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, the same day Lloyd performs with pianist Jason Moran. It’s a candid exploration of a man she knows too well and a jazz legend who is still an enigma to many who adore him.

Even though they share the same house in Santa Barbara, it wasn’t easy for Darr to pin him down on the details of what led to his “exile years.”

“We’d had a back-and-forth over a number of months, where I’d said I wanted to do a further interview with him and that I felt there was some reality and some grit missing,” Darr said.

“He had alluded to having a problem with drugs and why he withdrew from the music business, but there was not any detail. So I sat him down one afternoon and he started talking. But he was pretty reluctant to do it for quite a while.”

The way Lloyd remembers it, “Dorothy kept prodding me because I guess all these people were giving me roses and she wanted to get to the real deal. So one day I had to face the mirror of my own inadequacies and tell the truth.”

Basically, he was heavily addicted to drugs and “I was trying to dry out and clean up. I had been medicating myself.” It’s similar to what Beat writer Jack Kerouac tried to do, unsuccessfully, in his Big Sur self-exile.

But more importantly, the music business had turned on Lloyd as well. “I had all this name and fame, but I didn’t really have the financial rewards that go with it,” he said. “It was kind of a funny count. It was rigged and I couldn’t get to the bottom line of it.”

So he just walked away from it all.

“Big Sur was great for me,” he said. “I needed isolation because my buddies would come around and ‘tragic magic’ (drugs) was always there for me and I didn’t want to keep medicating.”

These days, an interview with Lloyd is an exercise in the journey of words and spiritual metaphors — much like his jazz explorations. If you ask, “What are you up to today?” you get, “I got all kinds of music stuff I’m working on and listening to. I do my calisthenics and my yoga and my push-ups. I hike on the mountain and I swim underwater to try to get my breath control together. I’m still trying to — how do you say — matriculate. I still have dreams bigger than my memories. I stood on the shoulders of all these great masters and I’m still drunk and inspired by the music.”

Deep breath.

Later, he added, “I saw the set-up of the world was a dog’s curly tail and they weren’t about to straighten this thing out. So I had to find my own way.”

Summer’s almost here, and if you want to see really big shows, the time is right for drivin’ down the road.

Big-name concert tours are coming to the Bay Area’s big arenas, and national touring productions of major Broadway shows are coming to San Francisco.

From teen star Justin Bieber, at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, to no less than Sir Paul McCartney himself, at the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park, there’s something for just about everybody.

And it’s not too soon to starting making plans. Here’s an even dozen highlights to get you started:

Kendrick Lamar

June 9 — KMEL Summer Jam. This year’s festival features hip-hop heavyweights Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, J. Cole and Wale, along with up-and-comers RaVaughn and Trinidad James at Oakland’s Oracle Arena. 7 p.m. $38-$119. kmel.com.

June 17-July 13 — “Once,” the Broadway musical hit, comes to the Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., San Francisco, for a month-long run. This story about a Dublin street musician, whose career takes off when a beautiful young woman takes an interest in his songs, won eight 2012 Tony Awards, including best musical. Ticket information: shnsf.com, 888-746-1799.

Aquabats

June 22 — Vans Warped Tour. The touring pop-punk-rock festival hits the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, with headliners including the Aquabats, Motion City Soundtrack, Falling in Reverse, The Wonder Years, The Used and Reel Big Fish. The day starts at 11 a.m. $35. vanswarpedtour.com.

June 26 — When he’s not in the news because of some flap or another, Bieber, the 19-year-old Canadian superstar, is out on tour. His current “Believe Tour” brings him to HP Pavilion in San Jose for a show at 7 p.m. $42-$95. hppavilion.com, 408-287-9200.

Beyoncé

July 2 — Beyoncé Knowles. The singer’s “Mrs. Carter Show” world tour, launched in Serbia in April, gets its name from her marriage to rapper Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. She’ll perform at 8 p.m. at HP Pavilion. $48-$253. hppavilion.com, 408-287-9200.

July 7 — “The Package Tour,” starring New Kids on the Block, with guests 98° and Boyz II Men, comes to HP Pavilion for a concert at 7:30 p.m. $29.50-$92.50. hppavilion.com, 408-287-9200.

July 14 — “American Idols Live 2013.” See season 12 finalists Amber Holcomb, Angie Miller, Burnell Taylor, Candice Glover, Curtis Finch Jr., Devin Velez, Janelle Arthur, Kree Harrison, Lazaro Arbos and Paul Jolley. Aubrey Cleland, who missed making the top 10 but won the hearts and votes of fans, also joins the tour. 7:30 p.m. $32-$62.75. coliseum.com, 800-745-3000.

Bruno Mars

July 25 — Bruno Mars, the sweet-sounding singer of “Nothin’ on You” and “Just the way you are” fame, plays HP Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. $44.50-$130.50. hppavilion.com, 408-287-9200.

July 30-31 — One Direction, the English-Irish pop boy-band from London, plays two Bay Area dates: 7 p.m. July 30 at HP Pavilion, $29.50-$89.50; 7:30 p.m. July 31 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, $28-$82.25. coliseum.com, 800-745-3000; hppavilion.com, 408-287-9200.

Aug. 6-7 — Soul diva Diana Ross returns to San Francisco, where she played a sold-out show two years ago, for two new concerts, at 8 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7 at Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco. $70-$265. rbpconcerts.com, shnsf.com, 888-746-1799.

Paul McCartney

Aug. 9-11 — The truly huge Outside Lands Festival returns to Golden Gate Park with food, wine and dozens of top music acts. A sample: Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Kaskade, Willie Nelson, Jurassic 5, and Hall and Oates. $249.50 three-day pass. sfoutsidelands.com.

Aug. 21-31 — “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” the Tony Award-winning Broadway and international hit, returns with more than 500 lavish costumes and a score full of dance-floor favorites, including “It’s Raining Men,” “Finally” and “I Will Survive.” Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco. Ticket information: shnsf.com, 888-746-1799.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

A vacant, two-story warehouse on a side street in downtown Santa Rosa will become an art gallery for just one night this weekend.

“Out of Order,” a free exhibition of work by more than 40 artists from Sonoma County to the United Kingdom, will run from 4:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday (May 25) at the former site of the Santa Rosa Printing Co., 575 Ross St.

The show is the brainchild of Roman D’Argenzio, 26, who staged the monthly “Kaleidoscope” pop-up art shows at various sites around Santa Rosa from 2009 to 2012.

“We’re calling this a mural exhibit,” he said. “The art is painted directly on the walls inside, but there are also sculptures and installations. We want to show the community how talented our artists are.”

The point of showing the art only once is to make people savor and remember the experience, rather than getting used to walking past it every day, he said.

“The goal is to have this big one-night art show on a grand scale,” D’Argenzio said. “We’ll take as many photos as we can to document the night.”

D’Argenzio, who has a bachelor of arts degree in advertising and graphics from the San Francisco Academy of Art, plans to publish a coffee table-style book featuring photographs of the “Out of Order” show, probably by October.

Some of the art is spray-painted, but this is a not a graffiti show, he said.

“There are a lot of pictures of people and animals,” D’Argenzio explained.

The 4,000-square-foot building is owned by his father, Dino D’Argenzio, a Realtor, property developer and owner of the Heritage Public House beer tap room and restaurant and food venue in Santa Rosa, where Roman works.

One of the artists involved is Ricky Watts, who recently painted a large outdoor mural on the southern wall of the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma.

For more information on the online campaign to raise donations to cover the costs of both the event and producing a book commemorating it: www.kickstarter.com/projects/outoforder/out-of-order-mural-exhibit.