Start Memorial Day weekend with a visit back to the 19^th century at Historic Latta Plantation’s Living History Weekend Saturday and Sunday. Race fans can head to Charlotte for Speed Street festivities in advance of Sunday’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Actor Mark Sutch will perform the one-man “Under the Lintel” at Warehouse PAC in Cornelius three nights. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of live music to be heard  around the area. “Men In Black 3” premieres this weekend, including a midnight show Thursday at Our Town Cinemas in Davidson. See the schedule at right.

And while area schools, government buildings and many businesses will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, American Legion Post 86 will be hosting memorial ceremonies with high school color guards and a 21-gun salute. Read on for all the activities this long weekend.

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Outdoor concerts are on the schedule this weekend, with an ’80s Night in the Park at Bailey Road Park Saturday night and a Davidson Concert on the Green Sunday night. Indoors, the North Mecklenburg Community Chorus has “Bella Notte,” three nights of Italian-inspired music. Two days of grueling running – if you can call it that – are ahead during the Warrior Dash at Rural Hill Farm in Huntersville. The weekend also brings lots of other live music, Davidson College graduation events, and a day of sailing for special needs people Saturday at the NC Sailing & Rowing Center. The Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center 5K and local food picnic is Saturday morning in downtown Davidson, when the Davidson Farmer’s Market also will be open nearby next to Town Hall. Read the full story

Kids danced at last year's 80s Night in the Park. (Christina Ritchie Rogers/CorneliusNews.net)

CORNELIUS – Cornelius Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture opens its 2012 Summer Concerts in the Park Series Saturday, May 19, with ’80s Night in the Park featuring the band Joystick. Gates open at 7 p.m. at the Bailey Road Park BandShell, with music at 7:30. Read the full story

Rough Draft, a variety band whose playlist ranges from Elvis and the Temptations to Prince and the Doobie Brothers, plays the next Davidson Concert on the Green this Sunday night.

The free concert is 6-8 p.m. on the Davidson Village Green, Main Street and Concord Road, Davidson. Bring a chair or blanket and a picnic.

See a full Concerts on the Green schedule below.

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Jonathan Dimmock

Organ at Davidson announcement
Organ at Davidson presents international concert organist Jonathan Dimmock as the final artist in its 2011-2012 Sixth series. The program starts at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, in the Davidson College Presbyterian Church sanctuary. The event is free with donations encouraged. Read the full story

Rixey Terry plays Paddington Bear at Armour Street Theatre.

Our calendar this weekend has a lot to choose from, between Mecklenburg County’s Bark in the Park for dog lovers at Rural Hill, “A Bear Called Paddington” and “Mr. Marmalade” on local stages, and Strawberry Shortcake Day at the Davidson Farmer’s Market. Michael Reno Harrell plays an outdoor concert Sunday at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. And Davidson College basketball players and alumni host BUZZKILL,a fundraising 3-on-3 tourney and other events to fight malaria in Africa.

Also, two rescheduling announcements: The Jazz Combo and Sax Quartet concert originally scheduled at Davidson College Thursday night has been rescheduled to Sunday, May 6, because of a conflict at the college. And the Young Life Mini-Golf Mania tournament at Lake Norman Mini-Golf that was rained out last weekend is back on – this Sunday. Read on for the details, or see our day-by-day calendar at right on this page.

See also the latest movie listings at Our Town Cinemas, on this page at right. On the schedule there: “The Lucky One,” a tale about a soldier returning from Iraq; “The Hunger Games” is still on view, along with “Three Stooges,” “American Reunion” and “Mirror Mirror.” Read the full story