NATCHEZ — Afternoons filled with musical and dramatic entertainment as well as sustainable living events are lined up for the upcoming Miss-Lou weekend.

Showers and thunderstorms are forecasted for the next couple of days, but clear and sunny skies should be in play for the weekend ahead.

Serenade in the cemetery

The second annual Serenade in the Cemetery will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Natchez City Cemetery.

The Natchez City Cemetery Association’s spring fundraiser presents tales of some of the cemetery’s oldest “residents.”

This year, local actors will present several stories include those of German immigrant August Doerle and African-American brick mason Claude Alouisus Webb, among others.

A variety of musical entertainment will be featured in the event, including performances from the Rev. Walton Jones and his band, as well as local guitarist and vocalist Ben Lewis, among others.

Parking for the event will be available at the Natchez Little Theater parking lot at 319 Linton Ave., with a free shuttle service to the cemetery. Limited parking will also be available at the cemetery at 2 Cemetery Road.

Tickets, which are $15 each, can be purchased at the Natchez Visitor Center on 640 S. Canal St.

Historic Natchez Conference

The 2013 Historic Natchez Conference begins today and continues through Saturday at the Eola Hotel with a variety of events.

The theme, “From Civil War to Civil Rights,” follows the National Park Service in emphasizing the 150th anniversary of the Civil War along the same thread of American history that continues through the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement.

At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Aaron Anderson will speak on “Merchants, Capital, and the Remaking of Natchez,” and Justin Behrend will address “Rethinking Violence of the Civil War Era.”

The 3:30 p.m. session includes “The Goat Castle Murder, Jim Crow Justice, and the Saga of Emily Burns” by Karen Cox and “The Library of Rosedown Plantation” by Michael Taylor.

Civil War historian William C. Davis will make the keynote address at Temple B’Nai Israel Thursday at 6 p.m. A free cocktail reception will follow at the Historic Natchez Foundation highlighting the St. Catherine St. interpretive panels.

The 11 a.m. Friday session will include “The 1965 Natchez Boycott and its Impact on the Mississippi Freedom Movement” by Akinyele Umoga and “Marge Baroni, Catholicism, and the Natchez, Mississippi Civil Rights Movement” by Eva Walton.

At 2 p.m. Friday, Jeff Mansell will focus on descriptions of Natchez by the occupying forces in “‘One of the prettiest places on earth’: Yankees in Natchez, 1863-1865,” and Joseph P. Reidy will discuss “African American Sailors in the U.S. Navy’s Mississippi Squadron during the Civil War.”

The conference concludes at 6 p.m. Saturday with a ticketed cocktail buffet at Longwood.

For more information, call 601-442-2500 or visit www.natchez.org.

Earthfest

The Natchez Chapter of Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute of Mississippi will host Natchez Earthfest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on the bluff near Cock of the Walk.

The Earth Day celebration aims to educated locals on recycling, solar energy, gardening and a number of other sustainable living measures.

The event will feature demonstrations on gardening, yoga and Tai Chi.

Local artists Mojo Mudd, Colby Passman and David & Carter will perform live music.

Recycled and upcycled art will also be for sale.

A variety of recycled material will be on hand for children to make their own creations and try their hand at gardening.

Awards for the group’s “City Challenge for Our Children” campaign will also be presented.

Alcorn Concert

The Alcorn State University Concert Choir will be in concert at 7 p.m. at Rose Hill Baptist Church on Madison Street under the direction of Donna Schaffer.

The concert is free and open to the public.