NATCHEZ — Meet a New York Times best-selling author, watch experimental aircraft zoom through the air or hear some old-time music being performed all this weekend in the Miss-Lou.

Sunny skies are forecast for a majority of the weekend with temperatures reaching the 80s on Saturday.

‘Natchez Burning’ event

Autographed and personalized copies of “Natchez Burning,” the latest novel from Natchez native and New York Times best-selling author Greg Iles will be available from 5:30 to 9 p.m. today at Dunleith.

All of the proceeds from the book sales will benefit the Children’s Home, which serves at-risk youth in the area.

No tickets are required for the benefit, but those who plan to attend the event are asked to place their book orders through the Children’s Home to ensure enough copies are on hand. Iles will sign and personalize the pre-ordered books before the event, but will also be available to sign any leftover copies that will be sold at the benefit.

Books should be ordered by calling the Children’s Home at 601-442-6858 or at gregiles.com.

Food and drinks will be available, as well as live music.

The Castle Restaurant will also be serving an Iles-themed menu in conjunction with the Children’s Home benefit. The menu will feature some of Iles’ favorite foods, as well as foods referenced in “Natchez Burning.”

The book is the first in a trilogy of new Penn Cage novels.

Graduations

Students at several local high schools and colleges will walk across the stage beginning today at their respective graduation ceremonies.

The following schools will host ceremonies:

• Ferriday High School — 5:30 p.m. today

• Vidalia High School — 7 p.m. Friday

• Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Natchez campus — 6:30 p.m. Friday

• Monterey High School — 1 p.m. or 8 p.m. Saturday. The school’s baseball team advancing to the state tournament will determine time of the ceremony.

Festival of Music

The Natchez Festival of Music will host a concert titled “In the Mood” at 7 p.m. Friday in the grand ballroom of the Eola Hotel.

The event will feature a six-member band specializing in big band era swing music.

On Saturday, performers will present Gilbert and Sullivan-H.M.S. Pinafore at 7 p.m. at Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center.

Cash bar refreshments will be available in The Grape Escape Club Room an hour before the performance.

On Sunday afternoon, the Festival will bring back one of its more popular events, “A Musical Wine Tasting,” at 5 p.m.

The event will be paired with live musical entertainment by Festival performers.

Car show

The River City Bad Boyz Miss-Lou Classic Car Club will host its annual “Cruising on the River” event Friday and Saturday on the Vidalia Riverfront.

An evening cruise will be hosted Friday with lineup beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Car show festivities kick off Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More than 100 awards will be given out, and the show will also include raffles and door prizes.

Registration is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Air show

The local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association will host its annual “Spring Fly In” event from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Concordia Parish Airport.

The event is free and open to the public with a concession site available for burgers and hotdogs.

For more information, call 318-481-0182.

Big Yam Potatoes Fiddle Contest and Ole-time Music Gathering

The seventh annual event will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday at Historic Jefferson College.

The event is free and open to the public.

Music will be performed throughout the day. The old-time fiddle contest gets under way in the main building at 10 a.m. with musicians 17 and under playing first.

Fiddlers 18 years and older will perform after lunch.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three fiddlers in each division. The contest entry fee is $5.