BEST BETS: May 24 to 30, 2013

Finger-lickin' festival

The Roc City Rib Fest is at Ontario Beach Park Friday to Monday. The four-day professional state championship BBQ competition features live music, a barbecue class and a kids' fun zone. Professional local, regional and national competitors will be cooking delicious barbecue. Visit roccityribfest.com. If you don't feel like dealing with parking, there's a shuttle departing from Lakeshore Hockey Arena.

RPO, guest singer perform Sinatra
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, performs a tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes with "Steve Lippia Sings Sinatra" at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Lippia has established his place among the finest interpreters of "standards" and traditional pop music in the nation. "Steve is the only artist today that I know of who can bring the music and sound of Frank Sinatra alive in the symphonic world," says Tyzik, who has performed with Lippia for the past 10 years. "If you like to hear Sinatra hits as close to the original as possible, Steve is the man!" Visit rpo.org.

CMAC celebrates 30 years under the stars
The Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center marks its 30th anniversary with a community event from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. The Tommy Brunett Band will take the stage and play a set list of the greatest hits performed on the CMAC stage since 1983. In 1982, the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center was founded, and in 1983 it was opened on the Finger Lakes Community College campus by Marvin Sands, founder of Canandaigua Wine Co., and other community leaders. Sands founded CMAC because he realized the important role that arts and culture play in the quality of the community. Visit cmacevents.com for more information.

On the big screen
An adaptation of William Joyce's children's book "The Leaf Men," "Epic" is about a teen who finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and evil rages on. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters to save their world. It features the voices of Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried and Beyonce Knowles. Vin Diesel (pictured) returns in "Fast & Furious 6." With full pardons and the chance at returning home on the line, Dom and his crew team up with the right side of the law to stop criminals at street level in London. It also stars Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson. Find movie times.

RMSC exhibit celebrates PGA history
The PGA Championship History Exhibit at the Rochester Museum & Science Center tracks the PGA Championship from its beginning. Assembled by the PGA of America, the exhibit features photos and unique artifacts from each PGA champion's victory. The PGA Championship comes to Oak Hill Country Club Aug. 5 to 11. Check out memorabilia from champions including Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rochester's own Walter Hagen. The exhibit consists of 96 cherry wood frames containing photos of the champions in action and memorabilia from their particular championships. Each frame contains a unique artifact from each PGA champion's victory, such as a club used or shirt worn during the final round. Visit rmsc.org.

The holiday's history
Celebrate Memorial Day where it all began. The first observance was in Waterloo on May 5, 1866. In 1966, the Finger Lakes town was officially recognized as the birthplace of Memorial Day by the state, Congress and a proclamation by President Lyndon B. Johnson. A full slate of historical and family-themed entertainment is set for this weekend, and Waterloo is less than an hour from Rochester. Visit waterloony.com. Of course, most communities plan their own Memorial Day parades and ceremonies to honor the U.S. men and women who died while in military service.

Highland Park without the crowds; tour Mount Hope Cemetery
This year's Lilac Festival at Highland Park wrapped up Sunday, and visitors can now explore the park without huge crowds. Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park as an arboretum with azaleas, lilacs, rhododendrons, horse chestnuts, Japanese maples, magnolias and more. Just across the street from Highland Park is Mount Hope Cemetery, which was dedicated in 1838 and was the first great Victorian cemetery developed by a municipality. It is the final resting place for Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and 350,000 other people. To hear stories of the cemetery's "permanent residents," take one of the public tours held at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. To read more about Highland Park and Mount Hope Cemetery, go to the digital edition of Explore or check out the parks listing on the Explore website.

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