Missing man
5 p.m. Friday
No one is quite sure where The Missing Man Table originated, but it has been a fixture at U.S. military installations since the Vietnam War ended.
Volunteers set one up at the Maryland World War II Memorial for National POW/MIA Recognition Day, recognizing the 6,000 service members from the state who remain unaccounted for after U.S. military conflicts. Taps follow at 5:01 p.m., and the table remains overnight. Free.
Gravestone stroll
10 a.m. Saturday
Historians at the Hammond-Harwood House will lead a St. Anne’s Cemetery tour, talking about the occupants of the historic home buried there. $15.
Dancing on the beach
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Fourteen bands on two stages over two days is a lot of progressive bluegrass and Americana. Add in an unrivaled setting, on the beach at Sandy Point State Park, and the Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival is a unique event.
Oteil & Friends — led by the ebullient, barefooted guitarist Oteil Burbridge — is the top-billed act Saturday, while the Infamous Stardusters perform Sunday, with others rounding out the lineup. To sample the music, check out the official playlist on Spotify.
In addition to the good tunes, there are crafts, food, beach games and activities for adults and children. A portion of the proceeds will benefit local environmental groups. Single-day general admission is $155, including taxes and fees. Single-day tickets for children ages 6 to 12 start at $90. VIP and two-day passes are also available.
Music history weekend
Saturday and Sunday
Debby Boone will remind the Rams Head On Stage audience why the sentimental movie ballad “You Light Up My Life” was a bit hit in 1977. Her cover topped the pop charts for 10 weeks, an achievement that would stand for a decade. It earned two Grammys. You almost never hear it today, but it remains an earworm for people of a certain age.
Boone, daughter of ’50s crooner Pat Boone, has maintained a respectable career in music since then, drifting from pop to country to gospel. She’s had a few more hits, but nothing with the staying power of her debut. 8 p.m. Saturday. $49.50 plus fees.
If Boone weren’t enough music history, The Lovin’ Spoonful, which exploded onto the music scene in the mid-1960s, will bring their folk-rock sound to Rams Head.
Steve Boone, no relation to Debby, is the only original member still touring with the group, with primary songwriter John Sebastian having gone solo long ago. But the band still performs songs that were Top 10 hits in their day: “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream,” “Younger Girl” and “Summer in the City.” 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $50 to $100 plus taxes and were selling fast by Wednesday.
Om-pah-pah
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Ready for fall or not, West Annapolis merchants will hold their annual Oktoberfest celebration on Sunday.
To be fair, the German festivals start in September so the weeklong events can end in October. In Annapolis, holding the one-day event on the first day of fall, according to the celestial calendar, is just as good a reason.
The day includes brats and beer, craft vendors, live music and games, all situated along two blocks of Annapolis Street. This year’s beer garden is hosted by RAR Brewing, which opened Chessie’s Wharf in the neighborhood last fall. Free admission.
Season finale
6:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday
The City Dock Summer Concert series ends with “Carr’s Beach Musical Memories,” a review of music performed at the segregated beach resort that drew famed acts from the 1940s through the 1960s.
The Carr’s Beach Hand Dancers and the P.H. Factor Band perform. Bring your own chairs to Susan Campbell Park at the water’s edge. Free.
AMFM fundraiser
7 p.m. Monday
The Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians holds a fundraiser concert at Rams Head on Stage, featuring local musicians playing music of “In the Vane of Pink Floyd.” Proceeds benefit AMFM’s emergency fund for musicians unable to perform because of illness or injury. $30 plus taxes and fees.