Napa Weekend Planner June 1-3

The Napa Patch events calendar is bulging with activities this weekend, many of them free. Let's get started right away:

Friday, it's the , 5:30 pm at 1810 Jefferson St. Organizers say,

Come join the festivities with complimentary appetizers and beverages and help us celebrate the Grand Opening of the Napa County Republican Party Headquarters. Our candidates, Greg Conlon, Randy Loftin, Gary Clift and John Munn will be there. And you never know, there might even be some surprise candidates. Please RSVP to Carol Stein at 707 226-5090 or to csstein@pacbell.net.

At 6 p.m. Friday, you can take the  class at , 3331 Solano Ave. The class costs $30 and comes recommended by Patch readers.

Also at 6 p.m. Friday, it's the return of Napa City Nights, the homegrown local-music series in Veterans Memorial Park. Founded and run entirely by volunteers in its first year, 2008, Napa City Nights now gets some support from local government — but it's all about the music. Tonight's bands: Nuclear Blonde, Grass Child, Brandon Zahursky.

If you feel compelled to pay for live music instead of (or as well as) enjoying it for free, another terrific Napa band is playing at Slack Collective tonight with a whopping $3 door charge. Read about it in Scott Yeager's latest Sound & Vision blog post, .

, the artistes formerly known as Dreamweavers, continue their comedy , Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the , 1637 W Imola Ave. Tickets cost up to $20.

Saturday morning, the  returns from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the , 610 1st St.

And downtown's newest fun home and garden shop, , hosts a free workshop on  Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 1201 1st St.

The  takes place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Copia, 500 1st St.; it's free, too.

Up at the , 55 Presidents Cir, Yountville, the  starts at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Sunday at 4 p.m. promises a don't-miss show for jazz and vocal music fans with singer  at , 530 Main St. It's hosted by the Napa Valley Jazz Society, which always provides snacks, and tickets are just $20. Here's what the jazz Society has to say about the concert, which features some players with Napa Valley connections:

Walsh’s selections are rooted in American and Brazilian classics as well as original works. She has received widespread praise for her newly minted vocal interpretations of instrumental jazz standards including Keith Jarrett’s “My Song” and Pat Metheny’s “So May It Secretly Begin” (kudos from Metheny himself). Her newest release “Go”, a follow up to her Grammy nominated “Pretty World”, carries on that tradition with lyricized selections from Wayne Shorter (“Go”) and Azymuth (“Cascade of the Seven Waterfalls”) as well as classic pieces from Sergio Mendes like “Cinnamon and Clove”, and Cole Porter's “So In Love."

Her live performances emphasize spontaneity and improvisation, and this show includes top musicians Larry Steen, Chris Wabich, and Grammy nominated pianist and arranger Tom Zink.

“Anne is an accomplished vocalist and this is a top rhythm section from Los Angeles, you may remember their fine work with Sketchy Black Dog last year!” said Bill Hart, event producer and president of the Jazz Society.

Chris Wabich is a featured talent in Modern Drummer magazine, and studied under master jazz drummer, Jeff Hamilton. Larry Steen, winner of the International Society of Bassists' Jazz Competition, played for the Saint Helena High School Jazz Choir.

And dance fans will want to know that  performs twice at the  Sunday, at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

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