The Old Lyme Midsummer Festival returns this weekend, with an array of visual art, music, kids' activities and more happening up and down Lyme Street.

Sounds around: Friday's traditional free concert on the banks of the Lieutenant River is always a big draw, and this year, it should be even more so, since it's featuring the acclaimed Manhattan Brass. The show, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the Florence Griswold Museum grounds, is presented by Musical Masterworks. On Saturday, the music ranges from the bluegrass/country of The Meadows Brothers (2-4 p.m. at the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library) to the Bob Marley tunes of Hope Road (1-3 p.m., Lyme Academy).

Getting to the art of the matter: Visual arts are, naturally, all part of the festival. A few examples on Saturday: exhibitions of T. Allen Lawson's work at Lyme Academy, a marine art exhibition at Lyme Art Association, and the Plein Air Fence Show at Center School.

Animal kingdom: Canines get to pose and preen in the Parading Paws Dog Show during Saturday morning at the Florence Griswold Museum, hosted by Vista Vocational & Life Skills Center of Westbrook. Registration runs from 9 to 10 a.m., with judging starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Flo Gris. "Nature Nick" of Animal Adventures brings a kangaroo and a monkey, among other creatures, to the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday. Kids can learn all about horses in a session run by High Hopes Therapeutic Riding from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Flo Gris.

— Kristina Dorsey

Old Lyme Midsummer Festival, Friday (Flo Gris exhibition open free 5-7 p.m., concert 7-9 p.m.) and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, various venues along Lyme Street, Old Lyme; OldLymeMidsummerFestival.com.