All over town this weekend, parents and emerging young adults will be preparing for The Big Day. What nice clothes will you wear under that gown? Should the graduate be adorned with flowers, leis or a combination? What snappy saying can you write with duct tape on an 8-inch-square mortarboard cap? And how do you get that dang thing to stay on your head without ruining your glamorous hair-do?

It’s graduation, Betsteroids. On Monday Homer Flex and Homer High grads flip their tassels. All around the bay, smaller schools hold ceremonies. We had college graduation last Wednesday (see story, page 1), but there’s something magical about a high school graduation. It’s the day we celebrate the promise of youth, the hope of the future and the wish that maybe this generation won’t repeat our mistakes and get it right.

Well, bonne chance as they say in Paris. The arc of civilization not only bends toward justice, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, but it also bends toward less stupidity. Kids these days — they’re smarter, more talented, more creative, more resilient and maybe a bit wiser, too. Also, they know a bit more about computers than those of the graying generation. That’s a start.

Nobody has ever asked the Betster to deliver a commencement address, but if they did, this is all I’d say. Dream. Drink lots of water. Take long walks on the beach. Be kind to people who need it, but also to those who don’t. Get out of your bubble. Dare to love and dare to live. Now get out of here and change the world.

And on your way, have a awesome good time, starting with these Best Bets:

BEST A LONG, LONG TIME AGO BET: What do you get when you cross William Shakespeare and George Lucas? Well, “The Empire Striketh Back,” a mash up of the Bard and the Star Wars universe. See the staged reading of Ian Doescher’s mash-up at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Pier One Theatre. Admission is free, but donations are suggested, like joining Pier One’s Raven’s Club.

BEST YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN BET: Or maybe you can. Local playwright Brenda Dolma has set her play, Home Sweet Home(r), in our cosmic burg — unless it’s about Mr. Simpson. Find out at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Pier One Theatre. Dolma won the Homer Big Read playwriting competition, including the chance to have her play produced in the little red theater on the Spit.

BEST ROCK ON BET: Yep, summer has started, Alaska style, with our first big music festival of the season, the Bear Creek Music Fest, starting 1 p.m. Saturday at the Bear Creek Winery. Tickets for this 21-and-over event are $75 including two drinks of beer or wine and food, and are available at the winery or online at eventbrite.com. Parking is at Down East Saloon and Kachemak City Hall. Homer Trolley will haul everybody up to the festival free of charge. All proceeds benefit the Nikki Geragotelis (Fry) Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Homer Mariner Fast-pitch Softball Funds.

BEST GET SPLASHED BET: If you’re looking for a bit of color and want to support local schools, watch out for the dusts of colored powder in the Summer Color Burst 5K Community Fun Run/Walk, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday at Paul Banks Elementary School. All proceeds benefit local elementary schools. To register, visit https://summercolorburst5k.racedirector.com or Contact: Andie Manuel, 907-539-1068.