WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT TURKEY: NIGHT LIFE CALLS WHEN YOU'VE JUST GOT TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AFTER THANKSGIVING DINNER

It's that time of year when the family rolls into town, along with friends returning home for the Thanksgiving break.

Thursday, you ate turkey or turducken or tofurkey. You watched too much TV, or played horseshoes or Scrabble. You talked about how the leaves are changing and the days are getting shorter.

But at some point, you must bust out of the house -- and when that moment comes, you must have choices. Behold:

Best Concert for the Parents

New Riders of the Purple Sage at the Mystic Theatre. When the 1973 hit "Panama Red" kicks in and Mom and Dad rush the stage -- you'll know you made the right decision. 8:30 tonight. 21 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $25. www.mystictheatre.com.

Backup plan: Elvin Bishop reviving "Fooled Around (And Fell in Love)" at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Raven Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. $30-$40. www.raventheater.org.

Big Night Out for the Grandparents

One of the last of the world-traveling bards, Seattle's

Baby Gramps brings his steel-guitar and grizzled beard to Studio E for a night of vaudeville in a wood stove-heated room in an old Sebastopol apple orchard. 8 tonight. Contact Jeff Martin at 823-5316 or jeffm5@sonic.net for tickets and directions.

Backup plan: Bingo Night at 6:45 p.m. Sunday at the Bennett Valley Friedman Center, 4676 Mayette Drive, Santa Rosa. 360-3021.

Best Place for the Kids

Family Fun Weekend with cartoonist and "Once Upon a Toon" storyteller Joe Wos at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the Schulz Museum, 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. Admission: $5 kids/$10 adults. www.schulzmuseum.org.

Backup plan: "Magical Toyland" exhibit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wed through Sun at the Healdsburg Museum, 221 Matheson St. www.healdsburgmuseum.org.

Best Joint to Drop off Your Goofy Uncle

The Roast of Juan Carlos and comedy night with roastmaster Tony Sparks and comics Phil Jhonson and Kate Willet at Christy's on the Square. Free. 96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa. www.christyson thesquare .com.

Backup: The Jockey Club at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. What goofy uncle doesn't love endless hours of off-track betting and Big Boy BBQ? $3 admission. 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. www.sonomacountyfair.com/race-track.php

Best Place to Meet up with Old Friends Back in Town

This one's a tossup between two local boys with deep roots and big followings:

Smoov-E tonight at Aubergine After Dark (9:30 p.m., $12, www.auberginebarandcafe.com) and Steve Pile Saturday at Hopmonk (8 p.m., $10, www.hopmonk.com). A Healdsburg High School grad, Pile melds roots Americana with African rhythms; it sounds complicated, but never is. Smoov-E is an Analy High School grad turned hip-hop entrepreneur who's in the process of changing his style and his moniker to Eli for short.

Alternative: Sublime tribute band 40 Oz to Freedom at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mystic. $15. www.mystictheatre.com.

Bay Area freelancer John Beck writes about entertainment for The Press Democrat. You can reach him at 280-8014, john@sideshowvideo.com and follow on Twitter @becksay.