October 15th - 21st Triangle 2015

by Pam & Michael Davison

After two rainy weekends it looks like the weather is going to be spectacular so get out and enjoy a fabulous weekend!

This weekend's events are all about Halloween and Fall! One more great weekend where there is something fun to do for just about every age and interest. The State Fair kicks off Thursday and runs through next Sunday. Click through for all the information you need including the five special days.

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Getting in the Halloween Spirit

Join Crowder Park staff for an evening with Spooky Spiders after dark Friday night. After searching for arachnids found in the park, you will make a craft about the 8 legged critters.

Durant Nature Park invites the whole family to come out after dark for a Campfire, Story, and Marshmallow Roast Friday.

Saturday brings my personal favorite Halloween event, the Haunting at Harris Lake County Park. This year's hayride will expose you to an Unlucky Adventure! In addition to the hayride, put on your costume and come enjoy fun games, create creepy crafts, meet some crawly critters. Tickets for the free spooky wagon ride are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the event, so get there early. They sell out fast every year.

Come hang with the bats, discover their good nature and why they are so important during Batology 101 Saturday at the North Carolina Zoo.

Come to Harris Lake County Park Sunday evening to enjoy fun family games and then join NCSU Parks, Recreation and Tourism students on a fall Scenic Wagon Ride to find the perfect pumpkin.You'll even have the opportunity to carve your pumpkin for a chance to win an award while you eat hot dogs and refreshments.

Come out and enjoy a spooky time with all kinds of amazing interactive exhibits Saturday night at Bass Lake Park's Halloween Spook-Tacular. Geared for ages three and up, there will also be a costume contest and kids haunted trail to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Bring the kids to a safe night of games, music, treats, and some 'scary" surprises along with a costume contest Saturday night at W.D. Hill Recreation Center's Fall Festival.

Come enjoy a Haunted Trail at Carroll Howard Johnson Park Saturday night. There will be both a family version and a full fright version.

Wolf Awareness Week continues through Saturday at the Museum of Life & Science. Meet an Animal Keeper at the museum's Wolf Overlook to learn about the very rare red wolf.

Join the Natural Science Center of Greensboro for their annual Pumpkin Palooza on Saturday. Kids can decorate pumpkins, play pumpkin-themed games, enjoy tasty pumpkin treats and watch the animals eat or play with theirs!

Fall Festivals & Fun

The annual West End Poetry Festival in Carrboro will feature some of the southeast's most talented poets while celebrating the many exciting and varied poetic styles on both Friday and Saturday.

Come to an Art Reception Opening Friday night at the Halle Cultural Arts Center for their Juried Art Show. The show runs through November 20th.

Its another Super Fun Saturday at the Halle Cultural Arts Center. Stop by and sample activities for the upcoming art camps, do some crafts or play games.

To celebrate the North Carolina Museum of Art's new exhibit, The Worlds of M. C. Escher, they will host a Special Opening Weekend Pop-Up Art Event. Come enjoy special pop-up art activities inspired by the Escher exhibition.

The Pullen Arts Center is hosting an Open House and Gallery Sale on Saturday. Discover the arts classes available, watch demonstrations by Center instructors and students in jewelry, painting, pottery, printmaking and bookmaking, enjoy art activities for children and start your holiday shopping with one-of-a-kind participant artworks available for purchase.

Marsh Creek is proud to host the Raleigh Ollie Skate Contest this Saturday. All skill levels ages 8 and up are welcome to come show off their best jams and tricks for prizes.

They"re expecting a bigger crowd this year for the 2nd annual Triangle Vegfest, so they've moved to Moore Square/City Market. Come celebrate healthy, veg lifestyles, local food, numerous vendors of veg products (local, regional and national), area non-profits, food demos, live music and expert speakers Saturday afternoon.

Head over to the Fall Festival and Living History Event Saturday at the Historic Bentonville Battlefield. Activities include hayrides, carnival games based on 19th century games, corn shucking contest, and townball. Learn about 19th century farm life, and the chores that women and children were responsible for. Costumed civilian re-enactors will also discuss how their lives changed at the outbreak of war and 19th century civilian lifestyle. Demonstrations include open-hearth cooking, games, spinning, and sewing.

Come together to laugh, play and enjoy fun and games in front of Raleigh Times Bar on this Sunday for the last Third Sunday Children's Carnival of the season.

History, Art, Music & Movies

Enjoy Third Friday in Downtown Durham with a Gallery crawl with live music and more.

The Live and Local Music & Arts Series brings Unifier's own Aslan Freeman to Downtown Chapel Hill to showcase your favorite pop and rock covers Friday night.

Big Fat Gap will be performing on the front porch of the Carolina Inn Friday night and delicious fare will be provided by food trucks Porchetta and Halal Heaven As a special treat this week, have your picture taken with UNC's mascot Rameses

Start your weekend at the North Carolina Museum of Art Friday night with live music by Ed Stephenson and the Paco Band and an exploration of Iron Clad. This week, you can also enjoy a Contemporaries Third Friday Tour.

Once a month they offer a Family Movie Night at Hill Street Community Center. Join them this Friday for a fun, family movie night complete with popcorn and drinks.

The Durham Community Band will play their Fall Concert Saturday evening at Durahm Central Park.

Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park will be running Costumed Corn Grinding Tours of the fully restored mill both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, they will also explore the Historic Trade of Printing and hold a Fishing Day. Sunday afternoon, a Natural Explorations program will explore Who's Passing Through, a fall hike that will explore what critters are migrating through the park.

Madagascar will be the Saturday Morning Movie at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. Come back Monday to get in the spirit with the movie Monster House.

The Halle Cultural Arts Center will host the Music & Rock School Fall Concert Sunday afternoon. There is an admission fee.

Author Carrie Knowles will present her book Apricots in a Turkish Garden, a collection of ten short stories at the Historic Burwell School Wednesday evening. Carrie is the 2014 Piedmont Laureate in Short Fiction.

Fall in the Parks

Come view the fall colors from the river on a Fall Float Friday afternoon. They will be canoeing upstream on the Eno River to view Occoneechee Mountain, the old quarry and remains of the railroad that served the quarry.

Come check out Durant Nature Park's newest garden: the Sensory and Nature Play Garden! Park staff will have guided activities to delight the senses and encourage nature play for Friday's Open House.

Blue Jay Point Park will also be holding a Nature Play Day Friday morning. The monthly themed event will focus on free play, including self-guided activities with no start and end time and flow from kids' creativity.

Early Saturday morning, you are invited to join a bird enthusiast to learn at Umstead Park to learn all about North Carolina Thrush birds before they begin their migration. Kids are invited to Umstead State Park Saturday to learn about the Junior Ranger Program and the Animals of Umstead.

Take a Fall Foliage Walk with real Landscape Architects Saturday at Kids Together Park. After the walk, enjoy a fun art activity using plant materials collected during the tour.

Take a walk with the Ranger at Eno River State Park Saturday in search of Salamanders.

Annie Wilkerson Nature Park will host a Nature Play Day Saturday with imaginative play in a natural setting.