February 4th - February 10th 2016 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

This weekend is all about Art and Valentines Day. You can Paint Your heART Out at Sertoma Arts Center and make a Valentines Craft next Friday at the Hill St. Community Center. You won't want to miss the Community Arts Festival running through Saturday at the Holly Springs Cultural Center.

The fun starts early in the Triangle with another Science Thursday at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Enjoy extended hours and a interactive Science Cafe to test your knowledge on Science Trivia. This week also features additional programs: Astronomy with Binoculars (which is free) and Chill out!, a lecture in conjunction with the special Extreme Animals Exhibit (has a fee).

Marbles Kids Museum also stays open late every Thursday. Twilight $2 Thursdays features discounted admission and extended hours.

First Friday Fun

The Holly Springs Community Arts Festival continues through Saturday. The event showcases local artists, writers, performers, instructors, artisan exhibitors and vendors. Saturday afternoon features an arts festival complete with an assortment of local food trucks. Saturday evening caps off the week with the Gala Fundraiser featuring the African American Dance Ensemble!

Art in the Evening kicks off the weekend Friday night at the North Carolina Museum of Art with live music by the David Dryer Trio. The Friday Night Sound Bite will explore The Spirit of Youth and the featured flick is the 1953 film, Kiss Me Kate .

First Friday is back in Downtown Raleigh with their monthly Gallery Walk, extended hours at the Raleigh City Museum and Marbles Kids Museum.

First Friday Movie Night at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences includes a whole evening of fun events. Extended hours allow you to roam the exhibits after dark along with live music by Mystic Shoe, an opening reception for artist Rick Jackson, snacks and beverages from the Daily Planet Café, a Teen Science Cafe about "The Science of Severe Weather" and the 1940 movie "The Ape".

There will be a whole evening of Family Fun out at Bass Lake Park Friday night. Make arts and crafts, meet a live animal, or borrow a fishing pole for the first hour then enjoy a magic show with Dan the Magic Man or a concert by Trish Miller.

The Halle Cultural Arts Center is hosting the Triangle Russian Festival Friday evening. The festival is free and there is an admission charge for the 7:30pm performance.

Parades and Festivals

The Annual Durham Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade takes place Saturday featuring floats, marching bands, steppers, horses, motorcycles, school groups and more.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences continues to broaden access and inclusion with the debut of a new indoor navigation system for people who are blind or visually impaired. Thirty Bluetooth iBeacons, strategically placed throughout the NRC, will enable visitors with visual impairments to navigate the NRC independently. All day Saturday they will highlight the new system with a Bluetooth iBeacon Open House.

Downtown Wake Forest will come alive Saturday for the annual Mardi Gras Street Festival. Come downtown to enjoy a parade; children's activities; costume, mask, baby vehicle and mask contests; and special discounts and activities at the local merchants.

All ages are invited to Blue Jay Point County Park's Winter Open House Saturday. There will be a whole assortment of family activities including Air Painting, Storywalks, and a min Bioblitz

The Holly Springs Library will be showing Ratatouille Saturday morning and Tales of Despereaux on Monday.

Come check out how you can have Terrific Teeth while celebrating Children's Dental Health Awareness Day Sunday at Marbles Kids Museum. While you're there, Marbles also invites you to join in on their month long WAKE Up and Read Book Drive. Parents are also invited to join their Positive Parenting Workshop Tuesday evening. The symposium is free, but does require reservations.

Cash Michaels of the Wilmington Journal and Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association will host a screening followed by a discussion of the film Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten Sunday afternoon at the NC Museum of History.

Head to Downtown Durham Tuesday night for the annual Mardi Gras Parade. There will be a family friendly parade followed by a adult only street party.

The Wake Audubon Society will hold their monthly meeting at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Tuesday evening. This month they will be discussing Life among the treetops primates and hornbills of the Bornean Rainforest.

More to do at the Parks

Bring your binoculars and join an Eno River State Park Ranger for a for a relaxing Morning Bird Hike early Friday. Forest Bathing is a Japanese tradition when you visit to the forest for relaxation; a chance to stroll through nature and take in the atmosphere for one's well-being. They will be Forest Bathing Friday afternoon along the Pump Station Trail.

Join Lake Crabtree's bird enthusiast Saturday mornig and go Birding with Vernon.

Learn about animal adaptations, pertaining to "Nature's Architect," the Beaver and maybe even take a hike to a live beaver lodge Saturday at Jordan Lake.

Kids are invited to come out to Falls Lake State Recreation Area Saturday for a Scavenger Hunt and Nature Hike.

Its another Citizen Science Saturday at Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife Learning. These Saturday morning adventures will introduce you to a citizen science project and enlist your help collecting and entering data as you enjoy a walk around the grounds with one of their naturalists.

Kids ages 6-12 are encouraged to participate in the Junior Ranger Program and learn about the Animals of Umstead Park Saturday. Come join park staff to Celebrate 100 S'more Years in North Carolina State Parks with free cook em' yourself s'mores Saturday afternoon.

Come to Raven Rock State Park Saturday and Create Amphibian-Inspired Artwork! After a lesson from local artist, Jeannine Reese, you get to make your own art that will be donated and become part of the Disappearing Frogs Project traveling exhibit and may be sold at the February (Weymouth Woods) or April (Raven Rock) exhibitions with 100% of sales supporting the Amphibian Survival Alliance. Call to make your reservation.