December 15th 2016 - January 1st 2017

by Pam & Michael Davison

We, here at ParkGeek, hope you and your family are enjoying all that the Holiday season has to offer and that you have had a great year. There are several fun and entertaining events to participate in to end 2016 and bring 2017 in. This Newsletter will take you all the way through January 1st!

The Triangle Tree Challenge on the American Tobacco Campus wraps up voting on Friday. Once you see all the decorated trees, go online and vote for your favorite non-profit decorated tree so they can win prizes. The trees will be on display through January 2nd.

The Annual Halle Hall of Wreaths and Trees at the Halle Cultural Arts center runs through December 21st. You're invited to relax and browse, stroll through the halls to the holiday music, and place a bid on one of the trees or wreaths on display if you would like.

The Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink is open through January 29th. They even have live music or a DJ alternating every Friday night. Click through for the schedule.

Hill St. Community Center invites kids 5-12 to join them Friday evening to make a Christmas Craft.

The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival runs through January 15th at Regency Park. The Festival features more than 20 all new displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts, and thousands of LED lights. The spectacular Chinese Dragon on Symphony Lake returns to mesmerize visitors.

The Cape Fear Botanical Garden features Art with LEGO Bricks through January 8th. Built by artist Sean Kenney with over 500,000 colorful LEGO® bricks, the exhibit features larger than-life sculptures like an 8-foot tall hummingbird, a 5-foot bumblebee, a 7-foot rose, and an oversized koi in the Cypress Pond.

Shop for those last minute gifts at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds Saturday during the Last Minute Christmas Shopping Expo. Saturday at the Fairgrounds, celebrate Fiesta Navidena with a Community Outreach Event.

The Hillsborough Arts Council hosts the 2nd Annual Solstice Celebration Lantern Walk on Sunday. Last year almost 2000 people registered for the event with their beautifully creative lanterns lighting up the night. The event is free and open to the public but all participants must bring a handmade, white lantern with an LED light.

Monday, the Holly Springs Cultural Center will be showing Santa Buddies and Tuesday morning they will be showing It"s a Very Muppet Christmas.

Several area Farmer's Markets operate year round like Durham and Cary. This Saturday, The Holly Springs Cultural Center will host the second monthly Winter Market to help you get ready for all your holiday meals. Several of the vendors even take pre-orders on items for pickup at the market so click through for all the information.

Museums Host More Holiday Fun

The Halle Cultural Arts Center will host Pizza & a Movie Night Thursday with the family feature The Secret Life of Pets. Come back Friday night for a Family Dance complete with a traditional dance caller and old time string band.

This week's Science Thursday at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences discusses Changing the Face of Discovery that results from the growing Citizen Science movement. Thursday, December 22nd will explore Cheese with the president of Yakibou, Inc. They will bring 2016 to a close with An Evening of Humor with Science Comedian Brian Marlow on Thursday, December 29th.

Final Friday on December 30th at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will feature Nano Night, and the Sci-fi classic "Fantastic Voyage." Before the movie, enjoy pre-show science stations, food, drinks, and live music from the band Loos Change.

The North Carolina Museum of Art continues to kick off the weekend in style. December 16th features the band The Hey Brothers, a Sound Bite entitled In Its Time and a Holiday Family Fun Friday for the whole family featuring Art deco-inspired art making and games, free treats for the kids, music by Sandbox, and a visit from Santa.

Kick off you weekend Friday, December 23rd with Ed Stephenson and the Paco Band and a Sound Bite on Free Flight. Close out the year Friday, December 30th with the trio, Peter Lamb and the Wolves and a Sound Bite on Fruitful Reflection. Throughout the holidays, remember that the North Carolina Museum of Art and its adjacent Art Park offers free admission every day and every weekend they offer free Weekend Family Friendly Tours and Meet Your Museum Tours.

Bring the whole family to the Hill Street Community Center Friday to enjoy Movie Night and the flick The Secret Life of Pets.

Santa's Trolley will be running Friday through Sunday from Mordecai Historic Park. Step aboard the Raleigh Trolley and help Holly the Elf look for Santa in downtown Raleigh.

Join Marbles Kids Museum for a Pinecone Kid Jam this Sunday. Musicians 18 and under are invited to bring their instruments and play along with the finger-picking, toe-tapping bluegrass.

The Apex Community Park hosts the annual Family Basketball Ham Toss Monday evening. Family members join teams to shoot foul shoots and a chance to will a holiday ham!

Celebrate The Shortest Day of the year Wednesday at Yates Mill Historic Park at their wayside solstice display, and explore how cultures all over the world celebrate this day with music, food and festive good cheer.

Enjoy the Winter Sunshine at a Park

Join an Umstead State Park Ranger Friday afternoon for a hike to old Camp Craggy, a camp used by scouts in the early 1900's. Come back Sunday to learn how to build a Natural Shelter/Sleeping Bag that will get you through a cold winter"s night without a fire. Learn to Fish at Umstead on Thursday, December 29th. Learn about Winter Tree Id on Saturday, December 31st.

Come and learn about Occoneechee Mountain's geologic wonders as you explore the Pyrophyllite Quarry with a real geologist Saturday.

Join a Falls Lake Ranger Saturday morning in a hike to see some of the Winter Birds of the Piedmont.

Adults are invited to take Saturday's Winter Waterfowl Workshop at Lake Crabtree County Park.

Come on out to Jordan Lake Saturday morning and join a Park Ranger at the Bald Eagle Observation Deck to learn about the Bald Eagles of Jordan Lake and to see what other birds you can spot and identify! Come back Sunday morning for an hour of Winter Bird Watching.

Get away from all the hectic holiday preparations and take a Relaxing Stroll on the American Tobacco Trail Sunday afternoon.

Kids Get Holiday Crafty at Harris Lake County Park Thursday, December 22nd. Enjoy their day off with 4 hours of crafting, hiking and games.

Join an Eno River park ranger at the historic Piper Cox House for a Holiday Sing-a-long Monday, December 26th. Sing and listen to some of the holiday tunes that former residents of the Piper Cox house may have listened to over the years.

De-stress after the holidays at Occoneechee Mountain on Wednesday, December 28th for a Forest Bathing/Nature Hike.

Does your family play Pokémon GO? Did you know that many of the characters from Pokémon GO were inspired by Real Animals? Come to Blue Jay Point County Park Friday, December 30th to learn about the real defense strategies animals use to protect themselves, find shelter and find food.

Get Your First Night Raleigh Button

If you want to bring in the New Year with a blast, Downtown Raleigh is where you will want to be! First Night Raleigh 2017 actually includes two celebrations. The DIY Festival will be held from 2:00pm - 6:00pm culminating with a People's Procession, music by the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble and Shadowgrass and an Early Countdown at 7:00pm complete with acorn drop and fireworks. The First Night Raleigh 2017 evening entertainment offers something for everyone and culminates with a concert by the Birds of Avalon and a midnight countdown highlighted by the famous Raleigh Acorn Drop and Fireworks! Both celebrations feature a wide variety of Out of this World entertainment from a ferris wheel, the Sea Ray Pirate Ship, theater, comedy, music, dance performances and interactive activities. Click through for the schedule of events and performers as well as information about admission buttons.

Ring in the Noon Year with kids at Marbles at 12:00 noon. Regular admission applies New Years Eve.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will host Night Lights: A Family-Friendly New Years Eve Saturday afternoon featuring planetarium shows, dance performances by Studio A, crafts and games with Kidzu Kid's Museum, a photo booth and food trucks.

Start 2017 Off with a Hike

Each year on January 1st, the Eno River Association sponsors a fun-filled afternoon of guided hikes, refreshments and merriment. This year, the New Year's Day Hike will offer two hike options, a 4-5 mile hike and a shorter, 2 mile route. There will be something for everyone, so come one, come all and enjoy New Year's Day at the Eno!

William B. Umstead State Park is hosting a hike on the Pott's Branch Trail to celebrate the new year.

Take a 2.5 mile hike to Raven Rock along with several stops to talk about the surroundings on Sunday afternoon.

Come New Years Day and join a park ranger for a scavenger hunt and hike on the Rolling View Track Trail at Falls Lake State Recreation Area. The hikes will be held at four times throughout the day.

Come on out to Jordan Lake for a First Day Hike and enjoy a beautiful hike with a ranger to the New Hope Overlook.

Jump-start your New Year Sunday, January 1st with family friendly guided walks at Raleigh parks. New Year's Day Hikes will be offered at two locations; Durant Nature Preserve and Walnut Creek Wetland Center. After the walks, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa while you talk with staff about what you saw.

Cary will host their annual Kwanzaa Celebration on Thursday, December 29th at the Cary Arts Center. The theme for this year's celebration is "It"s a New Dawn; It"s a New Day" and will feature a performance by the children"s dance group, Kuumba Dance Company

The State Fairgrounds will host the Raleigh Indoor Holiday Classic December 28th through the 31st. Come get a front row seat to the hunter jumper horse show.