March 2nd - March 8th 2017 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

This weekend is jam packed with stuff to do! Instead of wondering what to do this weekend, it will be a question of which things to do and how much can you squeeze in.

For more info on everything going on, go to www.Parkgeek.com click on Event Search and fill in the dates. See below for more...

Thursday Happenings & First Friday Fun

Its time for Science Trivia Thursday night at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Come back to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Friday night for all the fun that goes with a Teen Science Cafe entitled Not in My Backyard: Following Floods Downstream.

The North Carolina Museum of History will also extend its hours Friday for the Asbury Shorts Film Concert. New York City's longest-running touring exhibition of award-winning short films will be shown, for the first time in NC! The 35th Asbury Shorts Film Concert features shorts selected from major U.S. and international film festivals.

Downtown Raleigh comes alive for First Friday with the Downtown Gallery Walk and extended hours at Marbles Kids Museum and Raleigh City Museum. As a special treat, The COR will debut "The Emblem of Human Mercy: The Birth of Raleigh's Red Cross."

Cary will host its African American Celebration Friday and Saturday at the Cary Theater. Click through for more information.

The Cary Town Band will present a March Madness Concert Friday night the Cary Arts Center with young student musicians sitting in. Click through for a list of selections.

Art in the Evening brings live music by Beauty World, Sound Bites exploring the Constraints of Color and the film Shane.

Way outside the lights of the city, Bass Lake Park invites you to bring the kids to this month's Family Fun Night. The first hour you can make arts & crafts, meet a live animal or do some fishing. Close out the evening with an interactive concert with Trish Miller or a magic show with Dan the Magic Man.

Fun Outdoors

Raven Rock State Park invites you to join them every Thursday morning for a Hike for Your Health.

Join Laurel Hills Park for Family Nature Night Thursday evening. Have fun as you celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss with an evening focusing on his beloved Lorax and the trees.You will learn how trees grow and even create our own Truffula Trees.

Join the Park Rangers and their guest speakers at Falls Lake for a National Invasive Species Awareness Week Event. They'll be introducing you to some of the area invasives and how they manage them.

Start out Saturday morning with some Birding at Lake Crabtree County Park. Enjoy an easy walk with their resident bird enthusiast, Vernon.

Join Durant Nature Park Saturday afternoon for a fun family friendly Scavenger Hunt to look for things found around the preserve in winter. Then warm up inside with a cup of hot cocoa and a craft.

Go on a Salamander Search Saturday afternoon along the American Tobacco Trail or learn about these Elusive Amphibians Sunday at Harris Lake County Park.

Go Skywatching with Morehead Planetarium educators after dark Saturday at Jordan Lake.

Tours of the fully renovated mill are back for the spring at Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park. Take a Half Hour Tour Saturday or an in depth Mill Heritage & Local History Tour on Sunday. You can also Welcome Spring Saturday with a sensory hike around the mill pond or take part in the 4th Annual Aldo Leopold Event, celebrating the forester, wildlife conservationist, professor, and writer.

The fun at Historic Yates Mill County Park continues Monday with Field School for kids 6-14 all about Simple Machines and Power Trains and a History Detective Tour.

What Does A Park Ranger Do? Come and find out Monday at Umstead State Park.

Hike from historic Rock Cliff Farm out to one of the prettiest overlooks at Falls Lake, Zeagle's Rock Wednesday afternoon.

More at the Museums

Nuestras Historias, Nuestros Suenos/Our Stories, Our Dreams continues at Historic Oak View County Park. The exhibit documents the experience of Latino farm workers in the Carolina's, their dreams for the future, and the barriers immigrant youth face as they try to pursue their education.

Do you have a child that loves history? On the first Saturday of every month, the City of Raleigh Museum invites kids ages 10-13 to join them for a Junior Interpreter Program. While you are there, make sure you register for the Friends of the Museum Paris Flight Drawing.

The monthly Science Saturday is back this weekend to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Come explore Earthquakes in Our Backyard.

Celebrate another Durham Community Day Sunday at the Museum of Life and Science with free admission to the museum for Durham residents with proper ID.

Festivals and Fun at the Fairgrounds

The North Carolina State Fairgrounds is hosting the annual Dixie Deer Classic all weekend throughout the Dorton Arena, Graham Building, Exposition Center, Scott Building & Holshouser Building. Friday is Wildlife Youth Day for kids ages 13-18. With a hand stamp, admission is good for all three days.

The Ranch Sorting National Championship, Tough South Eastern Regional Super Sort Show comes to the Hunt Horse Complex at the Fairgrounds with the goal of preserving the heritage and integrity of the ranching lifestyle while providing a family oriented, competitive riding experience at the grassroots level.

The Durham Bulls will host their 2017 Fan Fest Saturday to kick off the 2017 season at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The free event provides the opportunity for fans to take batting practice on the field, get a behind-the-scenes tour of the DBAP and purchase single-game tickets at the ballpark. In addition, National Anthem auditions will take place prior to Fan Fest. Click through for the whole list of activities.