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September 23rd - 29th

by Pam & Michael Davison

Can you believe that October is only a few days away? Fall is in full swing here in the Triangle with an awesome assortment of fun events this weekend. Most towns are still hosting farmers markets, too. If you are looking for the perfect pumpkin or an incredible array of fall fruits and vegetables, stop by the State Farmer's Market in Raleigh. It is really fun to check out the gigantic pumpkins and be amazed by all the colors and shapes pumpkins come from smooth and orange to bumpy and white. Celebrating another fall crop, Thursday is Apple Day at the State Farmers market.
Take a Child Outside Week
Take A Child Outside Week, a national initiative spearheaded by the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences kicks off Friday, September 24 and runs through Thursday, September 30. Designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from exploring the natural world, the week encourages children and adults to spend time together outdoors. Although ParkGeek.com has almost 60 events this week, 20 are specifically aimed at kids and families for Take a Child Outside Week. On the Take A Child Outside web site (www.takeachildoutside.org), adults are encouraged to make a pledge to take a child outside during the week and chart their location on a digital map. Currently, all 50 US states and four foreign countries actively participate in Take A Child Outside Week. This initiative attracted 109 partners its first year and now over 300 organizations participate nationwide including all 35 North Carolina State Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ParkGeek.com is a proud partner.
Involvement in Take a Child outside Week transcends local, county and state parks throughout the Triangle. Three events kick off the week. Eno River State Park invites you to join them Friday morning for a Hike. Lake Johnson Park welcomes you to join them on a Family Sunset Walk and the American Tobacco Trail will sponsor a Nature at Night hike.
Saturdays events will include Beautiful Butterflies at Lake Crabtree County Park, Dandelion Adventures and Hopper Herding at Blue Jay Point County Park and a Family Pond Dip at Anderson Point Park.
On Sunday, you can take your kids on a Family Nature Walk at Biltmore Hills Community Center and a Canoe Expedition at Historic Yates Mill Park.
Monday morning, bring your little one over to Marsh Creek Community Center for Birding for Preschoolers. Pack up the whole family Monday night for a relaxing evening of fishing. Any Fish You Wish at Harris Lake County Park includes bait, rods and instruction.
Tuesday afternoon at Crowder Park, kids are invited to join in on a Pond Exploration. A hike, game, and craft will be included in a Lightning Bug program at Laurel Hills Park Tuesday evening.
Wednesday morning kicks off with Turtles for Tots at Laurel Hills Park and gears up Wednesday afternoon with a Special Program by the NC State University students from the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management Department at Crowder Park.
Thursday winds up the week with Little Nature Explorers at Harris Lake County Park, some Family Fishing at Sertoma Arts Center and Guided Hikes at Prairie Ridge Ecostation.
Most of these events are free, but a few do have a small fee. Many do require pre-registration so click through for all the details.
Festivals Galore!
The Storytelling Festival is one of my favorite events this weekend! The festival is a wonderful event with entertainment for every age. Bring a blanket or chairs and your imagination as Historic Oak View Park partners with the Wake County Library to assemble a broad range of storytellers from near and far. There are several story spots around the park, including one specifically for young children, that the storytellers rotate through in order to give you the opportunity to hear as many different stories as you wish. The variety of stories varies as much as the storytellers. Along with historical stories, folk tales and tall tales, there are also musical stories, ghost stories, and interactive stories. Come hear tales of the south, the mountains, Africa, or Native America.
Saturday and Sunday will be Dog Days in the Park at Womble Park. This year, in addition to all the fun doggy activities and exhibitors, the event has added a three day jumping competition sponsored by the Carolina DockDogs. For even more dogs, the State Fairgrounds will be hosting AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day.
Come listen to music, watch great demonstrations and socialize with other dog loving folks at Woofstock at Durham Central Park.
Its Family Day: Colonial North Carolina at the North Carolina Museum of History. Watch craftspeople at work, meet Revolutionary War soldiers, practice writing with a quill pen, tour Discover the Real George Washington free of charge. Both days, members of the Sixth North Carolina Regiment reenactment group demonstrate carding and spinning, straw hat making, bookbinding, and other skills for an Artist at Work program.
Marbles Kids Museum continues their Family Fit Series with Happy Hips Belly Dancing and joins in on the NC Science Festival with Gadgets & Gizmos, an interactive engineering program. Starting Tuesday, Marbles invites you to come celebrate their 3rd Birthday with special activities all week long.
Also a part of the NC Science Festival, science will be everywhere at UNC Science Expo Day. All across the UNC's campus there will be various science activities, demonstrations and performances.
Bikefest is back in Downtown Raleigh this weekend. The event will feature a wide variety of entertainment from dancing and live music to Drag Bike Cranking and a BMX Bike Stunt Show. Click through for the complete schedule of events.
The Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education invites you to join them for National Hunting and Fishing Day. This is a family-oriented event, with fun and educational hands-on programs for everyone to enjoy. Activities will include fishing, fly fishing, archery, outdoor survival, fly tying and outdoor cooking demonstrations.
Whether you want to bake your best cake, whip up the spiciest wings or just enjoy tasting all the entries, Taste of Fuquay-Varina is going to be a fun day in Downtown Fuquay. In addition to the cooking contests, there will also be face painting, a moon bounce, a corn hole contest and live entertainment.
Gulf Relief Family Fun Day on the American Tobacco Lawn & Bay will have several events happening at one time. SOS merchandise will be available for purchase, Wool E Bull will make an appearance, several fun games and entertainers will entertain the kids and live music will keep the grown ups toes tapping. Local Chefs will compete in a friendly cooking contest with a Louisiana based theme that for a small fee, guests will be able to sample.
The fourth annual Raleigh Project Homeless Connect will be held on Thursday at Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. It is a one-day, one-stop center to link people experiencing-or at risk of experiencing-homelessness with a broad range of services.
More Fun Activities at the Parks
This weekend, there are plenty of outdoor activities in addition to those specifically aimed at the Take a Child Outside Week. Join a Park Ranger at William B. Umstead State Park for a peaceful hour of Fishing on Big Lake. Learn the basics of fresh water fishing, as well as how to identify the different species found in the lake. Kids will be introduced to fishing through the C.A.S.T. program at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, also. If you want to get out on the lake, join a ranger at Jordan Lake for a Canoe "Hike" or a ranger at William B. Umstead State Park for Canoeing Skills I.
Come, learn about Occoneechee Mountain's geologic wonders and explore the pyrophyllite quarry with a real geologist on Geology Hike.
This weekend, there are a few opportunities to give back to our area parks. Join the staff of Bass Lake for the annual Big Sweep. Saturday also marks National Public Lands Day at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve.
Bring the whole family for a Family Walk in the Park at Durant Nature Park .
Kids, bring your parents to Eno River State Park so you can learn how to look for signs of animals during Animal Tracks, Scat and Signs.
Historic Preservation Society of Durham volunteers lead a 45 minute tour through downtown highlighting the many architectural styles popular in the 20th century on an Architecture & the Urban Landscape Walking Tour.
Music & Movies for Everyone in the Parks
Over 160 acts at 25 different locations! The Carrboro Music Festival will feature all kinds of music, all around town and all for free!
The North Carolina Museum of Art kicks off the weekend with the movie Drunken Angel. Saturday brings Art Day, an opportunity to bring your works of art including paintings, scuplture, textiles, for examination by curators and conservators. Sunday, you can join conservator Perry Hurt for a quick Tour of Paint in Western art from prehistoric times through the 20th century.
The Dead will come alive at this weeks outdoor concert at the the Holly Springs Cultural Center. Enjoy the sounds of Grateful Dead tribute band Better off Dead with a picnic dinner.
The Holly Springs Library invites you to the Visions of the Universe Kickoff. The Holly Springs Community Library is one of only 55 libraries across the country hosting the Visions of the Universe exhibit- a chronicle of astronomy through the ages, from Galileo's initial findings to the latest results of the Hubble Space Telescope. Saturdays event will include a ribbon cutting, Star Wars re-enactors and the movie The Clone Wars. Due to its popularity, free tickets will be required. Click through for the details.
Pack a picnic and wind down your weekend with a free Warehouse Blues Concert with DrinkSmall and Hubby Jenkins at the Durahm Central Park
The Southern Ideal Home Show is the Triangle's biggest home and garden event. It features three buildings at the State Fairgrounds filled with hundreds of exhibitors to answer questions, help with your next building or remodeling project, decorating or landscaping your home.
 
 

 

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