October 11th - 17th Triangle 2018

by Pam & Michael Davison

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 Friday and runs through next Sunday. Click through for all the information you need including the five special days. They have delayed the opening until Friday due to the impending hurricane.

Getting in the Halloween Spirit

Come to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for a Family Night: Natural History Halloween Thursday evening featuring an evening of spooky interactive science activities and live programming. Activities include Grossology in the Naturalist Center, animals of Halloween, and odd natural history objects. Nature-themed Halloween costumes are encouraged!

Calling all of Durham's ghost and ghouls to Forest Hills Park Friday evening. Fright Night will be a Fall Festival and Haunted House for the whole family with classic carnival games for all ages to enjoy, and a costume contest for kids and adults. Admission is a canned food donation.

Ride the train, take home a pumpkin and enjoy crafts and games as the Pumpkin Patch Express travels through the Museum of Life and Science weekends through October. There is an additional fee and reservations are recommended.

Come out and enjoy a Halloween Spook-Tacular Saturday evening at Bass Lake with all kinds of amazing interactive exhibits. Feel monster snot, eyeballs, and brains! Learn about creepy creatures that inhabit the earth. There will be a Costume contest plus a kids haunted trail and a pumpkin patch.

Be Batty for Bats Saturday afternoon at Falls Lake as you explore the mysteries of bats that inhabit Falls Lake and learn about conservation issues and what you can do to help bat populations in your neighborhood.

Learn about Turkey Vultures, how they defend themselves, and exactly why they have those weird, scaly heads as you watch for birds and play games to explore the world of turkey vulture survival Saturday at Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve.

A little outside the Triangle, Fort Macon State Park will be hosting a Howling Hayride & Night Hike Saturday evening. The hay ride will transport you to the starting point of the night hike, a 1.5 mile self-guided flashlight hike. Make sure you call to reserve a spot.

Sunday's Family Feature at Crowder District Park will be all about Pondering Pumpkins. Explore the uses of pumpkins, past and present, then study pumpkins inside and out.

Fall Festivals & Fun

The Annual Cary Diwali Celebration returns to Regency Park Saturday. Enjoy Indian music, art, cultural dance, food, music, and theater, along with a bazaar of ethnic Indian handicrafts. The evening will even end with a fireworks show!

Art It Up! is a collection of different events during the month of October in the Hillsborough Street district. Arts, culture, and recreation organizations in the vibrant district will host events focused on: Local Art, Music, Comedy, Yoga, Dance, Theater, Food, Community Art, Education, and Tours. Click through for the varied line up.

Sister Cities of Durham is putting on their inaugural Festival of Nations, celebrating Durham"s vibrant and diverse global community. There will be music, performances, international foods, and exhibitors on Saturday.

Method Community Center will host Raleigh Responders Day Saturday featuring a free hands-on experience of all types of vehicles. There will be local crews and their vehicles from Raleigh Police Department, Wake County EMS, North Carolina Wildlife, City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources, Urban Forestry, and more! Kids will be allowed to climb, touch, and ask questions about their favorite vehicles both big and small.

The Octoberfest marks the last Saturday morning Farmers Market in Downtown Apex. There will be live music, a pumpkin carving contest, kids activities, locally made brats, plus a whole bunch or awesome farmers and vendors.

Sunday brings the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo. Join them for over 50 trucks and seating for over 1,000 people.

Outside the Triangle, New Bern and Tryon Place Historic Site will host Mumfest 2018, a combination of family fun, entertainment, attractions, exhibitors and great food in the beautifully restored setting of historic downtown New Bern and its waterfront. The garden admission at Tryon Palace is free, but interior tours will still require the purchase of a ticket.

Art, Music & Movies

The Embers were scheduled take the stage for Thursday's Follow Me 2 Fuquay-Varina Concert. Due to the incoming weather, the concert has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 1st.

Make an appointment and bring up to three objects for assessment and advice on care from a museum conservator during Friday's Conservation Assistance Day at the North Carolina Museum of History.

The second Friday of the month brings gallery walks, live music, extended hours and special events to the downtowns of Wake Forest and Carborro/Chapel Hill.

Start your weekend at the North Carolina Museum of Art Friday night for Iris After Dark. Stay to enjoy the movie City Slickers.

Monday morning the movie Monsters vs Aliens will be shown at the Holly Springs Cultural Center.

Enjoy Fall at the Parks

Saturday morning, Take a Walk in the Woods and discover the animals and plants that call Crowder Park home. Saturday afternoon, rangers at Crowder Park will have a Discovery Table set up to learn all about bats.

Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park will be running Saturday and Sunday tours of the fully restored Mill. As a special treat this Saturday, you can take a Tip Top to Bottom Mill Tour and explore all 4 floors of the mill.

Durham's tobacco heritage is explored through the stories and experiences of Durham residents on the second Saturday of every month on a Tobacco Heritage Walking Tour.

Oak View Park will host a special wayside program, The Story of Cotton, both Saturday and Sunday. With hands-on activities, visitors can learn about the lifecycle of a cotton plant as well as the crop"s important impact throughout the history of North Carolina.

Durant Nature Park invites you to join them for a Campfire Story and Marshmallow Roast Saturday after dark.

The New Hope Audubon Society invites you to join them for a Bald Eagle Count Sunday morning at Jordan Lake.