If you have never been to Bugfest, you can't imagine how an incredible collection of bugs can make for a fantastic event packed full of activities. If you have been to Bugfest before, you already know what an entertaining event it is. Bugfest is the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science's biggest and wildest annual event. Promising to be bigger and better than ever, Bugfest fills the museum as well as the outdoor mall with everything buggy.

 

This year's theme is the Stinkbug. For the really brave, there will be an assortment of delicious bug-filled delicacies at the Café Insecta. For the slightly more adult crowd that doesn't want to fight the crowds, Bugfest transforms into the Evening Insectival at 5pm. The evening crowd can relax with a new round of activities and live music to finish out the evening.

 

ParkGeek is excited to be at BugFest! Come find our booth outside on Edenton Street, between the State Capitol and the NC History Museum, and see what critters we found crawling in our backyard!

 

The official start to BugFest is the BugFest Critter Cook-off Friday morning. Two local chefs, Serge Falcoz-Vigne from 518 West and Andrew Smith from Buku go head to head in a bug-cooking battle. They have 50-minutes to prepare an appetizer, entrée and dessert using mealworms, superworms, crickets.

 

Thursday evening at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences features family Game Night and the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Watch Party. The Ig Nobel Prize celebrates real achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. It will be simulcast live from Harvard's Sanders Theatre.

 

 

Involvement in Take a Child outside Week transcends local, county and state parks throughout the Triangle. Lake Crabtree County Park is kicking off TACO Week with Here Fishy, Fishy Wednesday morning. Come back for Rabies for Lunch Thursday and learn all about the disease through a little humor.

 

Also Wednesday with a repeat performance on Saturday, Blue Jay Point County Park invites kids ages 3-5 to join them for Nature Stories all about Creepy Crawlies.

 

JC Raulston Arboretum celebrates TACO week with events each day. They will be making Leaf Rubbings on Wednesday and holding a School's Out Drop Off Program on map reading on Thursday.

 

Everyone is invited to take an Evening Paddle at Lake Johnson Wednesday evening and have some Family Fishing Fun Thursday evening.

 

At Umstead State Park, a Park Ranger will be presenting the Animals of Umstead on Wednesday afternoon. Come on out Thursday evening to Hug-A-Tree and look for wildlife.

 

Eno River State Park invites kids to take an Egg Carton Scavenger Hunt Wednesday evening or come to their Star Party after dark. You can also Adopt-A-Tree Thursday afternoon at Eno.

 

Build your own TACO Thursday afternoon at Harris Lake County Park. They will have all the equipment/supplies you need to go bird watching, fishing, insect collecting, or go on a scavenger hunt, make nature crafts and more.

 

Bring your preschooler to Durant Nature Park Thursday morning so they can do some Wee Walking. Kids 6-8 are invited to learn All About Bats Thursday afternoon.

 

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.

 

 

Bennett Place Historic Park will host the Tarheel Harvest Fair and Farmer's Market both Saturday and Sunday featuring 19th century games, pumpkin carvings, music, pie eating contests, wagon rides, livestock demonstrations, and the Fall harvest.

 

Come out to Bass Lake Saturday evening and enter the Catfish Tournament Pro-Series. There will be prizes given out to the top three places.

 

Over 125 athletes from 20 local programs across NC will compete for the equestrian championship in dressage, showmanship and English and Western trails and equitation as the North Carolina Special Olympics comes to the Hunt Horse Complex at the NC State Fairgrounds both Saturday and Sunday.

 

Also at the Fairgrounds, Saturday is AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day. The event will include the ever popular "My Dog Can Do That," meet the breeds, Canine Good Citizen Testing, dog sport demonstrations, vendors, rescue groups, children"s area, face painting, dog games and contests. Both Saturday & Sunday, there will be a Coin & Currency Show at the Scott Bldg at the Fairgrounds.

 

Also for you and your dog, Dog Day in the Park in Holly Springs will be held again this year at Sugg Farm Park. There will be food, fun, entertainment and adoptable dogs.

 

CenterFest will feature 30 diverse performance groups with over 200 talented performers filling three stages with continuous music, dance and entertainment in Downtown Durham on both Saturday and Sunday.

 

Celebrate the Worldwide Day of Play at Marbles Kids Museum Saturday as they partner with Nickelodeon for fun activities all day. Click through for the schedule.

 

Its Good Neighbor Day at Holding Park Sunday afternoon. By bringing together a mix of cultures, music, ages, and ethnicities, the event celebrates diversity and promotes goodwill among all of Wake Forest"s citizens.

 

Experience La Fiesta del Pueblo and try fares from assorted Latin American regions at City Plaza in downtown Raleigh Sunday along with popular Latin and folk music, children's activities and dance performances.

 

Celebrate creativity and imagination as the Museum of Life & Science joins groups across the world for the third annual Global Cardboard Challenge. Starting Monday and running through Friday, you can contribute to their cardboard creation which will be finalized next Saturday.

 

 

The State Parks will host a Geology Hike at Occoneechee Mountain and Warbler Watching at Umstead Park on Saturday. Eno River invites you to take a guided Nature Hike Monday morning or go on a Box Turtle Bonanza Tuesday evening.

 

Decorate your wheels or wear a funny hat in preparation for the Kids Together Walk For Inclusiveness.The walk will span the 1.4 mile segment of the Hinshaw greenway, starting at KTP and connecting with MacDonald Woods Park via the pedestrian bridge over US1 & 64. Awards, refreshments, games and a great silent auction await participants when they end the course,

 

Discover the amazing lives of gorillas and chimpanzees during this weekend's Great Apes Days at the North Carolina Zoo both Saturday and Sunday.

 

Stone Age Romeos will be playing a Follow Me 2 Fuquay-Varina Concert Thursday night along with local craft breweries, vineyards and eateries at the concert site.

 

Also in Fuquay, Hotel for Dogs will be the featured flick for Friday night's Movie in the Park.

 

Downtown Durham will come alive Friday night with the monthly Third Friday Gallery Crawl.

 

Come on down to Raleigh's City Market Friday night for a Concert by Day 2, corn hole and a gallery browse.

 

Live & Local Music & Art on the Plaza is a new series Friday nights in Chapel Hill. This Friday kicks off the series with the folk, country and rockabilly sounds of The Swang Brothers. The series will continue every Friday night through November 14th.

 

Art in the Evening kicks off the weekend at the North Carolina Museum of Art Friday with the sounds of Sidecar Social Club, a Sound Bite about Drawing the Line in Sculpture and a Gallery Talk and Tour with collector Allen G. Thomas Jr. Make the evening complete with the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock movie Strangers on a Train.

 

Monsters University will be Saturday morning's Movie @ Your Library at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. Come back Monday morning for the movie Aladdin.

 

The annual Apex Jazz & Music Festival will bring Downtown Apex alive this Saturday. A $10 wristband gets you entry to all the venues for the entire event.

 

Kim Wempe will be the featured artist for both a Saturday afternoon concert at Bond Park's Sertoma Amphitheater and a Saturday evening Downtown Performers Series Concert.

 

Despicable Me 2 will be this week's Outdoor Movie at Apex Nature Park Saturday after dark.

 

Come out to The Burwell School Historic Site Wednesday to Celebrate 20 years of Music with Tim Duffy and a special performance by Ironing Board Sam.

 

Leading up to the Carrboro Music Festival next weekend, you are invited to enjoy The Piedmont Regulators playing for Carrboro Music on the Street Wednesday night at the Steel String Brewery.

 

The Pickin' In The Pines Bluegrass Series continues Wednesday night at Regency Park with Acoustic Manner with Special Guests Victoria Lee & The New Ground.