October 8th - 14th 2015 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

After all the crazy rain we had last weekend, we surely have made up for it this week with the beautiful sunshine and fall temperatures.

Festivals all weekend!

If you are looking for a fun, fall day trip, you will want to head over to the Tryon Palace Historic Site for Mumfest Weekend. There will be fifteen hundred (1500) mums on display in their gardens along with a variety of fall blooming plants. Admission to the gardens is free and the Town of New Bern will also be celebrating Mumfest so it should be spectacular.

Saturday will celebrate Day & Night in Downtown Fuquay-Varina. Join them for the 14th year as the festival expands into the evening. There will be live dance and music demonstrations, a juried arts & crafts fair, a beer & wine festival, a food truck rodeo, kids kourt, cornhole, Battle of the Business Bands, and the Fuquay Cruisers Car Club show.

The annual Chili Cook Off comes to the Holly Springs Farmer's Market this Saturday. Come taste the wide varieties of chilis and help judge the winner.

Head on over to Durham Central Park Saturday afternoon for a Creative Food Drive. Businesses, organizations, students and community members put their creativity to the test by designing and constructing anything they can image out of non-perishable food items that they have raised or purchased. There will also be live music, food trucks, local breweries and a kid's zone featuring pumpkin painting and a bouncy castle.

Both Saturday and Sunday will be a Reunion & Remembrance of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War at Bennett Place Historic Site. There will be both living history and ceremonial activities along with exhibits and displays of the post Civil War Era.

Step out of the kitchen Sunday afternoon for another ever so popular Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo.

Durham Central Park puts a new twist on the afternoon Sunday with a Fashion Truck Rodeo. Bring diaper donations to support featured charity, Welcome Baby, then shop til you drop at fashion trucks, mobile boutiques and fashion vendors.

Money Magazine ranked Apex the "#1 Best Place to Live" and they are going to celebrate Sunday afternoon! Peak-A-Palooza will feature live music, inflatables, food trucks and giveaways!

They're looking for the best dog tricks and canine costumes! If your dog has a special talent and/or a super cool costume, come and show them during Canine Contests Sunday afternoon at Crowder District Park.

Continuing into the fall, the Second Sunday CITY mARTket comes back this weekend with nearly 40 regional artists and craftsmen as well as a fantastic participatory art project presented by the Carolina Designer and Craftsmen Guild!

Fall Color is Coming!

While October is a sensational time of year to just get in the car head over to a state or county park and go for a hike, there are some great guided hikes and special programs going on at the parks to make your Fall weekend that much more enjoyable!

They will be looking for Salamanders at Eno River State Park Saturday morning. Sunday afternoon, meet them at the Historic Piper Cox House to take a tour and talk about its history and the colonial period.

Morrisville's Fall Litter Sweep Saturday morning is an opportunity for you to volunteer and get involved by helping to beautify the town of Morrisville.

Study a World of Webs Saturday afternoon at Blue Jay Point County Park as you explore nearby fields and woods looking for spiders and the webs they weave.

Go on a Fall Family Scavenger Hunt to find tokens hidden at secret locations along park trails Saturday afternoon at Annie Wilkerson Nature Preserve.

Saturday after dark, you are invited to join Morehead Planetarium educators at Jordan Lake for an Astronomy Viewing Session. Come on out Sunday morning to help them take a Bald Eagle Count.

Join one of the North Carolina Museum of History's garden staff Saturday afternoon for a Saturdays in the Garden tour in Bicentennial Plaza and see what's going on this time of year in the garden! Pop inside with what your learned for a Make and Take it craft Saturday at the NC Museum of History as part of their Second Season program.

Harris Lake County Park will offer several of fun programs for young children on Monday. Click through for the times and ages.

Music, Movies & More Fun

Friday night features a variety of programs at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Art in the Evening brings extended hours and music by Tea Cup Gin. The Gallery Tour will focus on Accessories. Bring the family back Saturday for a Story Time, Meet Your Museum Tour or a Weekend Family Friendly Tour.

It's the second Friday of the month so it's time for Art After Hours in Downtown Wake Forest.

This Friday's Live and Local Music & Arts Series brings the 2nd Friday Art Walk to Downtown Chapel Hill. Come on out to express yourself with watercolor painter Dan Nelson.

Also in Chapel Hill, Fridays on the Front Porch of the Carolina Inn brings Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos to the stage with the food trucks Bam Pow Chow and Chirba Chirba Dumpling.

Come on out to Bass Lake Park Friday night for some Family Bingo.

The Holly Springs Cultural Center will feature Monsters vs Aliens for their Saturday morning family movie. Bring the kids back Monday morning for Paranormal.

The Apex Nature Park has rescheduled last week's showing of Avengers: Age of Ultron for this Saturday night on their big outdoor screen.

Come to the NC Museum of History Sunday for a Music of the Carolinas concert featuring the unique acoustic guitar and harp guitar sounds of Andrew Kasab.

Events at the Museums

Carve a Pumpkin alongside the steady hands of a WakeMed pediatric surgeon Saturday at Marbles Kids Museum.

Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park will offer Saturday at the Old Mill Tours and Mill Heritage & Local History Tours on Sunday. As a special treat Saturday, you can take a Tip Top to Bottom Mill Tour of all 4 floors of the mill.

Sunday kicks off Wolf Awareness Week at the Museum of Life & Science. Come learn about the very rare red wolf, native to North Carolina, of which there are only 300 alive in the world, with 190 in captivity.