April 21st - 27th Triangle 2016

by Pam & Michael Davison

The Spring Festivals and Concerts kick up this weekend with something for everyone.

The Museum of Life and Science is celebrating Astronomy the whole month of April with hands-on experiments to explore the universe. Thursday, they will host Patrick Treuthardt, a scientist from the Astrophysics Lab who will speak about his research and answer questions.

Harris Lake County Park invites you to a Citizen Science Thursday, a monthly series where volunteers can help staff prepare for citizen science projects.

The Market Shoppes at the NC State Farmers Market in Raleigh will hold an Open House Thursday with free samples, prizes, gift ideas and a wide assortment of NC products. While you are there, check out the fresh crop of hothouse tomatoes and strawberries at the Farmers Market. Saturday, the WPTF Weekend Gardener Show with Mike Raley and Anne Clapp will be broadcast live from the Farmers Market.

Thursday evening is also Family Nature Night, another monthly program, at Sertoma Arts Center. Come enjoy games and activities to discover how animals in the wild search for food while avoiding being food for other animals.

Twilight $2 Thursdays at Marbles offers discount admission and extended hours every week.

The Follow Me 2 Fuquay-Varina Concert Series starts this Thursday evening with the band Jim Quick and Coastline. There will also be local craft breweries, vineyards and eateries at the concert site so you can take the night off and relax to the tunes.

Science Thursday at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences features a special program on "An Unlikely Refugee: The Story of George, A Burmese Python" followed by a Drink & Draw and a lecture on "For the Love of Sloths."

Festivals Galore

Bring your family to a free, daylong Songbird Celebration at Blue Jay Point County Park in recognition of International Migratory Bird Day. Enjoy bird-related activities throughout the park, including games and crafts, preschool story times, bird hikes for adults and kids, learning stations and more.

Fort Macon State Park invites you to their Centennial Celebration Friday through Sunday with hikes, bands, weapon demonstrations, historical interpreters, tours, cake and even fireworks! Click through for the entire schedule of events.

This year's BioBlitz Festival takes place Friday and Saturday at Leigh Farm Park. The epic nature scavenger hunt will attempt to identify as many species as possible in less than 24 hours! Last year they recorded over 475 species.

Right across the street from the NC State Fairgrounds, the NCSU Veterinary School will host their Open House Saturday. Take tours of the cutting edge facilities and see a variety of animals at the Teaching Animal Unit.

HerbFest 2016 kicks off this weekend in Wake Forest and continues next weekend. Join them for free entertainment, animal petting, live bands, and the largest selection of herbs and local grown, adapted perennials.

On Saturday, Bond Park will be celebrating Children's Day with dance, music, crafts, food trucks, face painting, animal balloons and a magic show focusing on Cary kids and their diverse cultures.

Come visit Mordecai Historic Park Saturday to get your garden started this year. Heirloom varieties of produce, herbs, and flowers will be sold at their Annual Plant Sale.

Both kids and adults are invited to come enter the Catfish Tournament at Bass Lake Park Saturday morning. Prizes will be given out to the top three adult and youth participants.

Saturday's Triangle SciTech Expo at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will boast over fifty hands-on exhibits, games, crafts & activities, plus a series of presentations by local scientists & technical professionals from universities, organizations & industry.

Science is also the focus at Marbles Kids Musuem Saturday. Join them for a Family Science Fair and Innovation Expo.

Saturday is Amphibian Awareness Day at the North Carolina Zoo. Enjoy educational activities, meet the keepers and learn about amphibian conservation efforts.

Sunday is the Cary Music & Arts Festival at Koka Booth Amphitheatre. The festival showcases the talent of band, chorus and visual arts students from Cary area high schools, including Cary High, Athens High, and Green Hope High.

More Fun at the Parks

There are two programs Friday night that will explore the parks after dark. Lake Crabtree will host a Full Moon Paddle while the American Tobacco Trail will go on a Full Moon Hike.

Durant Nature Park is hosting their annual Family Campout from Friday to Saturday. Enjoy a campout, a naturalist led night hike, s'mores for the kids, breakfast provided for you, and time for fishing and boating in the morning.

Come and learn about Occoneechee Mountain's Geologic Wonders Saturday as you explore the pyrophyllite quarry with a real geologist

Meet Crowder District Park staff Saturday afternoon on the boardwalk to discover the Birds of the park! Sunday they will be Talking Turtles.

Learn how to do Butterfly Gardening with Kids Saturday at Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Preserve.

Wake Forest invites you to their Arbor Day Ceremony & Tree Seedling Giveaway Saturday at Carroll Joyner Park.

Take Geocaching 101 Sunday at Harris Lake County Park as you learn to use technology in the great outdoors.

Learn Spring Storm Clues Sunday at Falls Lake State Recreation Area.

Sundays Spring Hike at West Point on the Eno Park will explore Pump Station Wildflowers. Come on out to enjoy an easy hike with a few gentle hills that is known for the beauty of the wildflowers that bloom each spring.

Art, Music and Culture

The NC Museum of Art will kick off the weekend with Art in the Evening featuring the sounds of the David Dyer Trio and a Sound Bite on a Singular Moment. Stay for the Spring Film Aparajito.

The North Carolina Museum of History with Burning Coal Theatre presents a Shakespeare Marathon: 38 Plays in 5 Days starting Saturday and running through Thursday to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death.

Geology Rocks! with Guest Star Scientist Randy Bechtel Saturday at Marbles Kids Museum. They will be Amped for Amphibians Sunday with guest start scientists Joanne St. Clair from the NC Herpetological Society and Dr. Mike Levy from the NC State Veterinary School.

Home will be the Movie in the Park Friday after the sun goes down at Morrisville Community Park. Bring your chairs and blankets and come early to enjoy local Food trucks.

Celebrate Earth Day Friday as Yates Mill Goes Green and enter the Ross L. Andrews Nature Poetry Contest. Prizes will be given in five age categories. Saturday, you can Paddle the Pond, take an Old Mill Tour Saturday or a Mill Heritage & Local History Tour Sunday at Historic Yates Mill Park.

The Shape Note Sing is back to the Mordecai Historic Park Chapel Sunday afternoon.

Sunday will mark the first of Six Sundays in Spring Concert Series at Carroll Joyner Park. This week's performance will feature Boneslinger.

The Monday Morning Movie at the Holly Springs Cultural Center will be the family favorite, Two Brothers.

The State Fairgrounds

Come enjoy a festive atmosphere all weekend at the Southern Women's Show and relax with spa treatments and makeovers, value shop for clothes, jewelry and gifts, gourmet food & wine, travel ideas, beauty tips, health screenings, cooking classes and fashion shows.

The Opening Ceremony for the NCSU Science Olympiad will take place Friday evening and the Awards Ceremony Saturday evening. Click through for the Tournament Schedule Saturday.

Join them for the Persian Festival Saturday, a celebration of Persian culture. The festival features Persian dances performances, live music, art, food, cultural exhibits and displays, handicrafts, silent auction and vendor exhibits for entire family to enjoy.