August 25th - 31st 2016 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

Labor Day Weekend is only a week away. The summer events are winding down and our fabulous fall festival season will soon be in full swing!

Kick off the Weekend!

Friday is NC Seafood Day during lunch at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, Come try samples, get recipes and buy some of fresh NC Seafood.

Thursday's Pickin' in the Plaza will feature the music of Christiane & the Strays with Fireside Collective. There will also be an assortment of food trucks and local beers.

Back Porch Music on the Lawn presents the Gibson Brothers as the Headliner and Hank, Pattie & the Current as the opener Thursday evening at the American Tobacco Campus Amphitheatre.

This Thursday's Science Cafe at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will focus on the Science Synergy along with extended hours.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is excited to present their first Final Friday event! A/V Geeks' Skip Elsheimer returns to provide a fun night of trivia and tongue-in-cheek commentary on movies from his vault of 24,000 films. Movies will be complemented by experts and hands-on science stations related to each night's theme.

The fun continues Friday night at the NC Museum of Art. Peter Lamb and the Wolves will be playing the tunes for Art in the Evening and the Sound Bite will explore Women in White. Friday night after dark, stay to see the 1986 film Ferris Bueller"s Day Off. Come back Saturday after dark for the 2015 film Spectre.

As a special treat Friday night at the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Monster Drawing Rally 2016 features seventy-two artists at all stages of their careers taking shifts to draw for an hour in front of a live audience while DJ Forge will spin music and Curbside food will be available for purchase from The Parlour, Big Mike"s BBQ, and Zeke's Meats.

Fridays on the Front Porch of the Carolina Inn will feature the music of Acoustic Manner and food trucks Stuft and Chirba Chirba.

Head on over to Downtown Historic Hillsborough for a Last Friday Art Walk and music by Todd Johnson and the Revolvers.

Holly Springs is celebrating their Parks and Recreation Department"s 20th Anniversary with several fun events this summer. Join them Friday night at Parrish Womble Park for a concert by the Will McBride Group. Food trucks and beer/wine concessions will be on site as well.

Also Friday in Holly Springs, join them at the North Main Athletic Complex for the first Friday Flicks on the Field. This Friday features the family classic ET.

Festivals and More Movies and Music

The Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival is celebrating its 40th year by expanding the one-day festival to two days! Join them at Cary's Town Hall Campus Saturday and Sunday for the annual spectacular featuring arts & crafts, kids activities, live entertainment and festival food.

The Raleigh-Durham AfroCaribbean-Association presents the 5th Annual CaribMask Carnival Parade and Festival in Downtown Raleigh Saturday.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site invites you to step back in time Saturday during their living history event. There will be Period-costumed living historians demonstrating camp life as well as musket and artillery demonstrations.

Come out to Bass Lake Park Saturday for a good time and try your luck entering the Catfish Tournament. There will be prizes for both kids and adults!

The inaugural Veteran Owned Business Festival (VOB Fest) will be held Saturday in downtown Fuquay-Varina. There will be live music, food trucks, local breweries, games for all ages, prizes, and lots of fun!

David Childers will be the featured musician at Saturday evening's concert at Apex Nature Park.

The Monday Morning Movie at the Holly Springs Cultural Center will feature Richie Rich.

Tuesday is Film Day Fun Day at the Cary Theater. This is a fun, interactive film experience that allows kids to enjoy films in ways that connect with them. Admission is only $1 and they will be showing "Horton Hears a Who".

Wednesday evening kicks off the Pickin' In the Pines Concert Series at Regency Park. Enjoy concerts every Wednesday in September along with a wide variety of food and beverages to include Brews from Sweetwater Brewing Company. This week's concert will feature the Grass Cats.

Waverly Place bids their summer concert series farewell with a final concert by the Embers Wednesday night.

More Weekend Fun at the Parks

Pack up the family for a Family Campout at Durant Nature Park Friday night. The evening will include a naturalist-led night hike, a light Dutch oven dinner, s"mores for the kids, breakfast and time for fishing and boating in the morning.

Bring the kids out for some late summer fun before school begins! Roast marshmallows over the Evening Campfire and go on a short night hike to see who is out and about Friday night at Harris Lake County Park.

Join a Park Intern in conducting an environmental study of the water at William B. Umstead State Park to look for Beautiful Bugs Friday afternoon.

Discover the American Tobacco Trail's new GeoArt project Friday evening as you learn the basics of Geocaching! Learn what geocaching is all about then search for some newly placed geocaches along the Trail.

Historic Yates Mill Pond County Park will be offering Saturday at the Old Mill Tours and Mill Heritage & Local History Tours on Sunday. You can also see the park from the water as you Paddle the Pond Saturday morning or afternoon. Come back to the park anytime Sunday to contribute to their community art project celebrating Summer Blooms.

Prairie Ridge Ecostation invites you to learn about Photography for Science Saturday afternoon.

Photographer/retired Veterinarian Doc Ellen, will give a presentation on her favorite bird, the Bald Eagle Saturday afternoon at Jordan Lake.

Lots to do at the Fairgrounds

There is quite an eclectic mix again this weekend at the State Fairgrounds.

The Hunt Horse Complex will be hosting the Indoors Horse Show on Friday through Sunday

The North Carolina RV Dealers Association Fall RV Show & Sale will give you the opportunity to check out a wide variety of RVs for your fall adventures. This event does have an admission fee, but you can get coupons at their website.