Sign up today for these two family program today since pre-registration is required.
Many parks have free or cheap activity program, and I just picked two examples: Crowder Park is looking up to the sun, and forward to harnessing solar power on Sunday from 2p-3p. $5 for the entire family.
On the opposite side of Raleigh, Blue Jay Point is focusing on water and all the nice little creatures that live in it. This is on Saturday from 10-11.
Photo is by Rhys Asplundh
Logan’s Trading Company, the downtown garden store, is hosting another edition of its Wipeout event; come dressed to get wet (kids with bathing suit under their clothes), have fun splashing and take advantage of their summer clearance sale.
Logan’s is in the Seaboard Station area north of downtown, at 707 Semart Drive. Wipeout is from 11-4 on Saturday.
You think Food Truck Rodeos are all the rage? Wait until you see the Garbage Truck Rodeo! An annual event held at the state level and with national finals, the “SWANA Road-e-o” tests the skills of garbage truck drivers and mechanics. If you live in a neighborhood where the trash is picked up in back alleys, you are familiar with their skill to navigate big trucks through tight spaces.
My son has always been particularly fond of garbage trucks, and this event will not only feature trucks driving obstacle courses, there are garbage trucks that can looked at, touched, and climbed into. (The driver seat only, of course.)
The event takes place at the Wilders Grove Solid Waste Services facility; this brand new facility is worth a trip in itself, being the first LEED certified plant of this type, with many environmental improvements. (I’m not sure if this weekend it can be toured inside, though.)
The facility is at 630 Beacon Lake Drive, which is off 64 out towards Knightdale. (Follow your GPS and don’t turn at the first Beacon Lake Drive crossing, since this road is split in two disconnected parts.)
Address: 630 Beacon Lake Dr, Raleigh, NC 27610
Times: The event takes place Friday and Saturday, from 8:30 – 4:00
Here a video from a similar event in another state:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXcPtIGA1Y]
Update: Photo below from digger party and impromptu show and tell at the garbage truck rodeo
The great thing about Maker Faire is that is bring together a wide, wide range of creative expression. Here three shots that try to capture that diversity.
Stormtrooper vs. Quadcopter
Spinner and Giant Robots
3D Printer and Recycled Glass Art
Here some first impressions from Maker Faire NC.
Open today until 6pm – much more stuff than last year, so come on out!
Felted electronics = Feltronics
spoonflower-powered make and sew kit
Awesome self-designed tank differential gear made in Lego
“To make” is probably one of the broadest terms in language, but Maker Faire does it all justice. Make your own combat robot? Crochet your own superhero mask? Build your own bass guitar? Fly to Outer Space, launching from the NC Fairgrounds? All that and more can be seen at the Maker Faire.
MakerFaire is a mashup of robotics, hacking, crafts, knitters, steampunks and Stormtroopers. And my kids. you wonder? There are many kids in attendance, and a good number of exhibits are suitable for little ones. They may not yet appreciate the intricacies of a steampunk trebuchet, but they will like the Chaos machine (a marble run that is larger than their room), the combat robots, and much more.
So far the concert series in the park has been great, with nice performances by Milagro Saints and Brooke Hatala the last two weekends.
This Saturday will bring some hot rhythms that go well with the hot weather, as Ed Stephenson and his Paco Band hit the stage.
On Sunday, the band Sandbox was going to play at Fletcher, but this was POSTPONED to July-28.
If Andrea (the storm) is moving through as quickly as predicted, the sun should come just in time for this marvelous happening. Seafood, beer, music – but you don’t have to go to the beach, just hop over to Moore Square.
This festival (I think this is the inaugural edition) features fresh seafood from the coast, prepared on site by local chefs (Battistella’s, Market Restaurant), and paired with local beer (Lonerider, Aviator, etc.) and local produce. For the kids (and discerning adults), there will be aguas frescas from Centro (the new name of the downtown Dos Taquitos near the Capitol). And last but not least, there will be good music on stage.
It is $5 to get for adults (kids free), and then $6 for a seafood platter and $2 for an agua fresca. So let’s hope for some nice weather, but in the event of an unexpected shower, Marbles will be right next door…
I featured Brooke Hatala just about a year go, but never made it to the concert. There will be another chance to see Brooke this Sunday from 5p-5:30p, followed by The Village Band (traditional band music) at 5:30 and Tight Squeeze (classic rock covers) at 7:30.
Not convinced? Here is Brooke performing at Pullen last December:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsC6zegd45o]
The “Around Town” exhibit at Marbles has been closed for a few weeks because it was being updated and remodeled. (“Around Town” is the large exhibit when you come in, with the bus, the grocery store, the ambulance, the stage, and of course the train table.)
Most things are reportedly still there, and a new farm-themed topic has been added, to introduce kids to NC livestock and crops. I’m glad to see that the new train table is actually bigger, I was a bit worried it would have to make place for something else. (“Don’t mess with Thomess!”) I think we were actually there the last day that it was open, and it would only be appropriate to go back on the first day it re-opens.
Beyond the new exhibits, I also spotted a beautiful new mural by Denise Hughes, which is in my eyes one of the nicest aspects of Marbles. (I also like her recent work in the recently opened toddler room.)