Chavis Carousel Grand Re-Opening

Posted on April 19, 2013 by daddyweekly

Chavis Park is one of the best kept secrets of Raleigh. A nice playground, a cool pool, and unique and unfamiliar views of the downtown skyline and easy access to the greenway system make a trip worthwhile.

But there is more to come, with the Grand Re-Opening of the historic Allan Herschel Carousel, built some 70-80 years ago. It has recently been refurbished and moves a few 100 feet (not without controversy). The reopening is slated for this Saturday and a dedication ceremony will be held at 2pm. (Download dedication postcard.)

Longleaf Festival at Harris Lake County Park

Posted on April 12, 2013 by daddyweekly

Harris Lake is a beautiful park, albeit a bit of a drive from (downtown) Raleigh. (~25 minutes) This Saturday, they celebrate their Longleaf Pines, and they have about 60 acres full of them. The Festival features hayrides through the longleaf preserve, entertainment, crafts, live animals and even a fire engine. Since this is not hipster downtown, but rather the rural fringe of Wake County, food will not be provided by some fancy food trucks, but catered by Chick-Fil-A. (So you might want to bring your own kale chips and alfalfa sandwiches.)

The festival takes place this Saturday, April 13, from 11a to 3p at Harris Lake County Park.

Longleaf Pines by Chris M Morris, licensed under the CC BY license.

I’ve been working on the railroad…

Posted on April 5, 2013 by daddyweekly

Whether you want to learn about the thermodynamics of a steam engine, or understand the mechanics of the Walschaerts valve gear, New Hope Valley Railway is the place to be this Sunday. Of course, you can just ignore the science, and ride the choo choo for pure enjoyment.

Untitled (New Hope Valley Railway) by abbyladybug, used under the CC BY_NC license.

Kidical Mass Bike Ride in Raleigh (2013)

Posted on March 8, 2013 by daddyweekly

Briefly mentioned last week, Oaks and Spokes is a festival celebrating cycling in Raleigh. Events, mostly geared towards adults, have taken place all week, but on Sunday the kids will take over for a the “Kidical Mass” ride through historic Oakwood and Mordecai.

The event will kick off on Sunday at 10am at the Oak City Cycling Project, but the ride won’t start until 11:30am. Kids old and skilled enough to ride alone are encouraged to do so, with the watchful parents riding along. Two loops are planned through Mordecai and Oakwook, and you can expect to be done by 1pm.

The weather should also get better, with Sunday clear and in the 60s.

High-brow trash: Rhythm in your Rubbish with the NC symphony (3/9/2013)

Posted on March 8, 2013 by daddyweekly

Trash + symphony = …?

The NC Symphony Kids Series culminates this weekend with the widely anticipated (ok, by me anyway) “Rhythm in your Rubbish”, a performance that brings together our NC Symphony with Toronto-based Platypus Theatre, a troupe that specializes in quirky performances for kids together with a classical orchestra.

Rhythm in your Rubbish is suitable for kids 4-12, and there will be two performances on Saturday (at 1p and 4p). Both are pretty well sold, but some seats are still available.

Theater, Old or New (Mar 2013)

Posted on March 1, 2013 by daddyweekly

There are multiple options to see a play this weekend, two of which we’ll look at in detail. The newest addition to the Raleigh theater scene is Storybook Theater, playing at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in its inaugural season! Rapunzel will let her hair down this weekend, and Winnie the Pooh and Dora the Explorer will follow later this year. I’m curious about this new venture and what it will bring.

On the other end of the old/new spectrum is Raleigh Little Theater, built in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration, and has seen stars like Ava Gardner and Andy Griffith perform on its stage. They are performing Snow White, but perhaps in a different version from what you know…

Raleigh Little Theater Rose Garden by Smythe Richbourg

Sports, Now or Later (Mar 2013)

Posted on March 1, 2013 by daddyweekly

If you like quick decisions, you got about 6 hours. At 7pm tonight, the Harlem Globetrotters are performing live at the PNC arena. If that is too soon, here an early notice for another event next week: Join Kidical Mass, a bicycle event for kids, and the culmination of Oaks and Spokes, a weeklong event celebrating the Daddy’s favorite means of transportation: The Bicycle.

Harlem Globetrotters by Battle Creek CVB

Farfetched – Mad Science at the Gregg Museum (Feb 2013)

Posted on January 25, 2013 by daddyweekly

The Gregg Museum, located on the second floor of the NSCU Talley Student Center opened an excellen exhibition last week, featuring “Mad Science, Fringe Architecture and Visionary Engineering“. Some quirky sculptures and many excellent 2D pieces that cross over the boundaries of drafting and illustrating are impressive, both for the seasoned engineer and the budding apprentice. References to Tesla underscore the geek cred (this is NCSU after all), but the show is just as interesting from an artistic perspective.

Bear in mind, this is a big boy/big girl museum, full of objects that look very inviting to touch and play with; but you can’t, so holding hands recommended. Make sure to turn on the only kinetic sculpture you’re allowed to interact with. It is in the foyer next to the receptionist, and my son fondly named the piece “chicken bonkety-bonk”. You’ll see why when you go…

Farfetched: Mad Science, Fringe Architecture and Visionary Engineering. Gregg Museum at NCSU, Jan-17 through Apr-26. Free and open to the public.

Jack Tales: Appalachian Adventures! (Jan/Feb 2013)

Posted on January 18, 2013 by daddyweekly

Like last year, the teen theater ensemble Storytellers To Go is touring area libraries with their performance of old appalachian folk tales by acting, puppetry and interactive storytelling. We enjoyed their blackbeard play last year, and will try to catch this one as well. This weekend they are over in Knightdale, not too far out of the way, and their future appearances are listed below:

East Regional Library: Saturday January 19, 2:00pm
Cameron Village Regional Library: Saturday January 26, 3:00pm
Halle Cultural Arts Center Of Apex: Saturday February 2, 2:00pm
NC Museum of History, Museum Auditorium: Saturday February 9, 2:00pm
Southeast Regional Library: Saturday February 16, 2:00pm
West Regional Library: Saturday February 23, 2:00pm

Science Olympiad at Marbles (1/19/2013)

Posted on January 18, 2013 by daddyweekly

The weekend weather will be clear, but bitter-cold, so what better to do that a visit to Marbles. This Saturday, Marbles is hosting another Science Olympiad with fun activities like building bridges (out of pasta) or rockets (out of paper). Science Olympiad is a hands-on activity for the entire family, put together by www.sciencenc.com, a non-profit with the aim to attract students to STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math).

Marbles, already a good place to geek out, will be even better this Saturday; the event takes place from 1-4p.

Science Olympiad by Art Jessen, used under the CC BY-NC license

The Daddy Weekly

Things to do with Kids in Raleigh, NC

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