The NC Museum of History honors the American Natives of North Carolina with the annual celebration of American Indian Heritage. Did you know for example that Miss NC 2013 is an American Native? That NC has the largest Indian population of any state in the East? Or that there are eight recognized tribes in our state? Learn these and more facts, and have some direct encounters with the music, dances and cooking – if you’re lucky you might even run into Miss North Carolina Johna Edmonds. The event is taking place in the NC Museum of History and on the Bicentennial Plaza right outside the museum, and lasts from 11am to 4pm. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN9bCBWw2cc]
Category Archives: Art
Hansel and Gretel by RaleighACT Children’s Theater
The classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel will be performed by the RaleighACT children’s theater TONIGHT at 7p and tomorrow at 10:30am. RaleighACT is a “small but growing” theater for children, with different classes for different age groups. (4-6, 6-11, 9-13.) Hansel and Gretel will be performed by the 6-11 year olds.
I think I wrote in a previous post that such events bring back fond memories of my involvement with children’s theater in a previous life, and hope that perhaps my little ones will catch the theater bug one day. (And for now, I enjoy being a spectator.)
If you’re thinking about sending your kids to theater classes, this play can give you insight into what to expect, and you kids the chance to see whether they might enjoy standing on stage.
Hansel und Gretel by RaleighACT Fri 11/15 at 7pm, Sat 11/16 at 10:30am. $10 at the door or $6 by calling ahead (919-605-9946). Performance take place at Journey Church on 3500 Spring Forest Road (Raleigh).
Thanks to R. who sent me the information about this and who’s kids are in the play, I’m always glad to get leads for interesting events!
BugFest
Another annual event that we’re looking forward to each fall is BugFest. It is organized by the Science Museum, and it clearly deserves being called a “Fest”. Live Bugs, Dead Bugs, Small Bugs, Big Bugs, Bug Movies, Bug Crafts, Bug Races, Bug Art: It is BugFest. To point out my personal favorites:
- The Alberti Flea Circus: We’ve all heard of a Flea Circus, but have you actually seen one? Performing at BugFest throughout the day.
- Cafe Insecta: They serve bugs. No kidding! Fried Grasshoppers, anyone?
- Horseshoe Crabs: If you’ve been to an aquarium around here, you’ll know that they are among the most fascinating sea creatures.
- Cyborg Insects: NC State’s iBionics Lab connects microcontrollers to cockroach brains, and makes them run left or right.
- Stump the Experts: Bring any bug to the examination table and the experts will identify it. (We did that last year, and brought what turned out to be a Phidippus Audax we found earlier that day.)
Visit the BugFest website for detailed directions, or just head out to the museum and the Plaza and enjoy what you find.
Inside Out Global Art Project
If you can spare 5 minutes on this Friday afternoon, I recommend you head over to explore
http://www.insideoutproject.net. This is a global art project, which places large portraits in public spaces. (My words don’t do it justice, go look at the images.) The posters are large, about 3’x4′, and so far 120,000 of them have been posted around the world. Inside Out, which began in 2011, has spawned multiple projects-in-the-project, one of which is InsideOut11M; it tours 20 US cities, one of which is Raleigh. (Yes, this was a long intro to a local event!)
So come to First Friday between 5p and 10p, and get your chance of having your large portrait taken and within minutes posted on the walls of Artspace, with the goal of completely wrapping Artspace in portraits. (Second chance on Saturday afternoon.)
While you’re on that side of town, check out the other nearby First Friday participants, one of which it the relatively new kids boutique nüvonivo on Hargett Street. They have an interesting combination of online business and brick-and-mortar store, and offer a refreshing spectrum of European brands at decent prices.
The image is from Brent Granby, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.
Not your average 5K…
Running a 5K was once cool, but is now sooo 2012. These days, when you run a 5K, you do it in costume. Or barefoot. Or being hunted by zombies. Or, “muddy”:
Mud runs, basically 5Ks with obstacles, mud flats and other accoutrements are all the rage, and now also come in a family version! This Saturday, the Big Muddy Challenge takes place. And while registration has ended yesterday, some race-day spots should be available if you come early. The race is completed as a team of two – one parent and one child, age 6-12. Sounds like a lot of fun!
Not especially geared towards kids, but “for all ages” (kids under 7 run free and strollers are welcome) is a completely different race one week later, the Electric Run. Basically a linear rave, but possibly healthier and more fun, you don as many glow sticks and LED lights as you can find, and immerse yourself in a glowing, flickering landscape with pumping music.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQhChpneq3U]
With all these options – don’t take your kids to a dull, old school 5K!
Raleigh M.A.I.N Event
If you’ve lived in Raleigh for a few years, you know that we’re getting ready for the busiest month: Babysitters are booked months in advance, OpenTable.com crashes and pedestrian traffic jams block downtown sidewalks. We used to call it just ‘busy September’, but this year it has become “The M.A.I.N. event“, a cleverly chosen acronym for music, art, innovation and, um, noise. So we’ll focus on the first two, since innovation is focused on grown-up stuff like entrepreneurship, angel funding and venture capital, and the noise, well, we parents have that year-round.
Of the 18 events that make up M.A.I.N, here are the best for families and kids:
- The African-American Culture Festival is this weekend on City Plaza, and features a family village, including a stage with kids’ acts.
- Hopscotch, a week later, has little to no kids-programming, but draws many fringe activities that make it fun to be downtown for all ages.
- On that same Sunday, the Fiesta del Pueblo will have ‘Ninolandia’ for the kids.
- Another week later, Sept. 12-15 is dedicated to SparkCon, with many options for kids, from music to street art to circus and fashion shows.
- After catching our breath (or attending a few entrepreneur event without kids), we put in the ear plugs and get ready for Capital City Bikefest, organized by Ray Price Harley Davidson, and declared “family-friendly”. If you think kids and bikers don’t go together, read this article. There will be stunt shows and more to excite little vroom vroom fans.
- As the bikers are rolling off into the sunset, we seamlessly shift into a quieter kind of noise, as Bluegrass takes over from Sept. 24-28. A whole week of music, trade fair and award show will offer plenty opportunities to bring your kids closer to this genre that is so closely tied to our state.
- To round off the month, Marbles‘ birthday party is on 9/28, as is the (re-)opening of the City Museum.
Ready? As the wild things said, “Let the wild rumpus start!”
First Friday
It’s time again to feature First Friday, the evening where all art galleries and many museums are open late. One option is to drop them off at Marbles for their First Friday Kid Camp. You drop the kids off at 5:30 with a packed dinner, and pick them up at 8:30, having enjoyed some grown-up time exploring the art scene, having dinner or even a movie at the IMAX.
The other option is bring to the kids along for some art appreciation. Interesting openings this Friday are Paul Dagys‘ show (photography) at TRIG Modern; CANstruction, a fundraising event at 8 locations, and “The Life Aquatic With Less Anderson & More Puppy-Guppy” at Designbox.
One special treat this Friday is a free concert at the Red Hat Amphitheater, sponsored by Red Hat, and if I understand correctly, also Red Hat’s summer party. Goodbye Titan, MONA and Silversun Pickups are the bands on stage.
0 to 60 Art Exhibit: Final Days
The NC Museum of Art has an interesting exhibit revolving around time, but its time is nearly up: “0 to 60” will end on August-11. Not every piece in the show is specifically geared towards children (although all of it should be ‘suitable’). but some are either funny or interesting even for younger kids.
A site-specific installation by Lisa Hoke, for example, is made from plastic and paper cups, and might inspire someone for a future craft project. Some large video installation will be fun to look at, as the slow, meditative images are very different from the concrete, fast-paced videos children typically get to see.
If your kids are old enough to stay up late and you like short-notice plans, “Cars” by Pixar is playing in the outdoor movie theater tonight (Friday, 7/26).
While we’re talking about the Art Museum: The museum park is always worth a visit and has a few new items, including an installation related to 0 to 60, and is always a welcome way to let one parent take the kids outside, while the other parent can have a quick look at the other exhibits currently on display: Two interesting shows have opened recently, both with themes that are more on the grown-up level.
Festival Ritmo Latin
The Latin Rhythm Festival has rhythm, music, bands, and dancing, but also all the other ingredients for a good festival like food, vendors, artists, and stuff to do for the kids.
The event was rescheduled due to rain and is now planned for this Saturday.
Here a video of one of the bands, Orquesta K’che. (Skip to about 1min in.)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0KIm4jccu8]