Holly Springs is serious about its turtles, and celebrates the annual TurtleFest. Crafts, Hayrides, Live Music, and, of course, turtles.
TurtleFest takes place at Bass Lake Park, a scenic place to hang out, or walk along the lake. If you want a change of scenery this weekend, Bass Lake is only 30 minutes from downtown Raleigh, down Lake Wheeler Road.
Image by Ken Thomas [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Oak View is one of our favorite parks, often for is relative tranquil setting. But this Saturday, it will be buzzing and humming and roaring with the sounds of dozens of antique engines. The local chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America willl have its Spring Meet there, and the public is invited.
I haven’t been to this park when it is crowded, but it might be a good idea to park at the Olivia Rainey library, and take the short walk through the park. (Use 4016 Carya Drive in your GPS, or take the first left after turning onto Carya Drive, followed by a second left into the parking lot.)
This is an all-day affair, from 9am-4pm. One thing not to be missed is the Ford Model T quick assembly, which the club will perform at 11:30a and 2:30p. An entire Ford Model T will be assembled from a pile of parts to driving condition in a matter of minutes.
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.
As part of NC Science Fest, several astronomers’ groups are offering stargazing opportunities to the general public. The weather should clear up just in time for sunset tonight, and viewing conditions should be moderately good.
There are two good viewing areas outside the light pollution of downtown: Ebenezer Church Rec Area by Jordan Lake and Annie Louise Wilkerson MD Nature Preserve in North Raleigh. The event in North Raleigh starts at 8pm. Jordan Lake has less light pollution, but only starts at 9pm.
The NC Museum of Natural Sciences is holding its annual Reptile & Amphibian Day, and the focus is on Snakes!
If you have the guts, go for the snake feeding at 2p and 4p. Otherwise, visit one of the many info booths with turtles, snakes and other lovely critters. There are local snakes like the copperhead, and international visitors like Gila Monsters and Geckos from Madagascar.
Copperhead by P. Wood used under the CC BY_NC_SA license.
A high of 48 and a chance of rain means the weather is perfect for a visit to the museum. The Science Museum is hosting Darwin Day this Saturday, with a variety of presentations and a large number of displays from various area schools and universities. Some if sounds more geared towards adults, but then there is certainly something for the younger generation (Earthworm Race? Caterpillar Experiment?) as well. Plus, at 1:30 and 2:30, there are two Meet the Animals presentations.
Darwin Day, Sat 2/16, 8a-5p, NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Charles Darwin 1880 by Elliott & Fry [public domain] via Wikimedia Commons
Let me make a safe prediction by saying this Saturday will not see heavy snow as in the picture above. With temperatures in the sixties and no precipitation, it may even be hard to imagine a winter wonderland at all. But the sleigh in Oak View has wheels (hopefully) and a glass of hot cider is always welcome.
“Sleigh Rides and Cider” at Oak View County Park. Saturday Dec-1, from 5p-7:30p. Free, open to the public, no registration.
I featured this park in a summer post and on Father’s day; a leisurely 0.8mi hike is published at http://goo.gl/maps/JXlt. Go early for the hike – stay for the sleigh ride and cider!
The image is One horse open sleigh! By pmarkham, used under the CC BY-SA license
If the youngens are old enough to last until 10:30p, Cary may have a quite unique event for you: The Firing of a public art installation made from clay. The artist Nina Hole and members of the public have built this piece over the last two weeks. And they weren’t stingy – three tons of clay have been used so far.
Festivities start at 7:30 and culminate around 10pm, when the (still pliable) mass will be fired and unveiled.
Every year in September, Centennial Plaza and surrounding areas turn into a crawly, fluttery, buzzing celebration of our dear friends, the insects. Everybody working with insects will be there, from the Franklin County Beekeepers to Alberti’s Flea Circus. Special guest this year: The mantids. (The picture above is from our own Boylan Heights backyard; parying mantis are not uncommon around here.)
The one attraction I haven’t been able to stomach in previous years, but may attempt this year is Cafe Insecta. If you have a funny feeling about what this might be, you’re right. We’re not talking about ladybug shaped cookies or spaghetti “worms”. We’re talking bugs. Real bugs. You eat them. The good news? Prepared by famous Raleigh chefs. Try Cricket Bruschetta, courtesy of Wilmoore Cafe. Or Peanut Bugger Crunch from buku. I dare you!
BugFest is on Saturday from 9am-7pm, and beyond grilled bugs, there are tons of other exciting activities and presentations.
Yes, we’re talking about breastfeeding, the most natural way to feed a baby known to man woman. I’m still surprised how breastfeeding continues to be a hot topic, be it because of facebook photos or new laws regarding breastfeeding in the workplace. For the record, breastfeeding (covered or not) is NOT considered indecent exposure in the state of North Carolina, and explicitly allowed in all public places. And you may chuckle over that obvious statement, but reality is that this is not the case in all states!
With August being Breastfeeding Awareness Month, this is the perfect timing for The Big Latch On. This global event brings moms together to breastfeed as a group. Last year, 5687 women were breastfeeding around the world at 10:30 a.m local time. The goal this year is to exceed that!
There are two The Big Latch On events in the Triangle, at Sweetbottom’s Baby Boutique in Cary and at The Family Nest in Morrisville. Breastfeeding mothers and babies are encouraged to arrive by 10.00 a.m. to have time to get settled and start feeding before 10:30 a.m. comes around. More information at http://www.biglatchon.org.
The image is Nick breastfeeding his baby doll by seandreilinger, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license. I think Nick will be an excellent dad one day.
