Sleigh Rides and Cider at Oak View Park (12/2/2012)

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One horse open sleigh!

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

Raleigh Christmas Parade 2012

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Raleigh Christmas Parade 2008 051 by Anodoin, used under the CC-BY license

Have tractor and Santa hat, will travel

It bewilders me every year that the Christmas parade takes place even before Thanksgiving. But so be it, the Raleigh Christmas Parade is upon us this Saturday, 10 a.m. (If that is too early, WRAL will air it repeatedly until 12/25.)

The parade will be grand marshaled by Emily Minor from Wilmington, NC, now hailing from Nashville TN by way of “American Idol”. (Last year, the grand marshal was Scotty McCreery.) The route stays the same, starting on Hillsborough at St. Mary’s and then head toward the Capitol and zig-zag right onto Fayetteville.

It seems that the Hillsborough street section is always more crowded that the Fayetteville section, so my advice for last week’s parade still applies. (00 block of Fayetteville is the best choice for casual watchers. By the Confederate Memorial is best for hardcore early-risers, because you see the entire parade coming towards you, and it slows down to manage the two turns at the Capitol.)

Like St. Patrick’ Day has moved beyond the Irish, the Christmas parade has long moved long beyond the church-going crowd, and is a must-see event for people of all affiliations and creeds. Sometimes formal and classy, sometimes well, not-so-classy, there is something to be seen and enjoyed for everybody. (All links WRAL coverage of 2011 parade.)

Leave the car, bring the lawn-chair, blankets and hot drinks and settle down for a display of fine entertainment.

Saturday, 11/17, 10 a.m. Hillsborough and Fayetteville streets.

The image is Raleigh Christmas Parade 2008 051 by Anodoin, used under the  CC-BY license

Night Owls and Candle Magic (11/17/2012)

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Blue Jay Point County Park has an intriguing event this Saturday night. “Night Owls and Candle Magic” is an outdoors event at night, so prepare accordingly. Bring a travel mug for the hot cocoa, and a baby backpack for the kids, since strollers are not allowed. (And neither are dogs.)

There are some craft activities etc. at the education center, combined with a 40min walk, illuminated by candle light, through the night forest. Have your kids never walked through the woods at night? Then do take them to this event, where they can explore the magic of a night in the woods in a safe setting.

No pre-registration is required, but make sure you read the flyer to determine suitability for your kids. Add dress for the weather. Saturday, 6:30pm-9:00pm. Here are directions. It is a half hour drive, but worth it.

Image is Rohan’s Owl by My AngelG, used under the CC-BY license

Veterans Parade (11/11/2012)

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The parade season is upon us, with the Veterans parade this weekend, and the “Christmas parade” (Christmas in November?) one week later. Here some tips from the Daddy for an enjoyable parade:

– Bundle up! Saturday will be sunny and not too cold, but you’ll be standing around for a while. If you’re not hauling lawn chairs, bring a thick insulating something to keep bottoms warm.
– Arrive early! The Veterans parade will not have as much spectators as the Christmas parade, but still.
– If you must drive, use the Alexander Square Parking deck. You enter (by car) from Wilmington St., but you exit (on foot) right onto Fayetteville. If you stay on that block, you and a screaming baby will be back in the car in a matter of minutes. You could even view the parade from the parking deck, but there are no safe, comfortable viewpoints for the littlest ones (30″ concrete wall and don’t even think about sitting them on the railing).
– Bring water and snacks. It would be too bad to give up your coveted perfect spot just to buy some overpriced bottled water. But in any case: The CVS at the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett has everything from water to food to diapers.

The parade starts at 9:30am by City Plaza and then goes up Fayetteville towards the State Capitol (opposite direction to most parades). A wreath laying ceremony at 11:00am and a static display of the parade with music are also planned.

Patriotism by abbyladybug, used under the CC BY-NC license

The image is Patriotism by abbyladybug and used under the CC BY-NC license. Thanks, Abby!

Storytime at the library (11/10/2012)

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Color-coded bookcase by juhansonin

The Wake County libraries have a quite extensive program of storytimes for all age groups. With the weather getting cooler, spending a Saturday morning in the library starts sounding like a good idea.

And while I’m not sure if our children’s children will have physical libraries with paper-based books in them, do take your kids and let them experience the participatory and tactile process of choosing a book and taking it home for a few days. It feels slightly different from hitting the “Download to Kindle” button…

Baby Storytime (0-1.5 yrs) at Cameron Village library: Saturday, 10:15 am – 10:35 am
Family Storytime (3-5yrs) at Cameron Village library: Saturday, 11:00 am – 11:30 am
and more at the Wake County library website.

The image is Color-coded bookcase by juhansonin, used under the CC-BY license

Storybook Tales (11/3/2012)

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Lydia Bevan performing Danse Allegresse, Raleigh Dance Theatre, spring 2011 (c) Robert Schantz

Lydia Bevan performing Danse Allegresse, Raleigh Dance Theatre, spring 2011 (c) Robert Schantz

Raleigh Dance Theater is something like the “little sister” of the Carolina Ballet. A pre-professional, younger company (age 12-18), that provides Triangle dancers opportunities to perform on stage and catch a glimpse of what a professional career in ballet would look like.

Storybook Tales is a program that “will be sure to delight even the youngest audience members“, according to their press release. The performance lasts approx. 90 minutes, and consists of three pieces: Snow White, Rainbow Fish, based on Marcus Pfister’s beloved children’s book, and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, based on the book by Kevin Henkes, and made possible in part by Target.

There will be three performances this weekend; Saturday at 12p and 4p and Sunday at 3p. Fletcher Opera Theater in Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. $12 (online until 7p tonight!) or $15 at the door.

  “Lydia Bevan performing Danse Allegrese, Raleigh Danse Theater, Spring 2011” (c) Robert Schantz

Monumental Fire Sculpture (11/3/2012)

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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.

Can I just skip Halloween? (10/31/2012)

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I’m sorry, no you can’t. Unless you stay home and hide, which may not be the worst plan given the rainy weekend forecast.

This weekend, you can pretty much go to any of your favorite hangouts and expect to find a Halloween-themed happening. Long-time readers will know that I often have outdoorsy, or science-y, or artsy, so here one event for each of these three categories:

Let’s start with the outdoorsy stuff: There is a haunted hike on Tuesday at Jordan Lake State Park; walk the 1/2 mile trail anytime between 7p-10p and meet real (and not-so-real) nighttime creatures.

New Hope Valley Railroad does haunted rides this Saturday at 4p, 5:15p, 6:30p and 7:45p. (The 7:45p ride not for small kids, I read.)

The NC Symphony is playing spooktacular music at 1p and 4p. Show up early to try out some classical instruments yourself.

Then there is a new event, Raleigh Living Dead taking place on City Plaza. The website states it is for all ages (before 8p at least) and it does have kids activities, but all the grown-ups walking around in zombie costumes might be a little bit too much. Tickets are $10, and $5 for kids.

 

Sandbox, Michael Franti at Red Hat Amphitheater (10/20/2012)

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The Red Hat Amphitheater is hosting (and PNC is sponsoring) a nice fall mini-festival this Saturday. Admission is FREE, so you might want to get there early. Weather forecast (clear, 70F) should be just warm enough to comfortably sit on a blanket; for running and tumbling around it is warm enough for sure. (But bring a warm jacket and hat; by the time Michael Franti hits the stage, the temperature will drop below 60 despite the funky reggae sound). But first things first – here the line-up:

Sandbox is the band that I wrote about a few weeks back, when they were supposed to play in Fletcher Park. (A threat of rain cancelled that concert.)

Mommie is what happens when rock stars become dads: It is the kiddie music project of Doug McMillan of The Connells fame. Songs like “Dumptruck” or “Mama’s Pajamas” meander between Connells guitar pop and punk rock. Hear (and buy) their album on CD Baby.

Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba are based in Durham and Orange County, but they sound like West Africa; indeed, Diali is from Senegal, while his bandmates grew up in places like Pittsboro or Saxapahaw. I didn’t know them until researching this article, but their music is beautiful.

Michael Franti & Spearhead, the headliner, will hit the stage at 8p (I hope we’ll last that long!) with their mix of funk, hip-hop and reggae. Like most, I only knew the up-beat “Say Hey! [I be gone today, but I be back around the way]”, but some previews on iTunes promise equally cheerful (and also politically conscious) music.

All in all, an outstanding way to end the festival season 2012!

The image is Michael Franti and Spearhead by Rich Anderson, used under the CC BY-SA license

Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center

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The new Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center

Update: Buffaloe Aquatic Center is closed for maintenance until Aug-27, 2013.

Eagerly awaited, but it still took us a couple of weeks to get to check out the new indoor pool, also known as “Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center”. (Side note for map geeks: If you look at the location on Google Maps, the top-down view still shows forest, whereas the 45-degree view shows the center under construction; toggle back and forth to see how the location changes.)

Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center with water slide, river, vortex, toddler area, volleyball and basketball

I am impressed by how much was packed in a relatively small space; I would say the building envelope is about a third of the size of Pullen Aquatic Center. However, it does not feel cramped, even though you can find a wading pool with implements, toddler slide, water volleyball, water basketball, a river, a “vortex”, and towering over everything, a three-story water slide for “anyone between 48 in. and 300 lbs”. There are only 3 lap swim lanes, and they are not Olympic length. (However, an Olympic size pool is planned for phase 2, in an adjacent building.) The building features a nice, open design, and is equipped with the latest sustainable features. Solar heaters, green roof, etc.

Spacious family changing rooms

The changing rooms are of course also brand spanking new, and I was particularly pleased to find two family changing rooms. (In other pools, no children above 5 are allowed in the changing room of the opposite sex, and I will one day be slightly nervous about sending my 5-year-old daughter alone to the changing room.) So the family room is much appreciated, and is very convenient. (Not perfectly labeled, though: Just enter the door that says “Pool” next to the regular changing rooms.)

Not open when we went, but available in a month or so were a concession stand and a birthday celebration “room”; it can be reserved ahead of time.

We (2-year-old and daddy) both liked the pool, and for this age-group, it is well worth the 15-minute drive from downtown instead of going to Pullen with its “big-boy-pool”.

Toddler area with gradual entry, toddler slide, water curtain, tumble buckets

Hours: (check website)
Monday: Closed
Tue-Sat: 10am-7pm
Sun: 1pm-5pm

Admission: (check website)
Slightly more than other pools; $3 for kids, $7 for adults, and double that if you’re not a Raleigh resident. (It did cost $8 million to build.)

Directions:
“Up Capital and right on Buffaloe”. Or look up 5908 Buffaloe Road, Raleigh NC 27616.