2012)

Posted on August 31, 2012 by daddyweekly

“Catch and Release Flyfishing”? No, catch and release firefly hunting. You can do it in your backyard, but you can also make the trip out to Crowder District Park, a short drive down to Ten-Ten-Road south of Raleigh.

You can see fireflies, catch them and learn more about them; the event is for kids of all ages, and costs $5 per family.

Pre-registration is encouraged! Since this is tonight, at least make sure you fill out the necessary form and bring it with you along with a check or exact change. It is unlikely, but there is the risk that you’ll be turned away as well.

The image is firefly 0877 by art farmer, used under the CC BY-SA license

Brooke Hatala playing Pullen Park, New King Rippers playing Mordecai Park (8/25/2012)

Posted on August 24, 2012 by daddyweekly

Ok, if you haven’t heard of singer-songwriter Brooke Hatala yet, don’t feel bad. Most of her career still lies ahead of her; after all, she is only 11 years old. That said, you should meet her while you can, because before you know it you will need a VIP backstage pass to get close to this young musician!

Brooke is based in Cary, and she will be performing live at Pullen Park tomorrow (Saturday) night 8p-9p. Watch some of her videos on YouTube to get a first impression – then head out to celebrate the end of summer. I usually avoid Pullen on the weekends and leave it to people driving in from everywhere. But the overcast weather is often a good deterrent, and I want to hear how Brooke sounds live.

If Jazz is more your thing, you ‘big night’ is tonight. The New King Rippers, a jazz combo is playing Music On The Porch at Mordecai Park. You can preview them on YouTube as well.

Via credit: I heard about Brooke Hatala via WRAL.com.

Winston-Salem Air Show 2012

Posted on August 24, 2012 by daddyweekly

Ok, it is not Oshkosh, and it is not in downtown Raleigh. But if you don’t want to drive 1,000 miles and still see more than the WRAL-TV helicopter, the Winston-Salem Air Show may just be the perfect compromise.

About 2 hours each way, this day trip promises a day of “planes, trucks, and automobiles” (no trains, sorry.) Taking place both Saturday and Sunday, with partially overlapping schedules, a day trip is probably sufficient. Saturday or Sunday, you choose.

Apart from the usual stagger wing antique planes and fighter jet fly-overs, this Air Show also has some surface vehicle like a jet-engine powered school bus, and well, the Turbo Toilet: someone said, “now why don’t I mount a Boeing jet engine on a port-a-potty and fart around the nation’s airshows?” Yeah, why don’t you.

In addition to the static displays, there is also a kids’ zone, live music and much more. The show hours are 10a-5p both Sunday and Saturday.

1932 Waco UEC cabin biplane by Armchair Aviator, used under the CC BY license

Iceplex Raleigh: So cool (2012)

Posted on August 17, 2012 by daddyweekly

What would be a better place to escape summer than an Olympic sized sheet of ice? Prepared, clean, smooth ice. Judging from yelp reviews, Iceplex seems to have quality ice, definitely one of the key factors for an ice skating rink. Iceplex is also where kids and adult hockey leagues meet and where you can send your youngens to become world-class figure skaters.

This Saturday, Iceplex opens the doors for everybody who would like to find out more – or just cool off. The Open House is from 1:00 – 4:15; it is $2 to get in. (I always thought that “Open House” means no admission, but I guess that is not the case.)

The Open House will include a hockey and a figure skating exhibition; sign-up for the fall season is just around the corner and classes (ages 3 and up) start after Labor Day.

IcePlex is just outside the beltline. From downtown, take Capital Blvd. and (soon after crossing 440) turn right onto Brentwood and go about a quarter mile.

www.iceplex.com

Image credit: the family that skates together… by angela7dream, used under the CC BY-NC license

Family Fun Day at Artspace (8/18/2012)

Posted on August 17, 2012 by daddyweekly

Labor Day is approaching, and summer camps are coming to an end. Among them, the Summer Arts Program at ArtSpace. Since art is made to be seen, the program (week-long half-day classes for over 600 kids) ends with a large exhibition.

Family Fun Day is the conclusion of the the exhibition (and the summer program). See what the kids have created this summer, and look what your own kids are drawn towards. Acrylic painting? Clay? Large sculptures? Keep in mind for next year’s classes, and perhaps their work will be on display in 2013.

painting time by Ernst Vikne, used under the CC BY-SA license

Paperhand Puppet Intervention (Aug 2012)

Posted on August 10, 2012 by daddyweekly

Every year, Paperhand Puppet Intervention puts together a magical, inspiring, frightening, enlightening show with some of the biggest puppets around. While typical theatre puppets are smaller than humans, these are large scale, some of them towering over their tiny human operators. The show takes place at the Chapel Hill Forest Theater, a nice wooden setting. Bringing a blanket and picnic is encouraged.

Today is the 2012 premiere – maybe wait a day or a week, and beat the premiere crowds. They are playing every weekend for a month, and then perform one more weekend at NC museum of art. The program usually starts at 6:20 p.m. and runs until about 8 p.m., but there are several matinees on Saturday at 2:20 p.m. as well.

Paperhand Puppet Intervention has exact play times and information.

The picture is an older photo of Paperhand Puppet Intervention by BellaBim, used under the CC-BY license

Fire Truck Parade (8/11/2012)

Posted on August 10, 2012 by daddyweekly

Wait, didn’t we already have that? No, no, see: A few weeks ago, we had the Raleigh Fire Department Centennial Fire Truck Parade. This weekend, we’ll see the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo’s Fire Truck Parade.

The parade starts at 9 a.m., but be there early – it is a pretty short route. The trucks start at the capitol, go down Fayetteville and switch over to Salisbury at the end. After the parade is over, the trucks go to the static display, where they can be looked at from up close, climbed on and sat in.

I may be a bit biased, because my son would happily go to a fire truck parade every weekend. But especially if you missed the last one, this is another opportunity to see some exciting vehicles.

Some impressions from the previous parade can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/daddyweekly.

Latch on! (8/4/2012)

Posted on August 3, 2012 by daddyweekly

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.

Marbles Kids Museum (8/4/2012)

Posted on August 3, 2012 by daddyweekly

I would be surprised if anyone reading the Daddy Weekly hasn’t yet been to Marbles. So this is not to ‘present something new’, but to talk a little bit about Marbles and perhaps mention some of the lesser known corners of this large building.

First off, Marbles is changing from time to time. A relatively new exhibit is the corner one level above the gift shop, with a focus on health and sports; a similar topic was there before, but it was all redone a few months ago and is called Power2Play. The newest exhibit to open is “BB&T Toddlers Hollow“, a forest-themes exhibit for kids under 3. (We’ll check that out soon.)

Have you found the pirate ship? It is one of my favorite exhibits, and tucked away in the very back of the ground floor.
How about the garden? Exit behind the pirate ship to find nature and fresh air.

Did you know about First Friday Kids Camp? Drop off your pre-registered, potty-trained, well-behaved preschool or elementary school kid, and enjoy First Friday or just a night off. (Although I have to say, my son enjoys tagging along to various galleries just as much.) $20 for 3 hours is good deal; both for the parents and for Marbles.

Are you a member? For families visiting frequently, it does pay. A family of four (4x$5) will have paid for the annual membership ($100) after just five visits.

So what’s not to like about Marbles? It can get crowded. And while exhibits change, it is largely static. The corporate sponsorships are a tad too dominant, in my view. But these are details, given that Marbles is an excellent indoors playground.

Pirate Ship by chrisdaniel, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license.

Alloy Orchestra’s Not for Kids Only (7/28/2012)

Posted on July 27, 2012 by daddyweekly

As our children probably grow up with interactive apps and games and movies that are at least 3D, they probably decry a regular movie theater experience as old school. Well, here’s your chance to show them what old school really is: Movies. Silent movies. In Black and White! And just like in the roaring twenties, the movies will be accompanied by live performers, and this is where the uniqueness comes in: Not some random piano player, but Alloy Orchestra, declared by film critic Roger Ebert to be “The best in the world at accompanying silent film.” They are performing at the NC Museum of Art, and there is special kids’ performance in the afternoon.

I previewed some of the movies they list in their program (they are all on Youtube), and Alloy Orchestra has a couple of excerpts on their website. I recommend you preview and decide if this is a fit for your kids – at any rate, the live music performance will make this an exciting experience. The 2pm program lasts about an hour, and is indoors.

NC Museum of Art, $12 for adults, $6 for 3-12. Tickets still available. Saturday, 2pm.

The image is Buster Keaton (obtained from the library of congress).

The Daddy Weekly

Things to do with Kids in Raleigh, NC