There is a newer post about this for 2013
The Strawberry page has been updated with the latest news about local “Pick-your-own” farms.
Pick your own strawberries! (2012)
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F as in Fun…draising (4/28/2012)
Fundraising for education, a constant topic across the nation.
Two events I came across have as goal to raise awareness and raise funds for schools, and both are part of the Wake County Public School System.
First, Project Enlightenment holds its now annual Project Palooza, a “…community-wide family fun event celebrating Project Enlightenment’s forty-three years of outstanding service…” If you always wondered what Project Enlightenment does, read a more conceptual explanation or some real-life examples. With all the changes in WCPSS, its future seemed threatened for a while, and they can always use support for their work. Saturday, 4/28, 10am-1pm.
Second, similar but different, Middle Creek Elementary School in Apex holds its annual PTA fundraiser, the MCES Spring Carnival, also on Saturday. Maybe I don’t know enough about PTA’s, but this seems to be the “Rolls Royce” of PTA fundraisers. (A quick search at other Wake schools didn’t bring up anything similar.) They have food vendors, a ton of games (Lollipop Tree! Lego Speed Build! Nail/Tattoo Shop! BeanBag Toss! and so on…), many of them tied into a raffle that will yield cool prices, but also some spare change for the PTA’s initiatives. Again, with the future of the WCPSS assignment plan also uncertain, it might as well be that your Raleigh child will end up in an Apex school. Why not check them out, and have some fun while doing so!
Saturday, 4/28, 4pm-8pm. (So you can go to both of them!)
Lemonade Stand with staff by Harris County Public Library, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license
Capital City BMX race (4/29/2012)
Go 838!
Did you know that there is a BMX race track inside the belt line? If you think the sport of BMX racing went out with Monchichi and Aerobics Leotards some time in the late 80s, you are mistaken. BMX (unlike Monchichi and Aerobics) is alive and kicking the pedal. And while there are adults and even professional riders using this course, there are races are for all age groups. (I wasn’t able to find out what their specific groups are, but the youngest nationally sanctioned age is “under 5”, and some of the photos on website show kids that could fit very well in this group.) [I heard back from Capital City BMX.]
Capital City BMX has riders as young as 3 and as experienced as 65, but most are somewhere between 8 and 15. Also, BMX is certainly not just for boys, and a professional woman BMX rider recently held a clinic at the course. According to CCBMX, about 1/3 of the riders are girls.
But just watching the race is fun for every age, and probably a good way to determine if that sport is something for your youngen – or for you!
Sunday, registration at noon, racing at 1pm. (There are races most Sundays.)
The track is located in Lions Park at 516 Dennis Ave, Raleigh, NC 27604. (Between Capital Blvd and Raleigh Blvd, 5 minutes NE of Downtown Raleigh) Lions Park is a nice but little known park, so if you get tired of BMX you can always head over to the playground, which has a pretty awesome play structure.
Update: I edited the age group and the gender ratio after CCBMX replied to my last-minute inquiry. They also shared that will add strider bikes this year for the under 4 crowd. Rest assured that The Daddy is very excited about that and will keep you posted on that topic in a future post!
838 by Scott, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license
Mount Olive Pickle Festival (4/27-29 2012)
Pickles!
If you love pickles, this is your weekend! Mount Olive, NC is the unofficial “Pickle Capital of the World”, complete with a Pickle Drop on New Years’ Eve and a Pickle Festival in Spring. It is taking place this weekend, and if you’re longing for a present-day Mayberry Town Fair, this is the place to be. There is live music, there are dance performances. There is food (not just pickles), there are craft vendors.
For “little girls (any age) and their very special guest” there is the “Pickle Me Pink Tea Party“, a “dill-ightful occasion” for $25/couple. 2p-4p, tickets required.
For the less pink inclined, there is the Antique Car Show taking place on Saturday as well.
Finally, don’t forget to bring a can of food for their food drive – Mt. Olive brand or other!
The picture of Cucumber and Vine is © Debbie Craft, used with permission.
Grand Opening of the Nature Research Center (4/21/2012)
Finishing touch on the Daily Planet Theater of the Nature Research Center
If you’ve been in downtown Raleigh lately, you’ve surely seen the construction of the Nature Research Center. the new wing of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. (Some views Before, During, and After). I had the privilege of participating in a behind-the-scenes-tour (#instawalk) last week with David Kroll (the museum’s Director of Science Communications), and I have to say: If you’re raising kids in Raleigh you will spend a lot of time at this place in coming years. The Nature Research Center is Continue reading
Earth Day 2012 (4/22)
You are here
Sunday, April-22 is Earth Day, a day to celebrate how far environmental consciousness has come since 4/22/1970, and to reflect how far we still have to go. We all know that two-year-old kids are nature-lovers and environmentalists by default, and here are some activities for this Sunday, ranging in hue from a neon-tinted light green to a very somber, earthy, through-and-through dark forest green.
The lighter route may lead you to the IMAX at Marbles, where you can watch “To The Arctic 3D” and after the movie participate in a “family learning lab”. $7-$9.
Not on Sunday, but probably the biggest “earth day event” is the grand opening of the Nature Research Center on Saturday, see separate article.
If you take environmentalism seriously and want to meet others who view it as a religious maxim as well, head out to the Buddhist temple on Tryon Road. The (older?) kids can watch “Dirt! The Movie” and do arts and craft, while the adults can take classes in composting or organic vegetable gardening. Vegetarian food is also available. Make sure you pre-register. Sunday, 4/22 10-3:30.
Picture courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Shakori Hills Festival (4/19-4/22 2012)
Shakori Hills (2008)
If you’re one of those folks who used to go to festivals in the BC era (Before Children), this is the season where you start thinking back to the good old days of outdoors live music, bonfire-roasted marshmallows, beer spilled on your sleeping bag and not-finding-your-tent-anymore at three o’clock in the morning. But we’ve grown up, moved on, and little kids and rowdy festivals don’t mix well. Or do they? If you want to Continue reading
Touch-A-Truck (Sun 4/15 2012 12p-4p)
This article was written in 2012. In 2013, the event takes place on Sunday, 4/14/2013; everything else is the same.
Well Touch-a-Truck sounds pretty cool, but it is actually an understatement: This more “touch a truck, armored vehicle, bus, backhoe, digger, helicopter day”.
The event takes place in Chapel Hill, on University Mall. Have a look at the slide show from 2011. Your kid sitting in the driver seat of a back-hoe? See an ambulance from the inside? Look up-close at a helicopter? A boy scout troop is organizing this and they think that “[…] young children ages 2-6 are especially thrilled by this event […]“. I couldn’t agree more! (And as they point out, kids and adults of all ages are welcome.)
University Mall, Chapel Hill, NC, 12p-4p. $5 for everybody over 2.
NC Science Festival (4/13-4/29 2012)
The annual North Carolina Science Festival starts today. Make sure to visit at least one of their events. The website has an event calendar, and you can narrow down results by date, county, topic, etc. The UNC Science Expo and the grand opening of the new Nature Research Center in Raleigh will be the regional highlights.
ClydeFEST (4/5/2013)
The original article below is from 2012; everything should be the same in 2013 except for the new date Apr-6 and some minor corrections.
Chatham Orange (oops) County does have its share of eclectic characters, and Clyde Jones is one of them. Clyde however, has the pretty unique distinction of having his own event, that annual ClydeFEST which is held for the 11th time in 2012 12th time in 2013. If you’ve never heard of Clyde, here an (older) video about him:
[vimeo https://vimeo.com/8196961]
As you can see in the video, ClydeFEST is not some high-brow art happening. This is an event for kids! The website of the Chatham Arts Council who organizes this event annually says that “ClydeFEST is an all day Kids’ Carnival Folk Art Festival of Art, Games, Music, Magic, Clowns, Hula Hoops, Local Food, and loads of other fun and excitement.” In addition, there are several performers scheduled on the stage, and food and drinks for several vendors will not be in short supply either.
ClydeFEST takes place in Bynum; Bynum is where 15-501 crosses the Haw river, and once you’re in Bynum, you can’t miss it. To get there, take 64 West and then 15-501 North, or 40 West and 15-501 South.