The Triangle rocks with free fun this weekend, from Last Friday’s entertainment in Hillsborough to Raleigh Wide Open 5, a free festival along Fayetteville Street, in downtown Raleigh. You’ll also find kids’ junior naturalist events in Durham and Cary and a free community celebration to kick off annual World Breastfeeding Week, in Carrboro.

Head to Hillsborough on July 30 for Last Fridays from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The event, presented by the Hillsborough Arts Council, brings crowds for a fiesta with a free performance on the lawn of the historic 1844 Old Courthouse as well as a pie contest, an art walk, and much more in downtown historic Hillsborough. Look for a full rundown of events in this blog. (At left, Killer Filler)

On Saturday from 11 am. to 11 pm., Raleigh Wide Open 5, offers free admission for all to Fayetteville Street attractions. The festival kicks off with a parade at 11 a.m. and features 25 acts on 4 stages, more than 100 food and art vendors, an inflatable kids zone, street performers, fireworks at 10:45 p.m. and more. Visit http://www.raleighconvention.com/rwo5/ for details.

If you’d rather get back to nature with the kids, see www.CarolinaParent.com’s Calendar for Saturday events in Durham and Cary. You’ll find naturalist activities, like After-Dark Friends. at 8 p.m. at the Eno River State Park, located at 6101 Cole Mill Rd., in Durham. In Cary on Saturday from 10-11 a.m., take kids ages 3-5 to Nature Nuts: Bees at the Stevens Nature Center/Hemlock Bluffs, at 2616 Kildaire Farm Rd., in Cary. You’ll need to pre-register and $11 for Cary residents and $14 for non Cary residents. Phone: 387-5980. You’ll find more events in our Calendar.

On Sunday, New Hope Valley Railway Rides. offers a ride on a train through the woods, starting at 11a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. in Bonsal, N.C. For details phone: 362-5416 or visit www.nhvry.org. You’ll find more naturalists events on Sunday in our Calendar.

Also on Sunday, on the first day of the annual World Breastfeeding Week, the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute and the Birth and Breastfeeding Congress will host a free community event to celebrate the local breastfeeding-friendly community and its contributions. Head to the Weaver Street Market located at 101 East Weaver Street in Carrboro from 11 a.m -1 p.m., during Jazz Brunch. (In case of rain, the event will be noon-2 p.m. at the Carrboro Yoga Company.) You’ll find more details here.

And before you head out, check out our listing of free summer movies and concerts!

– Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

Weekend family fun kicks off July 30 in Hillsborough with Last Fridays. The event, presented by the Hillsborough Arts Council, brings crowds for a fiesta with a free performance on the lawn of the historic 1844 Old Courthouse as well as a pie contest, an art walk, and much more in downtown historic Hillsborough.

The musical headliner for July's Last Fridays is Killer Filler, an all-instrumental five-piece outfit that melds Memphis soul and California surf music. Original songs by bandleader Crispy Bess include Funk, twang, jazz, lounge and swing!

For more freebies, head to the Hillsborough Presbyterian Church on Tryon Street where you can chill out with cool jazz and free cold cones and listen to a band of rising stars - “The Fifth Notes.” The free ice cream cones are scooped up by Church members, providing a chance to enjoy your neighbors along with the music.

Over at the Burwell School Historic Site, more free family events await. Take a free docent-led tour of a new temporary exhibit, The Burwell Family; A Genealogy. While you’re there, enjoy an old-fashioned lemonade and watermelon party, and seed spittin’ contests. The exhibit chronicles the family history of the Burwell, Bedell, Bott, Higginson, Robertson, and Spottswood families from colonial history until the early 20th century, with family memorabilia, photographs and original letters. Activities and tours will be from 6:30-8 p.m. The Burwell School Historic Site is located at 319 N. Churton Street, Hillsborough. All events this evening are free and suitable for the whole family. Free parking available. For more information, please call 919-732-7451 or visit our website www.burwellschool.org.

LOCAL ARTISTS
Artist vendors at July's Last Fridays will be located at the old Courthouse in downtown Hillsborough.

ART WALK
The July 30 Last Fridays Art Walk showcases the talents of local artists in studios and galleries in downtown Hillsborough. Many venues will have artist and opening receptions from 6 – 9 pm. Brochures with a map of the Last Fridays Art Walk are available at any of the participating venues or online at www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org/Art_Walk.

PIE CONTEST
Each month has a different pie theme, with local ingredients preferred, and homemade pies required. July's theme is blueberry. Bring your pie to Cup A Joe no later than 5 p.m. and judging will begin at 6:00. Awards will be announced at the courthouse stage at 7:30 p.m. Pie pieces will be sold at Cup a Joe after the winners are announced. Proceeds benefit the Hillsborough Arts Council. Entry forms and future pie themes can be found online at http://www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org/HillsboroughPieContest.html

OTHER AFFILIATED EVENTS
Local sites provide special programming for young and old alike.
Weaver Street Market will have a selection of fabulous wines for sample at a free tasting 5-7pm. From 6-8pm, Kitty Box & the Johnnys, featuring the sensational, legendary chanteuse Taz Halloween, will bring all the soul, twang and rock of Chatham County to Hillsborough for Last Friday. http://www.reverbnation.com/tazhalloween.

  
The Orange County Historical Museum (201 N. Churton St.) will hold Ears to You from 6-9pm. The museum will be selling grilled corn and hot dogs and all funds will go to the Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County.

Plenty of parking during Last Fridays can be found at the Eno River parking deck. No dogs are permitted in the courthouse area during Last Fridays by order of the police. A map of all Last Fridays events can be found at http://hillsboroughartscouncil.org/MapLastFriday.html.  For general information on Last Fridays contact the Hillsborough Arts Council at 919-643-2500, www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org or the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough/Orange County Visitors’ Center at 732-7741 or www.visithillsboroughnc.org.

Ever had a Terrible, Horrible No Good, Very Bad Day? Failure happens—to Alexander, you, me and our kids. But learning to get up and be positive is what counts in the long run. A performance for kids ages 5 and up today at the N.C. Museum of Art teaches that lesson in a most amusing way.

The show, More than Mime with Sheila Kerrigan, at 1 p.m. in the museum’s Auditorium, is performed by a juggler who drops and a mime who talks about important lessons in growing up. In it, Kerrigan explains the importance of failure in learning and tells a story about setting a positive mental attitude to aim for success. She also performs silent mime pieces.

Tickets are $3 (Free for museum Family-level members and above), and you can buy them online at the museum’s website or by calling (919) 715-5923. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The performance will be followed by a juggling workshop for anyone who'd like to stay around.

Is your child younger than 5? No worries! You’ll find loads of happenings for every age group today in www.CarolinaParent.com’s Storytimes and Weekly events. Here are just two of a multitude of events you’ll find there:

* Little ones from newborns through 18 months can take part in the Book Babies Storytime. It starts at 10 a.m. at the East Regional Library, located at 946 Steele Square Ct., in Knightdale. Call (919) 217-5317 or visit www.wakegov.com/libraries.

* If you’re in Durham on Wednesday night, check out Music in the Gardens, a 7 p.m. performance of live outdoor music at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke University, 426 Anderson St., Durham. Visit www.dukeperformances.org for details. (Ages 12 and under are admitted at no charge and tickets.) http://dukeperformances.duke.edu/series/music-in-the-gardens/billysugarfix

 For more events in your town today, visit www.CarolinaParent.com’s Story Times and Weekly Events.

 – Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor 
 

With Triangle schools suffering from budget cuts, one museum has come up with an innovative route to fund schools while drawing crowds to its venue. The Museum of Life and Science’s new School Days initiative is offering schools an opportunity to earn $1 for each visitor they send the museum's way.

"Because we serve so many teachers and students, we realize the tough budget realities in our schools,” says museum spokesperson Taneka Bennett. “We think this is a great way to support learning both out of the classroom and in the classroom."

The Fletcher Academy in Raleigh and Rashkis Elementary School in Chapel Hill have already signed on to the new plan, while other area schools and PTA's have expressed strong interest in the fundraising program, she says.

(A family participates in an experiment at The Lab in the Investigate Health exhibit at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. Photograph by Kelly Chang.  And at right, a look at the Dinosaur Trail.)

 If you haven’t been to the museum, an 84-acre science park in Durham, you’re in for a range of treats. Here are a few of my favorites: The Magic Wings Butterfly House lets you escape to a tropical jungle, where the magic is the multitude of multi-colored butterflies and flowers that surround you. In the Bayer CropScience Insectarium, you can actually watch and listen to a live caterpillar munch though an interactive video camera system. It’s Dr. Seuss’ Horton hears a Hoot come to life! (Yona, a black bear resident of the Museum of Life and Science, when she was 2 months old.)

In the WTVD ABC 11 Accu-Weather indoor exhibit, you walk through a 13-foot-high tornado and play in the clouds. Outdoors, you can take an old-time train ride through the museum grounds, where you’ll find everything from black bears and farmyard animals to a pond of miniature sailboats you manipulate and outdoor instruments you play as loud as you want! Each exhibit is designed to entertain and teach scientific principles.

(A child admires a flower in the Museum of Life & Science's Magic Wings Butterfly House.) 

Thinking of getting your child’s school involved in the School Days program? Be aware of these restrictions: Area schools must choose a day or days when they would like to have their School Days event. Visitors must visit on the school's designated day(s), purchase a regularly priced admission, and mention the school's name for the donation to be recorded.
To learn more about the Museum of Life and Science and its School Days program, visit www.lifeandscience.org/schooldays. – Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

With the temperatures in the triple digits the past few days, I’ve been telling my kids to drink lots of water and try to stay indoors as much as possible. I figured I had heat safety covered.

I knew that the first signs of heat illness included headache, nausea, fainting, weakness and excessive sweating. But when my son got cramps during an indoor basketball camp, I realized that he most likely was suffering from heat illness only after I read a news release from the N.C. Division of Public Health. Yes, heat exhaustion can cause cramps, rashes and deadly heat stroke. The Public Health division says infants and children are among groups more prone to heat stress and need to be monitored regularly during hot weather.

It’s not a bad idea to take another look at the division’s tips for warding off heat illness. And if you’re looking for some free indoor fun, how about rearranging your furniture and making a tent city in your living room? All you need is some old sheets, clothes pegs, a card table, kitchen chairs, and the willingness to let go of any semblance of order in your living room.

Let your kids’ imagination run free. My son built a "Fun House" for our dog on Friday after discovering that she was bored. The rolled-up carpet tunnel has been a big hit, although he cannot top her speed at flying through it. “I am fast, but not that fast,” he says.

Got any other great ways to stay cool at home? How did you amuse yourself during hot summers growing up? A sprinkler, and the garden hose and a few friends entertained me for hours! Share your comments below or send us your photos.
– Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor.

Looking for fun, indoor activities that are age appropriate for your child? I came across a great website that uses household items to create activities for children from infancy through age 5.

Other ideas for staying cool:

Take a day trip to Wet 'n Wild  Water Park. Visit our Calendar Highlights page for more.

Take your little one to a story time or indoor craft event. You'll find lots of free and inexpensive activites in our Story Times and Weekly Events listing, where you'll find fun for babies, tots, tweens and teens.

Get ready for weekend family fun that includes free food, skating and broomball on the Polar Ice House in Garner, a fun scavenger hunt for families in Cary and the free Durham Bulls Family Fun Fest in Durham.

The Polar Ice House in Garner will offer free skating, free food from its snack bar, complimentary face painting and hockey lessons this Saturday from 1-4 p.m. At 3 p.m., get ready for the Broomball Play-off. “What’s that,” you say? Read my blog for details on this event. If you’ve been missing your brooms, your kids may already be playing this game.

In Cary, this weekend you can tout your knowledge of the town and win great prizes in a scavenger hunt. The game celebrates Koka Booth Amphitheatre—Cary’s home for entertainment on the banks of Symphony Lake—turning 10 this summer. The first Cary Scavenger Hunt runs Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Discover what you can win and where to get clue packets on Carolina Parent’s Calendar Highlights page.

Head to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for free family fun Sundayfrom 2 -5 p.m. to enjoy the world’s largest traveling baseball celebration. You’ll find 20 family-themed attractions that include everything from batting and pitching cages to giant slides and bounce houses at the Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest. The baseball game begins at 5:05 p.m., but tickets to the game are not required to enjoy the festival attractions. See Carolina Parent’s Calendar Highlights for more details what you’ll find at the festival.

If you’re interested in taking part in Hillsborough’s Handmade Parade, there will be a free workshop for adults or ages 14 and older on Saturday from 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.to learn how to make costumes and giant puppets. You’ll need to register before you go. 

These events are just highlights of what’s happening around the Triangle. For even more kid-friendly fun, visit www.CarolinaParent.com’s Daily Calendar and our Long-Running Events page, where you'll find performances, including Annie, which opens on Saturday at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Progress Energy Center in Raleigh.

— Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

(Photo at right courtesy of The Hillsborough Arts Council)

Looking for a great place to shop for kids' clothing, dine out or ride a bike?  See Triangle parents' top picks to shop, eat, play and more in our 2010 Family Favorites.

(photo at left courtesy of the N.C. Zoo.)

The Polar Ice House in Garner is offering free skating, free food from its snack bar, complimentary face painting and hockey lessons this Saturday from 1-4 p.m.

Why?

It’s a celebration of an otherwise boring cleaning tool—the broom! The Garner location, at 103 New Rand Rd., will host a fun-filled open house to gear up for a Broomball Play-off, which starts at 3 p.m., Saturday.

Don’t know what broomball is? (I didn’t.) The game—often called hockey’s second cousin— is played with a small ball and sticks similar to an actual broom. (So that’s what my son’s been doing on our street with neighborhood kids and my broom!) Just like hockey, there are six players to a team, and the team that scores the most goals wins the game. The folks at Polar Ice House say no sweeping experience is required, but if you’re a parent you’ll be ahead of the game in that area!

There will be on-ice hockey lessons throughout the day and broomball lessons if you're more comfortable in sneakers, minus the skates. (Photo courtesy of Polar Ice House shows sledding fun at last year's Open House)

All sign-ups for fall 2010 programs at the Garner location that require registration will receive 10 percent off, including track-out camps and learn-to-skate lessons. Attendees can also enter the event's raffle to win prizes like free skate school classes and week-long camps.

– Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

Hunting more camps? Check out www.CarolinaParent.com’s Camps Directory for Day, Residential and Track-Out programs.

See our Daily Calendar and Story Times and Weekly Events for more free fun!

Are all Wake County children entitled to receive the same quality of education? Is free and open discussion of our education policies—even of opinions of we don’t share— something we should promote?

Yesterday, hundreds of kids, parents and grandparents marched downtown in the sizzling heat to the Wake County school board meeting because they believed the answers to both these questions should be an unequivocal “yes!” Later, some were handcuffed and arrested at the board meeting as they spoke in protest of re-segregation of Wake schools as the board’s new majority moves away from the county’s long-standing policy of busing children to achieve economic diversity.

At a time when voters are accused of apathy, the march showed that we care what happens to our children. And what will happen to our children if “neighborhood schools” come to pass? I believe that children in our poorest neighborhoods will have inferior education. Those whose parents can afford to live in affluent neighborhoods will have the best schooling.

Board Chairman Ron Margiotta has vowed that the board’s proposal to assign students closer to their home will not create schools full of poor or minority children, but he has not given any details of how that would come to pass. And given the direction the board is headed toward, less debate under his leadership, parents are less likely to know in advance what changes are coming our way. Margiotta proposed generally limiting school board meetings to one per month, instead of the usual two, with one or two monthly work sessions, and has proposed getting rid of the board’s standing committees, saying that it led to repetition and time loss, according to news reports. With such a major change under way that will affect our future generations, shouldn’t we process slowly with much debate?

It’s the American way, as is an equal education for all. — Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

Could you use a private party tent for 20 at one of Koka Booth Amphitheatre’s Movies by Moonlight summer shows? That’s among the prizes you could win in a fun scavenger hunt to celebrate Koka Booth’s turning 10 this summer. The event, designed for family teams of two or more people or adult teams of four, tests your knowledge of Cary.

And free family fun is coming July 25 from 2 -5 p.m. when the world’s largest traveling baseball celebration visits the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. You’ll find 20 family-themed attractions that include everything from batting and pitching cages to giant slides and bounce houses at the Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest. The baseball game begins at 5:05 p.m., but tickets to the game are not required to enjoy the festival attractions.

See Carolina Parent’s Janice Lewine and Carol McGarrahan's articles for details on both events and get two mom’s insider tips on family fun in the Triangle.

Looking for more free programs? Check www.CarolinaParent.com’s Daily Calendar and Budget-Friendly Movies and Concerts listing.

— Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

This weekend offers eclectic family fun around the Triangle. Take in a Star Wars-themed concert or a preview of “Annie,” celebrate dinosaurs and dance, go on a dig or head off to consignment shop.

The LEGO® Games 2010 Tour rolls into Raleigh son Friday, inviting local families to play board games. To celebrate the launch of the world’s first constructible board games, the LEGO® Games Master is hosting this free gaming event Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in Moore Square, at 200 S. Blount St. in Raleigh. Local families are invited to join the fun and participate in life-sized adapted versions of LEGO board games, complete localized game challenges and compete against other families for prizes.

If your kids dig dinosaurs, don’t miss “Dino Days” Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Museum of Life and Science, in Durham. The event celebrates the Dinosaur Trail's first anniversary with a weekend full of fossils and hands-on fun! Meet local collectors, find your own fossils or make fossil casts and meet Buddy from UNC-TV's Dinosaur Train! Visit http://www.ncmls.org/visit/events/dinodays for details on lots more activities like making your own dino puppet.

Also in Durham, on Saturday, from 2-4 p.m., catch the American Dance Festival Community Day. You’ll enjoy live entertainment with Paperhand Puppet Intervention, make crafts with the Scrap Exchange and have a chance to try an African dance and drum workshop. All events take place at the Nasher Museum of Art on the Duke University campus immediately following the Paul Taylor Dance Company Children’s Saturday Matinee. For more information go to www.americandancefestival.org or call 919-668-2233.

Is a budding archeologist wreaking havoc in your backyard? On Saturday in Raleigh, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., he or she can enjoy free Archaeology Day at the Historic Yates Mill County Park, at 4620 Lake Wheeler Rd.. Take part in a mock archaeological dig and find out how archaeologists learn about the past. Call 856-6675 or visit www.wakegov.com/parks/yatesmill for details.

Speaking of digging, are your kids more interested in planting crops? Tomato Day on Saturday at the Carrboro Farmers' Market will inspire them to venture down new paths. The Market will feature special tasting of three tomato dishes, live music, and kids can have a tomato painted on their face. http://www.carrborofarmersmarket.com/.

At the Western Wake Farmers Market, it’s butterflies that will be drawing crowds on Saturday. Kids can learn about butterflies’ lives, what to plan in the garden to attract them and why they’re important to the earth. Don't miss the live butterfly release at 11:30 a.m. Visit http://westernwakefarmersmarket.org/.

Looking for gently used baby equipment clothes, furniture or toys? The Kids Exchange Sale and Parents’ Fair is Saturday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, Jim Graham Building, at 1025 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh. Visit www.kidsexchange.net to find out more.

If your kids like to pitch in and work outdoors, head to the Stevens Nature Center/Hemlock Bluffs, at 2616 Kildaire Farm Rd., in Cary, on Saturday. From 9:30-11:30 a.m., it’s Volunteer Workdays: Trail Maintenance Day, when kids ages 6 and up help staff in spread mulch on trails. Call 387-5980 or visit www.townofcary.org.

On Sunday, catch a sneak peek of the N.C. Theatre Conservatory's production of “Annie,” at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Marbles Kids Museum, at 201 E. Hargett St., Raleigh. The preview is free with your Marbles admission. Call 834-4040 or www.marbleskidsmuseum.org. The full Annie performance kicks of July 24 at Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts, in Raleigh.

Are you a Star Wars fan? Relive those galactic adventures when when Star Wars: In Concert plays Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the RBC Center in Raleigh. See Carolina Parent’s preview of this opportunity to travel back in time in our Calendar Highlights.

And if live in Chapel Hill and have a child ages 4-7, head to Kidzu Children's Museum, at 105 E. Franklin St., for Spanish/English Storytime at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Call 933-1455 or visit www.kidzuchildrensmuseum.org.

– Written by Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor 

Money tight? Check out these great ideas for a fun N.C. staycation with kids! And don't miss out on these free summer movies and concerts!