Food truck rodeo and concert leads our weekend best bets

RALEIGH, N.C. — On Saturday, the Triangle's favorite cheeseries and artisan food producers will gather at The Cookery in Durham for the Artisan Cheese Fest. Cookery member food truck American Meltdown will be selling lunches. Vendors on site will include Chapel Hill Creamery, Hillsborough Cheese Company and Goat Lady Dairy. Craft beer, wine and cocktails will also be available in the Cookery's Front Room. The festival runs from 1-4 p.m.

Also on Saturday, Team Powersports in Garner is holding Juneboree, a food truck rodeo and free concert to benefit The Patriot Foundation. There will be more than 20 vendors on site. Ten percent of all vendor and food truck sales will go to the Fort Bragg-based foundation which helps provide child care and scholarships for the children of killed or wounded soldiers. Erik Smallwood will perform. The party is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an after-party planned at the Longbranch.

The Carolina RailHawks 2nd Annual Pregame Pig Pickin' Festival is also Saturday. Event entry tickets are $15 and include all you can eat barbecue, beer from White Street Brewing and live music from The Annuals. Tickets do not include entrance into the game against the Atlanta Silverbacks. But the games are so much fun, you might want to stick around. After the game, there will be fireworks. 

The North Carolina Symphony's Sci-Fi Spectacular with George Takei is Thursday and Friday at Meymandi Concert Hall. Takei, “Mr. Sulu” of Star Trek fame, will guide the audience through the galaxy accompanied by music from E.T., Star Wars, Close Encounters, and, of course, Star Trek.

Two more shows of note: 

"Mad About You" star Paul Reiser plays Goodnight's Comedy Club in Raleigh Friday and Saturday nights. And singer Gladys Knight plays to a sold out crowd Sunday.