Weekend plans: Seussical, a rural reunion, a puppet show and more

Barriskill Dance Theatre presents Seussical Friday through Sunday at Page Auditorium in Durham. Tickets are $12. The musical integrates the storylines from more than 20 of Seuss' works. Great for all ages. Shows are 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Peter's Pajama Party, the regular performance by Peter Holsapple at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, is set for 7 p.m. Friday. Holsapple shares books, stories and songs. Parents might be familiar with his work with the dB's, the Continental Drifters, R.E.M. and Hootie and the Blowfish. Jammies welcome.

The Triangle-based Rags to Riches Theatre for Young Audiences will perform The Frog Prince at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro at 11 a.m. Saturday. The performance is part of The ArtsCenter's wonderful SuperFun Series. Rags to Riches is an audience favorite and includes lots of opportunities for audience participation and laughs. Best for preschoolers to third graders. Tickets are $7. Children ages 2 and under receive free admission.

The Rural Reunion: Mountain Festival is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Historic Oak View County Park off Poole Road in Raleigh. The festival highlights mountain traditions and crafts and includes food, activities for kids, craft displays and live music. I've been to several events at Oak View. These are low-key affairs with some easy activities for kids and plenty of places for them to run around. Inside the Farm History Center, there's a Farmer's Corner for young kids to learn a bit about rural life and agriculture in the early 20th century. There's a livestock barn with a few goats and a main farmhouse to tour along with some other buildings on the property. I come from a farming family and was a history major, so maybe I'm biased. But I'm a fan.

IronKids Raleigh, a triathalon for kids, is this weekend at Centennial Campus at N.C. State. There are three age groups. Kids 6 to 8 swim 50 yards, bike two miles and run 500 yards; kids 9 to 11 swim 150 yards, bike four miles and run one mile; and kids 12 to 15 swim 300 yards, bike eight miles and run two miles. There's an expo planned Saturday. The competition is Sunday.

That Puppet Guy will perform his "Circus Fanta-Sea" at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex. Showtimes are 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5. Doors open 30 minutes before each show. The show follows Captain Tater Tot, the once great pirate captain and ringmaster, who loses all his circus cargo in a storm at sea. The tale features puppets made from recycled plastic bottles. And of course there's a tap dancing octopus, unicycling seahorse and a tightrope walking starfish.

Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham will recreate a Confederate field hospital from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday to share the experience of the surgeon, nurses and stewards. Medical demonstrations will show the removal of a bullet and amputation procedures. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

Don't forget the new exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, which opened last weekend. GLOW explores the science behind why lightning bugs and other creatures glow.