Weekend Plans: BugFest, Wizard of Oz 3D, farm tours, CenterFest, more

Here’s your weekend family fun. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About section and our Halloween and fall fun database for more information about pumpkin patches and other fall festivities for the weekend of Sept. 21 and Sept. 22. And Knightdale Station Park officially opens Thursday with a special grand opening event. This is a great park with a big playground that’s worth a drive even if you don't make it to the celebration on Thursday.

It’s BugFest weekend! The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences' annual festival celebrating insects of all kinds runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, inside and outside the downtown Raleigh museum. You’ll find activities, demonstrations, exhibits and more, including a cafe where you can sample dishes that include bugs. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the event switches into the Evening Insectival with live music, a nocturnal bug tour and street carnival. This is a huge event drawing thousands to downtown Raleigh. As I’ve said before, here’s my recommendation: Get there early, if you can, to avoid the crowds.

Marbles Kids Museum’s IMAX Theatre will screen the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz 3D,” starting Friday. The version commemorates the film’s 75th anniversary on the big screen. The theater has an exclusive two-week engagement for the IMAX version of the film. The theater will have some authentic Wizard of Oz memorabilia for viewing throughout the run of the film including a replica of Dorothy’s ruby slippers and signed black and white production stills from the 1930s. The items come from a local Wizard of Oz collector. The movie is rated PG and runs about 101 minutes. Multiple showings are scheduled starting at 3:05 p.m., Friday. Follow the yellow brick road!

The EasternTriangle Farm Tour is Saturday and Sunday at farms across the region. More than two dozen farms will open their doors to visitors from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $25 per vehicle, which will get you into all farms on both days (though I’d recommend taking it slow and visit one or two farms each day). This is a great way to talk with kids about where our food comes from. I’ll have more about the farm tour tomorrow in a feature of Winterpast Farm, one of the stops on the tour.

The Museum of Life and Science in Durham will hold a Bubble Blitz from Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Learn about the science behind bubbles, make your own bubble sculptures to take home and more. It's all free with admission, which is $14 for adults and $10 for kids ages 3 to 12.

CenterFest Arts Festival in downtown Durham is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. The festival features all sorts of art, music, food and more. An area for kids in the South Bank parking lot across from the Durham Arts Council and along Parrish Street includes make your own puppets, maracas, crowns and masks. For a small fee, kids can hop on an inflatable, ride a small train or get their face painted.

We have several consignment sales across the region. Check my earlier post for more information.

And here’s another place to score some deals and help some kids in the process: Evolve Movement will host a community yard sale run by local kids from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at the Cameron Village studio, 219 Oberlin Rd., Raleigh. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to Free the Children’s adopt a village program. The public is invited to drop off gently used items between noon and 1 p.m. Unsold merchandise will go to the Salvation Army. Local kids also will showcase their own handmade crafts during the sale.

Be Active Kids will be hosting N.C. Play Daze across the state this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to encourage play and physical activity for kids and adults. Click here for more information about the effort. Two local activities include special super-charged play at Marbles from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday.

Also part of Play Daze, Kids Together Playground at 111 Thurston Dr., Cary, will host its Walk, Run & Roll for Inclusiveness. The 1.4-mile recreation walk/run will be followed by a party with crafts, storytelling and refreshment. All activities are stroller and wheelchair friendly. Online registration closes Sept. 20, but you can sign up on Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. The run/walk starts at 10 a.m. Click here for details.

Families can compete in the fourth annual Cary Scavenger Hunt, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. Work as a team to find clues and win prizes. A

The Rock for Hope music festival, a free event to raise cancer awareness, is noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, at the N.C. Museum of Art. The main act is a rock band of gynecologic oncologists called N.E.D. (which stands for No Evidence of Disease). There also will be a mini food truck rodeo and community health fair. WRAL-TV’s Elizabeth Gardner will be the emcee.

The 32nd annual Greek Festival is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. There’s lots of music, dancing, crafts, food and more food at this long-running festival led by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Admission is $3 for adults; $2 for ages 13 to 18 and seniors; and free for kids under 13. Check the festival’s website for a $3 off coupon.

The Clayton Harvest and Music Festival opened Wednesday and runs to Sunday. There are carnival rides, music and more, including some special areas for kids. 

Garner’s Carnaval Latino is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, on the back lawn of the Garner Performing Arts Center, 125 Avery St.. The event celebrates the community’s diverse Latino cultures. There’s food, music, dance and art, including a Zumba party and belly dance led by the town’s parks, recreation and cultural resources department instructors. It’s free. 

Historic Yates Mill County Park just south of Raleigh in Wake County will hold its eighth annual Fall Harvest Celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The free event includes a children’s scavenger hunt, live music, storytellers, community displays, demonstrations, farm tool displays, food and more.

I’ll be gearing up to run a 10K, part of the Midtown Race Series at North Hills, on Saturday. The event includes a 5K, 10K and half marathon starting around 7 a.m. The event also includes a Kid Zone with face painting, balloon animals, a bounce house and a 20-foot inflatable slide.

Transactors Improv plans one of its regular family shows. This is short-form improv where the audience makes suggestions for each scene. It’s 6 p.m., Saturday, at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. Tickets are $8.

And Kidz in a Minute will host an afternoon of activities for kids from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, at 6021 Poyner Village Parkway, Raleigh. It includes a DJ, bounce house, face painting, games, merchants discounts and other activities.