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Weekend Plans: Kidz Bop, spring festivals, cricket, bike rodeos

Kidz Bop Kids is here. Wake libraries hold a massive books sale. Dix Parks hosts a free skywatching session. And lots of spring festivals. Here's what's happening on the family fun front.

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Festivals in NC: Apex celebrates 36th annual PeakFest
It’s a busy weekend of spring fun. Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more weekend activities.
To mark May 4 (as in, May the Fourth be with you), lots of places are offering Star War-themed events, including Carolina Mudcats, Wake County Public Library, Dix Park and more throughout the weekend.
Speaking of Wake County libraries, the system will host its massive book sale Thursday through Sunday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. The sale will feature more than 200,000 books.
And speaking of Dix Park, the park near downtown Raleigh will host a free skywatching session from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday. It’s free.
The fifth and final Listen to Your Mother show, featuring live readings of essays about motherhood, is 7:30 p.m., Friday, at Meredith College in Raleigh. Tickets are $21.50. The show will tug at your heartstrings, tickle your funny bone and turn up all kinds of other emotions related to the subjects of moms and motherhood. This one is best for date nights or moms’ nights out.
Letterland Adventure Day is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Pullen Park in Raleigh. Wake County elementary schools and many preschool programs use the phonics program as part of their literacy instruction. This is a fun event and very popular event for kids, who love the series. It's free.
Ninja Cow Farm will host its first open farm day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday. Ninja Cow Farm is a fairly new, small, 84-acre family farm located just outside of Garner. They are the closest large animal farm to downtown Raleigh - just 15 minutes from the heart of downtown. The free event gives the public a chance to see some cows and baby goats, check out the farm’s store and take tours.
Kidz Bop Kids, on their national tour, returns to Raleigh for a concert featuring kids singing popular songs at 7 p.m., Friday, at Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh. Tickets start at $25.

We have festivals:

Cary’s Herbfest is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center. Learn about gardening and see butterfly releases at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
PeakFest is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, in downtown Apex. The 37th annual festival features arts and crafts, food, inflatables, games for kids, music and more.
The Ham and Yam Festival in Smithfield is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday. The day includes lots of food, music, inflatables, a sweet potato pie eating contest and more.
Carrboro Day is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, on the Carrboro Town Hall grounds. There will be music and dancing, interactive field games, crafts, family activities and more.
Wake Forest’s Meet in the Street is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, in downtown Wake Forest. It includes a bike safety fair for kids from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, in the Taylor Street parking lot of town hall. The day also includes other activities for kids, entertainment, food and more.
In Durham, Central Park School for Children’s Strawberry Festival is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at Old North Durham Park, 724 Foster St. You’ll find food, activities for kids and more. Admission is free, but some activities and food are available for ticket-based purchase.
The Kids Helping Kids Walk and Festival is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, at Laurel Hills Park in Raleigh. It benefits the Bryce Martin Foundation, which supports efforts to helping kids who are visually impaired. The day includes outdoor activities, music, performances and an exhibition from the Governor Morehead School’s Goal Ball Team.
The Community Asthma Fair is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, at the Andrews Conference Center on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. Designed for all ages, the event includes educational sessions provided by WakeMed and UNC physicians; educational games for kids and more. It’s free. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
Mama Bird's Cookies + Cream, a new ice cream shop in Holly Springs, celebrates its grand opening with lots of activities for families from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday.
The Capital Cricket Classic is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh. Admission is free. There will be food, music, dancing, lots of cricket and even a kid’s cricket pitch. The event benefits SAFEChild and the Interfaith Food Shuttle’s school pantry program.
Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh has a bike rodeo from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday. It’s hosted in partnership with RPD’s Southeast District Community squad and local cycling advocacy group Oaks and Spokes. This year, the event has been moved to the front of Marbles. Hargett Street will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the event. Families also are invited to participate in a swap of bikes, helmets and other wheely items that they’re too big for. Donate them to another family or trade them out for something in your size.
And from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Northgate Mall in Durham will host a session with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Kids can explore the nature of color using chromatography, a simple technique for separating the individual components of a mixture.

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