Weekend Plans: Outdoor movies, train rides, blueberries, more

Happy weekend! Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more ideas and our list of 100 summer activities!

We have several outdoor movies. The N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh features “Inside Out,” at 9 p.m., Saturday. Tickets are $6. The Lumina in Chapel Hill screens “Zootopia” on the lawn in Southern Village at around 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $5. And, in downtown Chapel Hill, “Lilo & Stitch” will play around 8:30 p.m., Friday, on top of the Wallace Parking Deck, 150 E. Rosemary Street. That one is free.

New Hope Valley Railway in southwestern Wake County will present The Great Railway Chase on both Saturday and Sunday. Rides on the historic trains begin at 10 a.m. each day. “The Charlotte Artillery Reenactors will recreate a Civil War battle using authentic tents, a makeshift hospital and stacks of supplies, all of which would have been used during the war in the 1860s,” according to the railway’s website. “The reenactment will be staged on and around the passenger cars headed by steam locomotive No. 17 among artillery units, foot soldiers and cavalry.” Tickets are between $22 and $24.

Just about anybody will recognize at least one piece of music by American composer John Williams. He’s the man behind the scores for Star Wars, Harry Potter and many more blockbuster movies. The N.C. Symphony will mark his amazing works with a John Williams Festival during its Summerfest series, which is scheduled for both Friday and Saturday evenings, at Booth Amphitheater in Cary. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at about $34. Kids 12 and under are free on the lawn.

Blueberry season is just getting started around here. Dr. Young’s Pond Berry Farm is open for the season. The Apex Farmers’ Market will host a blueberry festival and blueberry pancake breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday. The market will have activities for kids, lots of fresh produce and more. Check back here tomorrow for a yummy recipe for blueberry bars from the market.

If you’re up for a road trip, Discovery Place in Charlotte opens its Beyond Rubik’s Cube exhibit on Saturday.

Riverdance is at the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham through Sunday with multiple shows. Tickets start at $25 (some nights are getting close to sold out). For kids ages 6 and up.

The Triangle Race for the Cure is in a new location this year - The Frontier at Research Triangle Park. It will celebrate its 20th year with a one-mile dash, kids dash, Tailgate Zone, a dozen food trucks and a Carolina Hurricanes Family Fun Zone with a bounce house and slap shot game, among other activities. And, of course, the 5K.

The Carolina Mudcats are in town with games through Sunday.

At Marbles Kids Museum, it’s new StepNotes musical staircase is officially open. I’ll have more about it on Friday. Also at Marbles, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., Saturday, there's a program featuring dancers from the American Dance Festival. Donald West will lead a hip hop dance workshop for kids and families. It’s designed for all abilities. It’s free with admission, which is $5.

From noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, the N.C. Museum of Art will host Pop-Up Art inspired by nature. It’s free in the museum’s East Building.

And, we have some food truck gatherings. Downtown Cary’s Food & Flea is noon to 4 p.m., Sunday. And downtown Raleigh’s massive food truck rodeo is noon to 6 p.m., Sunday, with more than 50 trucks from across the state.