Weekend Plans: Race for the Cure, Bubble Blitz, more

Thousands will be participating this weekend in the Komen Race for the Cure at Meredith College in Raleigh on Saturday morning. You can still sign up to participate or you can just cheer on the runners. Be sure to stop by the Team WRAL booth if you go.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is kicking off its Second Saturdays series, featuring mostly free events at historic sites and museums across the state. There are about 16 events in the Piedmont region, which includes the Triangle, this weekend. They include a family day at the N.C. Museum of History featuring traditional toys and games, along with music at Historic Stagville, re-enactors at the State Capitol, a craft festival at Duke Homestead and Rail Days at the N.C. Museum of Transportation in Spencer (a couple of hours from the Triangle). Read my earlier post for more details.

The Museum of Life and Science will celebrate bubbles of all sorts at its Bubble Blitz from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There will be demonstrations, experiments and hands-on activities all about bubbles - from bubble chemistry to make-your-own fruit soda. It's free with admission and appropriate for all ages. Pre-registration is required for the museum's Chemistry of Combustion at 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Sunday. A professor and students from Duke will explore the science behind combustion. You'll see some fiery explosions at this event. Admission is $10. Call 919-220-5429 x313 to register.

Pools across the region continue to open including some in Raleigh and Durham. Check our pools database for details.

Celebrate the beginning of summer with a Summer Kick Off Party at Chick-fil-A at Falls Village, 6701 Falls of Neuse Rd. from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Mimi the Clown will have a balloon and magic show from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. There will be a bounce house and castle slide and a free four-count nugget Kid's Meal with the purchase of any combo meal.

Marbles Kids Museum's Science Solvers series will feature Jackie Trickel, education and natural resources specialist with Wake County parks. She'll be talking all about the creatures that live and grow in ponds from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. It's free with admission, which is $5 per person.

The Barnes and Noble at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham will have a summer reading kick off party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday with face painting, games, activities, prizes and more. Barnes and Nobles' summer reading program lets kids earn a free book for reading eight. Click here for details. 

The Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation in north Raleigh will have face painting, miniature golf, inflatables from the Carolina Hurricanes, interactive games and other fun activities starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. The event will raise money for the new N.C. Cancer Hospital at Rex. And it's one of 26 events on the 2011 Nationwide Tour schedule giving spectators a chance to see up-and-coming professional golfers. Saturday's activities are part of a special Dad's Day Out during the open. It's open to everybody, but members of the YMCA's Arapahoe Nation Guides and Princesses could earn a special patch if they attend. Patches are limited to the first 1,000 YMCA Guides and Princesses, which is a great program for dads and their daughters or sons. Tickets are $10. Children 16 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. Saturday's events conclude with a free concert by country music singer Heidi Newfield on the lawn at TPC Wakefield Plantation at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Sandbox kids and family band will be playing The Independent Weekly's Best of the Triangle party at Durham's Central Park. The event is 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Sandbox will play from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Music on the Porch series at Raleigh's Historic Mordecai Park near downtown Raleigh will feature the rock-a-billy band The Straight 8's. The event opens at 6 p.m. Friday and the music begins at 7 p.m. This series made a move to Mordecai this year, but remains a very popular event for families. There's lots of room for the kids to run around. Food trucks will be there. And adult beverages are allowed (though check the website on the rules before you go). A $5 donation per adult is requested. And note that the excellent family band Mommie will be there on Aug. 26.

The Monitors, a legendary R&B and jazz group will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday as part of Cary's Summer Sertoma Series at Bond Park, 801 High House Rd. The Triangle Wind Ensemble will follow with another performance at 6 p.m. Sunday. Both concerts are free. Click here for details.

Raleigh's Sunday in the Park concert series will feature Laura Ridgeway with Capital Transit, a vocal harmony group with swing and jazz accompaniment. This outdoor concert series, which is great for kids and families, is at Fletcher Park, 820 Clay St. Concerts run on Sunday evenings from June to August starting at 6 p.m. Bring a picnic, lawn chairs and blankets. It's free.

Historic Yates Mill County Park just south of Raleigh will host its mill heritage tours from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Explore the mill's business and social history during a one-hour guided tour. It's $5 for adults, $3 for seniors (60 and up); $3 for kids ages 7 to 16; and free for kids 6 and under. The park is a great place to explore with kids. Check my earlier review for more.

American Tobacco's series for kids wraps up Sunday with a quilting program for kids. Crazy Cool ... Creative Quilting is from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Quilters from the Durham-Orange Quilters Guild will lead the session for kids ages 6 and up. Pre-registration is required. It's $5 per person. Check the website for details on how to register.