Weekend Plans: S'mores celebration, outdoor movies, consignment sales, more

Happy weekend! Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more weekend activities. And our list of 41 free summer fun activities include lots of ideas to keep you busy.

Paperhand Puppet Intervention’s 18th annual summer show continues this Friday through Sunday at Forest Theatre and runs on select days through Labor Day. Then, it moves over to Raleigh for shows at the N.C. Museum of Art. The show, a family favorite for years, is new each year and features puppets of all kinds and sciences, live music and story.

The N.C. Museum of Art’s outdoor movie series will feature the animated “Kubo and the Two Strings,” at 9 p.m., Friday. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6. My kids and I loved this movie, rated PG, but there may be some scenes that are scary for very young children.

Morrisville is turning into S’Morrisville for a day to mark National S’Mores Day. They’ll celebrate with a special event at S’Morrisville Community Park. Food trucks arrive at 6 p.m. So do the free s’mores. A movie, “Scooby Doo Camp Scare,” will start at 8:30 p.m.

Durham County Library will host a summer reading finale at the Museum of Life and Science on Saturday. The event is 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday, at the Durham museum on Murray Avenue. It's free and open to summer reading program participants, but tickets are required. You can pick tickets up at Durham County Library’s regional libraries, Stanford L. Warren Branch Library, and Bragtown Library Family Literacy Center.

We have consignment sales in Cary and Fayetteville this week.

Jacqueline Leigh, author of "Time for Bed with Ford and Red," will host a book party at Science Safari, 1255 Kildaire Farm Rd., Cary, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. I featured Leigh and her new picture book a couple of weeks ago.

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences will host the Future of STEM: Back-To-School Minority Opportunity Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, at the downtown Raleigh museum. The fair brings an assortment of nearly 20 private and nonprofit organizations together to provide information and opportunities for students in grades five to 12 as they prepare to return to school.

The Gluten and Allergen Free Awareness Event is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Tickets are $10 and free for kids under age 13. The event includes family friendly activities, free samples, presentations and more.

Durham Area Transit Authority will host a Fill the Bus Food Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, at Kroger, 3457 Hillsborough Road, Durham. All donations will go to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. They need nonperishable food, diapers and wipes, feminine products, hand sanitizers, toothbrushes, soap, shaving products, toilet tissue and paper towels.

Ackland Art Museum will host Drawing for Tweens and Art Adventures (for ages 6 to 9) programs on Saturday. The cost is $5 per child for these events, which are monthly at the Chapel Hill museum. It's best to pre-register as they can fill up.

New York Times bestselling author Audrey Penn, author of The Kissing Hand, will read her latest, Chester Raccoon and the Almost Perfect Sleepover, at the Barnes & Noble in Cary at 6:30 p.m., Friday.

And New Hope Valley Railway in New Hill will host rides on its open-air historic trains on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are between $7 and $10. Sunday is the railway's Slow Down Sunday and Garden Railroad Festival. Kids love the railway's Garden Railroad, which includes Thomas the Tank Engine.