Weekend Plans: Sesame Street Live, Family Renaissance Fair, National Trails Day, more

Here’s what’s happening on the weekend family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more ideas.

Public pools across the region continue to open. Our database has the details. One opening to note: Fuquay-Varina’s sprayground will host a preview weekend this Saturday and Sunday.

There also are still strawberries in the fields. Our database lists where you can find them if you want to get out there before the season ends.

And two museums are expanding their hours this week. Kidzu Children’s Museum will stay open until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays starting this week. And the Museum of Life and Science in Durham will add two hours to its Sunday schedule - opening at 10 a.m., Sundays, starting this weekend.

Sesame Street Live stops at the PNC Arena in Raleigh for multiple shows this Friday through Sunday.

Summer reading programs at local libraries kick off this weekend, including Wake County and Orange County where free celebrations are planned.

As part of downtown Raleigh's First Friday activities, the N.C. Museum of History will offer some free activities from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday. Sample handcrafted beers and wines from North Carolina; listen to 14-year-old rising star Eliza Meyer play bluegrass; explore exhibits, including the new 6,500-square-foot exhibition, North Carolina and World War I; and create kid-friendly bee-inspired crafts. For ballet fans, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Debra Austin, Ballet Master, Carolina Ballet, and Sherri Holmes, founder of the Triangle Friends of African American Arts, will tell the story of Austin, who became the first African American female principal dancer of a major American ballet company. After the Q&A, stay for a screening of the documentary “Black Ballerina.” The film explores the history of African Americans in the world of classical ballet and chronicles groundbreaking dancers like Austin. It's all free.

The eighth annual Apex Latino Festival is Saturday. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, at the Halle Cultural Arts Center, find free family arts and crafts. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, in downtown Apex, there will be food, a bazaar, music and dance. Admission to the evening events is $6 per person, ages 5 and up.

Wake Forest will mark National Trails Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, at Joyner Park, 701 Harris Rd., The free event features an environmental education expo with interactive stations where participants can learn about identifying songbirds, all about bees, hear animal night calls and more.

The Holly Springs Farmers Market will include the Taste of Holly Springs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, at the market at 128 S. Main St. Last year, more than 600 people attended the event where Holly Springs restaurants and catering services showcase their dishes. The morning also includes a celebration of the market’s nine year anniversary with cake from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There also will be live music and an activity area for kids.

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University will host a Teen-Only Impact Party from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday. Planned by the Nasher Teen Council, the event is open to all teens and includes food, live bands, student performances, workshops with professional teaching artists and more. It’s free.

The Rex Hospital Open is all weekend at TPC Wakefield Plantation and includes free admission for kids 16 and under.

Kids Together Playground will celebrate its 17th birthday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, at the park at 111 Thurston Dr., Cary. Make a noisemaker. Then, march in a parade through the playground. There’s also a story time, fruit slushie making and other refreshments. It’s free.

The N.C. Museum of Art will host a free Family Renaissance Fair, featuring music, games, traditional craft demonstrations, food trucks, and art-making for the whole family. It’s noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, at the museum in west Raleigh. Activities take place inside and outside the museum and include calligraphy, blacksmithing, mask making, interactive drumming and performances.

N.C. Courage, the professional women's soccer team, has a 3:30 p.m., Saturday, game at WakeMed Soccer Park. And then, on Sunday, the men's team, N.C. Football Club, has a 4 p.m. game in Cary. The teams' website has the details.

And, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sunday, a Raleigh neighborhood will be working to raise money toward the construction of a new playground and other amenities at a city park. The Five Points Food Truck Rodeo & Kiwanis Park Fundraiser includes a variety of food trucks, along with activities for families such as a bounce house, games and crafts. There will be opportunities to learn more about the project and donate money. It takes place at the park at 2525 Noble Rd., Raleigh.