Weekend Plans: St. Patrick's Day parade, Easter events, music for kids, more

Here’s your weekend family fun. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more activities.

The Easter Bunny has made his way to local malls and we have some Easter egg hunts this weekend. Check our Easter events database for more information about all of the events.

The annual Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at noon, Saturday, downtown. The Wearin’ ‘O the Green Festival in Moore Square runs from 10 a.m. to dark and includes food, drink, entertainment and activities. The parade runs north on Fayetteville Street by the State Capitol building to Edenton Street and then up Blount Street to Moore Square. My family has seen this parade once a couple of years ago. There was plenty of curb space along Fayetteville Street when we got there just as the parade began. We saw lots of Irish dancers, floats, bagpipes, fire trucks and more. It’s a fun event!

Marbles Kids Museum will be marking St. Patrick’s Day with a weekend full of activities. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, the museum right next to Moore Square, home of the Wearin’ ‘O the Green Festival, will include things like rainbow experiments, clover creations and a leprechaun freeze dance. Just know that some downtown streets will be closed for the parade and the festival. The activities at Marbles are free with admission, which is $5 per person.

It’s a busy weekend for Historic Yates Mill County Park, a beautiful park just south of Raleigh. There’s a Going Green self-guided hike from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. Pick up details about the hike at the Wake County park’s visitors center. The hike will take you around the millpond and on a treasure hunt for “gold coins” that contain earth-friendly helpful hints. This is for all ages and free. No registration is required. The park will have corn-grinding demonstrations and costumed tours on both Saturday and Sunday. And To Lure a Leprechaun, for ages 7 to 11, is 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, though pre-registration is required for this one. Call the park at 919-856-6675 for details.

Monster trucks are taking over the PNC Arena this weekend for the Monster Jam. Shows are Friday night and Saturday afternoon and evening. Tickets start at $25 (kids ages 2 to 12 get the $25 seats for $10). You can get an up close look at one of the trucks for free from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, at the Advance Auto Parts store, 6544 Glenwood Ave., in Raleigh. Monster Mutt will stop by with dogs from the SPCA of Wake County.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill will host the annual Lego-palooza from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. This is best for ages 6 and up. The N.C. Lego Users Group has created displays of Lego scenes, including outer space settlements, forts, amusement parks and more. This year, the event will celebrate castles. Admission is free.

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ annual Reptile and Amphibian Day is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, at the downtown Raleigh museum. The free event features live reptiles and amphibians from around the world, presentations and more. The theme this year is snakes. It’s free.

We have consignment sales in Smithfield, Fayetteville and Wilmington this week. Read my earlier post for details.

The ArtsCenter in Carrboro will host the Jabali African Acrobats, who will perform at 11 a.m., Saturday. Tickets are $7 for youth, $9 for adults, $7 for ArtsCenter Friends, and $28 for a family four-pack. From Kenya, the all male group combines fast paced movement, music, dance, and acrobatic feats for a fun show for families. The group is performing for more than 3,000 local students this week before the show.

Cary Ballet Company’s annual spring gala is this weekend with performances at 7 p.m., Friday, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, at the Cary Arts Center, 101 Dry Ave. The story ballet “Tales of an Athenian Forest” is based on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and takes place in a fantasy forest filled with magical creatures. The production includes special guests Grains of Time, an all male a capella group from N.C. State. Tickets are $12 for kids ages 2 to 17 and $15 for adults. Call 919-481-6509 for tickets.

We have a couple of Arbor Day celebrations. The N.C. Arbor Day Celebration is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, at the Raleigh Farmers Market on Lake Wheeler Road. There will be exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities for kids. They’ll be giving away 1,000 tree seedlings. On Friday, Garner’s White Deer Park also will be giving away seedlings while supplies last from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Local mom and author Danielle Hawkins will launch her new book with a party from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, at Marbles Kids Museum. Her book, “Black or White, Which Does God Like?” is a children’s picture book about two best friends - one African American and the other white. Others don’t approve of their friendship and one of them asks her mother about God’s perspective on the issue. The museum’s Power 2 Play exhibit will be open for the party.

The Raleigh Tamale Festival includes a tamale competition, soccer scrimmages, food, music, information booths, dancing and games for kids and adults. It’s 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Peach Road Community Center, 911 Ileagnes Rd., Raleigh. Parking is available at International Foods on Chapanoke Road. A free shuttle to and from the event will be provided. Event is free.

Duke Gardens in Durham will host a concert for families and a family fun day on Sunday. The Mallarme Chamber Players will perform from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $5 for kids ages 12 and under and $10 for adults. The concert is designed for kids ages 4 to 12 and their adults. And from noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, Duke Gardens will offer some free drop-in activities that focus on the science of sound (a theme from the concert). There will be a musical instrument petting zoo and other activities. The drop-in program is free. Check in at the front desk of the Doris Duke Center for the exact location. Call 919-560-2788 for tickets to the concert.

Just down the street, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke will hold one of its free family days from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday. The afternoon includes live entertainment, hands-on projects and a gallery hunt.

And BSC Kids offers a free concert from Big Bang Boom at 4:30 p.m. at Broad Street Cafe in Durham. This Greensboro-based power pop trio writes and performs some great music for families - kids and parents will enjoy it. Read more about them in my earlier post. These concerts are a lot of fun. (Thank you, jh2, for the update).