Weekend Plans: Veteran's Day Parades, Santa visits, Sleeping Beauty, more

Here’s your weekend family fun! Check WRAL.com's Out & About calendar for more weekend activities.

The N.C. Veteran’s Day Parade begins at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, in downtown Raleigh. The parade begins at Fayetteville and Davie streets. It culminates in a wreath laying and ceremony at 11 a.m. on the north side of the State Capitol grounds (which sits across from the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and the N.C. Museum of History). I attended this parade with my kids last year. It’s a wonderful way to mark the day.

Fayetteville will have a weekend full of events to honor our veterans. They include a parade that starts at 10 a.m., Saturday, and a Family Day at North Carolina Veterans Park. Click here for all the details and the full schedule.

The 2nd Look Boutique holds its first Christmas sale, featuring holiday apparel and decor, along with toys, in Cary from Friday and Saturday. Read my earlier post for details. Santa stops by on Saturday!

Speaking of the big guy, Triangle Town Center in north Raleigh will celebrate Santa’s arrival at the mall last weekend with Jack Frost’s Arctic Dance Blast at 7 p.m., Friday. Jack Frost will be spinning holiday hit sand some dance classics at this free event near the Creekside Cafes.

Santa also will begin sitting for photos at Cary Towne Center and Cross Creek Mall on Saturday. To welcome him, Cary Towne Center has a Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Saturday. Registration is required as space is limited. Click here for details. Cross Creek in Fayetteville also will have a breakfast on Saturday. Same deal here: Registration is required. Click here for details.

Raleigh Little Theatre’s run of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” continues this weekend. It closes Nov. 18. I saw this show with my older daughter last weekend and definitely recommend it. It’s a lot of fun and features some really talented local kids. Tickets are $13 for adults and teens and $9 for kids 12 and under. The theater will be collecting food at the show as part of a holiday food drive.

The Birmingham Children’s Theatre presents “Sleeping Beauty” at 3 p.m., Saturday, at the Cary Arts Center. The performance is part of Cary’s Marvelous Music Family Series. Tickets are $5. The theater group is one of the nation's oldest and largest professional theater companies for young audiences. The show is best for kids ages 2 to 12.

The Durham Family Theatre presents “Between the Bells,” 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham. The show is based on stories from students and teachers at public high schools and is best for high schoolers and their families. It’s rated PG-13 for language and mature subjects. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.

Apex High School Marching Band will hold a fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at the school. There will be inflatables, games, fair-style food and a performance from the band at 3:45 p.m. Read my earlier post for details.

The Meredith Ensemble Theatre will present “Step on a Crack” at 7 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, and 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, in Studio Theatre of Jones Hall. The play tells the story about a young girl who lives happily with her widowed father until he remarries and brings a stepmother into their lives. "Step on a Crack" is recommended for ages 10 and up. Read my earlier post for more information.

Four Triangle-based parents and writers of the book "Easy to Love but Hard to Raise" will talk about their emotions and experiences caring for kids with neuro-behavioral disabilities. The sessions are scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, at Durham's South Regional Library, and 2 p.m., Sunday, at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill. Read my earlier post for details.

The City Ballet will preview its performance of The Nutcracker from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, at Cameron Village Regional Library in Raleigh. Dancers from ages 7 to 17 will perform portions of the story. There will be an opportunity for participants to get involved.

The Jump for the Children Horse Show, which benefits Duke Children’s Hospital, offers Olympic-style show jumping at the Hunt Horse Complex on the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. (Full disclosure: Duke Medicine is Go Ask Mom’s sponsor). The show opened Tuesday and runs through Sunday starting at 8 a.m. Admission is free except for Saturday night starting 8 p.m. for the Duke Children's Hospital Grand Prix. Admission on Saturday evening is $10 per adults, children under 10 admitted free. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m.

Duke Gardens in Durham will host one of its Autumn Fun Days from noon to 3 p.m., Sunday. Find free drop-in activities at several stations and displays. There will be a science or craft project, including something to make and take home. Adult chaperone required. Ask at the garden’s front desk to find out where the activities are located in the garden.

TechShop in north Raleigh will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. There will be tours and demos all day, along with a member show and tell area, where visitors can see what happens at TechShop. TechShop is a membership-based workshop that provides members with access to tools and equipment and instruction. I’m told this is a great place for tweens and teens and look forward to learning more about it later this month. It offers regular workshops and classes.

The Relative Pitch, an open mic night for kids 18 and under, returns to the Broad Street Cafe in Durham at 4:30 p.m., Sunday. Doors open at 4 p.m. The show runs until 6:30 p.m. I’ll have more about this new program for kids on Friday. So stay tuned.

And the Walk to Prevent Suicide is scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, at Patterson Hall on the Campus of Southeastern Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. Proceeds will benefit local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs. The local effort is being led, in part, by Carolyn Zahnow, who lost her only child to suicide. She has since started The Shore Grief Center with programs for kids.