Weekend Plans: Veterans' Day Parade, Santa, school fairs, women's soccer, more

Raleigh’s annual Veteran’s Day Parade starts around 9 a.m., Saturday. The best place to view the procession is on the streets around the State Capitol building, 1 E. Edenton St. The parade starts at Lenoir and Fayetteville streets, then goes north to the Capitol building before it turns left onto Salisbury Street where it finally ends on the north side of the Capitol building. The parade runs about an hour. At 10:30 a.m., one of the bands in the parade will perform. Then, at 11 a.m., there will be a ceremony. A separate ceremony, commemorating Vietnam War service members who are missing in action, is at noon.

Other activities (as always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more, including holiday markets):

Some of the region’s pumpkin patches remain open. Our Halloween and fall fun database has the details.

In Mebane, the big cats at the Conservators’ Center will have some fun with pumpkins at the annual Pumpkin Prowl. The animals will get a chance to explore and play with pumpkins delivered to their spaces. Tickets are $24. It takes place this Saturday and Nov. 14. Visitors will get to walk around the center to check out all of the animals and watch them have fun with those pumpkins.

Santa starts taking his seat at local malls. We have the details about that.

And we have magnet school fairs. Wake County’s magnet school fair is 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, at Southeast Raleigh High School. Durham Public Schools’ fair is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, at Southern High School in Durham.

If you’re looking for preschools in the western Triangle, the Durham Mothers’ Club will hold its annual preschool information fair from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, at the Durham Main Library. It’s free and open to the public.

The ACC women's soccer championship will be at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary with games Friday evening and Sunday afternoon. Tickets are $10 and free for kids ages 18 and under. Between the games on Friday, world cup champion and ACC legend Heather O'Reilly will be signing autographs. What a great opportunity for all those soccer-loving kids and families in the Triangle!

Celebrate engineering at Engineers’ Day at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, take part in activities that explore everything from robotics to simple machines. It’s all free with admission to the museum.

Wake County Public Libraries and the N.C. Museum of History will launch a month of events celebrating acclaimed children's author and Triangle resident Eleanora E. Tate this weekend.

Raleigh Little Theatre opens “A Year with Frog and Toad.”

“Wild Kratts Live!” stops at the Durham Performing Arts Center for a show on Sunday.

Cary’s Marvelous Music Family Series will present “Kid Power’s Operation Lunch Line 3D,” at 3 p.m., Saturday, at the Cary Arts Center. Kid Power’s Operation Lunch Line 3-D is a highly interactive musical show, designed to help children in grades kindergarten to sixth grade learn the value of good nutrition and exercise. Tickets are $8 per person.

The Raleigh Dance Theatre's annual Storybook Tales performance is set for Saturday and Sunday at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh. This year's performance will feature "The Rainbow Fish" and "Snow White." Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

New Hope Valley Railway in southwestern Wake County will hold Goldston Depot Day to raise money to move the 1884 Goldston Train Depot 25 miles from Goldston to the railway where it will stay. A portion of train ticket sales will go toward moving and restoring this North Carolina depot. Tickets for hour-long rides on the open-air train range between $7 and $15.

The 31st annual Model Train and Railroadiana Show and Sale is Saturday and Sunday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. The event is the largest, longest running model train show in North Carolina. You’ll see multiple layouts, a full-size model of Thomas the Tank Engine, a Lego layout and more. Tickets are $8 and cover both days. Kids under 12 with an adult are admitted for free.