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Weekend Plans: July 4 fun, Eno River festival, dance, train rides, more

This weekend, you'll find fireworks and parades, plus the Festival for the Eno, modern dance for kids and train rides on the New Hope Valley Railway. Happy July 4 weekend!

Posted Updated
July 4th at North Hills
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Happy July 4 weekend! Lots to do this weekend in addition to the beach trips, picnics and neighborhood parades that I know are in the plans for many of you.

Here's your weekend family fun.

Let's start with the July 4 celebrations and fireworks. Here are some of them:

  • The State Fairgrounds and Raleigh parks department will present a July 4 Celebration starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday. You'll find live music, sports challenges, crafts, games, mini-golf, an obstacle course and more. Fireworks are at 9:45 p.m. Admission, parking and activities are free. No pets, alcohol or coolers will be allowed. Click here for details.
  • Wake Forest offers a big fireworks show on Sunday, followed by a children's parade and games on Monday. Check the website for details.
  • Cary has a concert, fishing tournament and parade on Sunday and its big concert at Koka Booth Amphitheatre on Monday featuring the N.C. Symphony and fireworks. It's all free. Here are the details.
  • Apex's Old Fashioned Fourth celebration is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday with lots of activities for kids.
  • Take a picnic to the State Capitol's July 4 celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday. It includes music, historical and military displays, carriage rides, and several activities for kids.
  • North Hills will celebrate the holiday on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon during its Farmers' Market. There will be a children's parade, face painting, crafts and more. Details.
  • Fuquay-Varina will have fireworks on Sunday at South Park on Main Street. Gates open at 6 p.m. There will be inflatables and other activities for kids. Click here for more information.
  • Garner features the N.C. Symphony and fireworks on Sunday at from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lake Benson Park. Click here for more.
  • The N.C. Symphony will be in Fayetteville Friday during an event where the city also will celebrate it's 2011 All-American City Award. Gates open at 6 p.m. The N.C. Symphony plays at 8 p.m. and fireworks will follow. Click here for details.
  • Marbles Kids Museum will celebrate Saturday, Sunday and Monday with crafts and patriotic parades.
  • Carrboro will have activities from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday on the lawn of the Weaver Street Market. Click here for details.
  • Morrisville plans its fireworks on Sunday evening at Morrisville Community Park. Details.
  • Durham's fireworks are on thanks to a grant from Liberty Mutual Insurance. Fireworks are after the Durham Bulls game on Monday. There also will be a free concert at American Tobacco starting at 5 p.m. Click here for details.
  • Just to note: Chapel Hill canceled its fireworks because of budget constraints.
  • And for more events, check WRAL's Out & About section.
And while it's not a July 4 celebration, it is a July 4 weekend tradition for lots of Triangle families. The Festival for the Eno is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the West Point on the Eno Park in Durham. This major festival includes lots of live entertainment, demonstrations, crafts, activities and fun in the river. Tickets at the gate are $15. Kids 12 and under are admitted free. The best way to get to the festival is to park at the Durham County Stadium and take the shuttle to the festival. For all the information, check the website. Of note: the Sandbox band, a great band for families, will perform at 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday on the River Stage.
A free benefit concert for the proposed Downtown Cary Children's Museum starts at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Ashworth Village parking lot at the corner of Chatham and Academy streets in downtown Cary. Read more about the concert and project in my earlier post.
The athletic and imaginative Pilobolus modern dance troupe will perform a one-hour show at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Durham Performing Arts Center as part of the six-week-long festival. The performance is best for kids up to age 14 or 15. Tickets are $17. It's part of the American Dance Festival's offerings for kids.
The Raleigh Outdoor Theatre in Henderson will have a special Cars 2 night. The first 100 kids who go to see the 7 p.m. showing on Thursday will get a special edition Cars 2 T-shirt. There will be other activities and chances to win Cars 2 memorabilia as well.
Chapel Hill's Locally Grown festival will feature the PG-13 rated "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" at sundown Thursday on Wallace Plaza, 150 E. Rosemary St. There will be free popcorn, crafts by Ackland Art Museum, costume contests and more.
Mordecai Historic Park near downtown Raleigh will host a Militia Muster from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. You'll see musket drill and firing, living history demonstrations and more.
And the New Hope Valley Railway offers its monthly train rides this Sunday. The hour-long rides on steam or diesel engines run through southwestern Wake County and start at 11 a.m. Check the website for all the details before you go.

 

 

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