Weekend Plans: Lego KidsFest, playhouse parade, safety festival, more

It's another busy weekend with a lot of fun activities. Of course, we have all the pumpkin patches, corn mazes, fall fun farms, haunted houses and more. See our Halloween and fall fun database for the details. And Weird Al is in Durham on Sunday (that brings back memories from my own childhood!).

The Lego KidsFest is here! The event is open Friday through Sunday at the downtown Raleigh Convention Center with all kinds of events, including Lego models, Lego group builds and more. This is not a drop-in anytime kind of event. There are five, 4.5 hour sessions that visitors can choose from. Some sessions may sell out. See my earlier post for a lot more information, including details on a $2 ticket discount. There has been a considerable amount of discussion about the ticket prices here on Go Ask Mom and our Facebook page. They are $18 for kids and $20 for adults, about the price of a family show at the RBC Center or the Durham Performing Arts Center.

We have a couple of large fundraising walks. The 2011 Triangle Run/Walk for Autism is Saturday morning in Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. And the 23rd annual Thad & Alice Eure Walk for Hope, which raises money to find cures for mental illness, is Sunday morning at the Angus Barn off Highway 70 in north Raleigh. Both offer special activities for kids.

Cameron Village will launch its Playhouse Parade to support the Sassafras All Children's Playground project, which I've written about here before. Sassafras would replace the large and aging playground at Laurel Hills Park on Edwards Mill Road in Raleigh with a new one where children of all abilities could play together side by side. The Playhouse Parade features a collection of 12 custom built outdoor playhouses and sheds. The playhouses will be auctioned off on Oct. 22 to benefit Sassafras. But, before then, there will be a variety of activities at Cameron Village in Raleigh starting this weekend. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, you can tour the playhouses and take part in other activities, including arts and crafts; activities from Marbles; and visits with the Raleigh Fire Department and McGruff the Crime Dog. Playhouse tours are available from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday as well.

Bennett Place state historic site will hold "Road to Secession," a special event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday. The event will include a recruiting station that recreates the enlistment of young men at the outset of the Civil War and gives demonstrations of military drills and musket firing. Women will be practicing period cooking, sewing and preparing care packages. There also will be an exhibition 19th-century style baseball game by the Greensboro Patriots against the locals and new recruits. Mule-pulled wagon rides will be available. And there will be some vendors and live music. Bennett Place is at 4409 Bennett Memorial Rd. in Durham. The event is free.

Follow the Child Montessori School, 1215 Ridge Rd. (across from Whole Foods) will hold a giant yard sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It's open to the public. You'll find all kinds of infant and children's clothing, along with toys, books, baby gear, furniture and household items. All proceeds will benefit the school.

Something that might appeal to moms out there ... the non-profit Green Chair Project will be holding a moving sale starting with a special event Thursday. The Green Chair Project collects household furnishings and works with local agencies to give them to families in need. The group will be moving to a new location on Nov. 1 and needs help lightening the load before the move. Most of the donations are placed directly with families in need, but a portion of the donations, for instance antiques, vintage items and collectibles, are sold to the public. It starts Thursday at 1319 Capital Blvd. A $10 donation is required to shop from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. There will be free food, drinks and first dibs on the pieces. It's open to the public Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. No donation is required at the door on Friday and Saturday. For more information and to RSVP for the Thursday evening event, click here.

We also have a couple of consignment sales this week. Just 4 Kids wraps up Thursday in Fuquay-Varina. The Monkey Exchange ends Friday. Click here for details on both.

The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in Chatham County is Thursday through Sunday. This is a large festival with local music, dancing, workshops, food and family activities. Many camp out for the entire festival. The Sandbox kids and family band will be among the 60 performers, which also includes Bela Fleck and The Flecktones and the Paperhand Puppet Intervention. Sandbox performs on Saturday. There is a special zone for kids with face painting, performances, storytelling, a climbing wall and a Sunday afternoon parade. Tickets vary depending on how long you'll be there. They are as much as $80 for an adult four-day pass. Kids 12 and under are admitted free.

The Cary Safety Festival will mark National Fire Prevention Week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fred G. Bond Metro Park, 801 High House Rd. in Cary. The Cary Fire Department, Cary emergency personnel, Cary Emergency Response Team, and town of Cary inspections and permits staff will be on hand with information about how to protect your family from fire. Children ages three to 12 can participate in a safety obstacle course featuring a stop, drop and roll station, “crawl low in smoke” simulation, hose carry, dummy drag and extinguish a miniature house fire. All participates will receive a T-shirt and winners in each age group will receive trophies.

Bond Park's Sertoma Amphitheater also will host Brass at Bond, a free concert at 1 p.m. Saturday featuring some of the state's most innovative brass ensembles. Bring a blanket and a picnic.

The Cary Eid Festival is from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. The fifth annual event celebrates two worldwide festivals - Eid al-Fitr, Festival of Feast, marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, Festival of Sacrifice, marks the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. More than 9 million U.S. Muslims celebrate these festivals along with more than 1.5 billion people around the world. The event includes live music, dancing and more. Admission is $5. Kids 12 and under are admitted free. Free admission for all before noon.

The Museum of Life and Science in Durham will open its new exhibit "Race: Are We So Different?" on Saturday. It runs through Jan. 22. The exhibit encourages visitors to explore the science, history and impact of race and racism. You'll find artifacts, photography, multimedia components and interactive displays. Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for ages 3 to 12; $11 for ages 65 and up; and free for kids under 3. The fee includes admission to the exhibition and the museum.

Friday is the first Friday of the month, which means it's time for First Friday at museums, galleries, shops and restaurants across downtown Raleigh. Among the special activities, Marbles Kids Museum is open until 8 p.m. with a special workshop led by the N.C. Theatre, which will teach the moves to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Learn the moves at 6 p.m., disperse throughout the museum and then everybody will perform at 6:45 p.m. It's $10 per immediate household. If you want to bring a friend or grandma along, it's another $2.

Also at Marbles on Friday, the IMAX theater will open "Spookley the Square Pumpkin," based on the book of about the same name. The 45-minute movie is rated G. Looks like cheerful Halloween fun for younger kids.

Raleigh parks' annual KidsFest is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Spring Forest Road Park, 4203 Spring Forest Rd., in Raleigh. The event includes games and rides. The Raleigh police and fire departments will be there, along with hayrides, stage entertainers, inflatables, arts and crafts and more. There will be a new preschool play area for kids ages 5 and under. There is no charge to attend. All games, rides and activities that the city's parks and recreation department provides will be free.

The Carolina Bay Outdoor Festival is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Flora Macdonald campus, 200 South College St., Red Springs. The event encourages families, kids and others to engage with nature through education, participation, instruction and experiences. There will be birds of prey demonstrations, rock climbing walls, educational exhibits, guided nature walks and more. Tickets are $2 for kids ages 4 to 15 and $5 for adults. Net proceeds will go to the maintenance and restorations of Flora Macdonald, an independent, college preparatory, coeducational day school for preschoolers to high schoolers about half an hour southwest of Fayetteville.

N.C. Parent Consultants will host one of its Saturday parenting forums from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at 519 Keisler Dr., Suite 202, in Cary. The topic: Consequences vs. Punishment. What is the difference? What is most effective? It's free, but you're asked to register at least 48 hours in advance. Send an email to enroll@ncparentconsultants.com or call 919-336-5407.

Duke Gardens' final Fall Family Fun activity day is noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. No registration is required. The free, drop-in event features science and craft activities.

And the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh has a couple of events this weekend. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, the museum will offer a free drop-in craft program. Visitors can see the exhibit Cherokee Carvers: Tradition Renewed then color a creatures of their own. From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Blind Boy Chocolate and the Milk Sheiks will play a free concert. The group mixes fiddle, guitar and mandolin with wood saw, wash-bucket bass and washboard. The string band draws selection from early American music. It's free.