Weekend Plans: Science Expo, colonial day, all kinds of festivals

Like last weekend, there's a lot going on this weekend. And if you're looking for corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkin patches and Halloween and harvest-related events, be sure to check the Go Ask Mom Halloween Guide.

The N.C. Science Festival, which coordinated science events, programs and activities across the state for two weeks this month, wraps up with some big events across North Carolina Sunday. But of course I'm going to highlight the UNC Science Expo, which is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill. Yours truly will be there all day. So be sure to stop by the Go Ask Mom booth for some fun little giveaways and to enter to win our contest for a $50 gift certificate to Mellow Mushroom. The expo will highlight science happenings at UNC and feature the N.C. Science Challenge for kids in elementary to high school. Check the website for all of the details.

Saturday is a Family Day at the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh. The free event celebrating colonial North Carolina runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features free admission to the new exhibit "Discover the Real George Washington," which opened earlier this month and traces the life of the first president. The day also includes lots of other activities, including crafts for kids, Revolutionary War reenactors, stories from the Carolina backcountry and more. Kids can try their hand at churning butter and grinding corn.

Live it up on Raleigh's Hillsborough Street from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. The event, called Live It Up!, features live music, a farmers market, a kids zone with inflatables, rock climbing, a hot dog eating contest and a lot more. The event celebrates the recent completion of the roadwork and major upgrade to Hillsborough Street.

Gustafer Yellowgold is back at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro at 11 a.m. Saturday. This is a great show. And we love the music at my house. Read my earlier post for details.

Benson Mule Days takes over downtown Benson from Thursday through Sunday. You'll find everything you'd expect in a small town festival that draws thousands of people plus mules. We're talking a parade, carnival rides, live music, trolley rides, a rodeo and much more.

The long-running Storytelling Festival at Historic Oak View County Park is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the park off Poole Road in Raleigh. The free event includes storytelling, a hayride shuttle, free face painting and the "Tale Tellin' Tent" where you can tell your own stories. Bring a blanket, cushion or chair as it's lawn seating only.

The second annual Beethoven and Blue Jeans Concert Series is 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex. Wear your blue jeans and enjoy this relaxed concert with audience interaction and classical music. The program, led by Christopher Reed, director of Apex's Jordan Academy of Performing Arts, will include selections by Beethoven, Chopin and others. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for kids. Great for piano students.

You might remember when I wrote about Smart Momma, the Raleigh baby store, moving to bigger digs this month. The store at 8601 Glenwood Ave. will have a big sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Sales, giveaways, raffles and more. An especially great event if you're expecting a baby and need to furnish a nursery. The store also has car seats, strollers, breastfeeding accessories, toys and lots more.

Four consignment sales are this weekend in Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Cary. Check my earlier post for details.

C&H Cafeteria in Raleigh is kicking off the C&H kids club from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. There will be balloons, crafts, a raffle and more. Membership in the kids club is free for kids 12 and under. On the fourth visit and purchase of a child's plate special, a child will get a free dessert. There also will be weekly or monthly drawings for free kids plates. The kids club is only for the restaurant's location in Six Forks Station on Forum Drive, not the other locations in Durham or Kernersville. Check the website for more information.

Quail Ridge Books & Music will have two big events for kids this weekend. Doreen Cronin, author of the Caldecott-winning "Click, Clack, Moo," will be at the Raleigh store at 2 p.m. Sept. 25 with her new picture book "Rescue Bunnies." Best for ages 4 and up. And a special musical storytime is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday. N.C. Symphony horn player Rachel Niketopoulos will present an introduction to Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf. Instruments from the symphony's instrument zoo will be there. And there will be a drawing for tickets to the symphony's Young People's Series.

From 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, the Triangle Farmer Foodshare Challenge will seek to raise over 4,000 pounds of fresh local food for hungry people in the Triangle. The Carrboro Farmers' Market, Durham Farmers' Market, S. Estes Farmers' Market in Chapel Hill and the Western Wake Farmers' Market in Cary will join together for the event. Shoppers can stop by and donate either cash to buy food from the farmers or buy their own farm fresh food to donate it directly. There will be activities for kids as well.

There are two music festivals. The Hillsborough Jazz Festival is Saturday. And the free Carrboro Music Festival starts at 1 p.m. Sunday and features music across downtown Carrboro. A teen stage is at Fitch Lumber on Greensboro Street.

The Kids Fest at Triangle Town Center off Capital Boulevard in Raleigh wraps up this weekend. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, the Triangle Town Commons will feature live performances, kids karaoke, inflatable slides, a trackless train and more.

And don't forget to take your child outside this week {and every other week really). But this week just happens to be Take a Child Outside Week, which is led by the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. Check my earlier post for more on that.