Weekend plans: Fire truck parade, consignment sales, Meet the Pack Day, more

The Locally Grown festival in Chapel Hill on Wallace Plaza will feature Toy Story 3 on Thursday. Kids can make their own musical instruments with reused items thanks to Kidzu Children's Museum. Activities start at 8 p.m. The movie starts at sundown. Movie, crafts and popcorn are free.

Grey Seal Puppets will present "Tangle of Tales" at 1 p.m. Friday at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex. Tickets are $5. Kids under two are admitted free. The show includes three favorite folk tales from around the world: The Frog Prince from Germany teaches the importance of a promise. Three Billy Goats Gruff from Scandinavia warns us against gluttony. And The Three Little Pigs from England is all about doing the job right. Each story is told in a different style using a variety of puppets.

The Cary Arts Center's dedication is this weekend in downtown Cary. The new center will allow the town to offer more programs and performances for kids. Read my earlier post for details on the new center and this weekend's events. The family-friendly activities are Saturday.

The South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo takes over the Raleigh Convention Center this weekend. The expo brings firefighters, EMS and rescue personnel and emergency management agencies from across the south Atlantic region to Raleigh for training, information sessions and displays. But there's also a fire truck parade! The parade will start at 9 a.m. Saturday and travel from the State Capitol down Fayetteville Street, then west to Davie Street and south to Salisbury Street where the trucks will pass the convention center. The trucks will park after the parade on Cabarrus Street if you want a closer look. Fayetteville Street is a great place to watch this parade. You'll see both modern and antique trucks. A great time, especially for all those fire truck loving kids out there.

We have six total consignment sales across the region including the big Triangle Mothers of Twins and Triplets sale at the fairgrounds, Kidcycle in Chapel Hill, Upscale Resale in Cary and the 2nd Look Boutique in Apex. There also are sales in Clinton and Dunn. Check my earlier post for details.

The 2011 Meet the Pack Day at N.C. State is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Fans can meet and get autographs from N.C. State football players and coaches. The N.C. State cheerleaders and Mr. and Ms. Wuf will be there too. Parking and admission are free. Fans are asked to bring donations for a school supply drive.

It's the second Saturday of the month, which means it's time for Second Saturdays at historic sites and museums across the state. Events in the region include Banjos, Books and Brogans at the Bennett Place Historic Site in Durham. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, the free program will feature music, musket firings and other living history demonstrations. There is a summer children's festival at Duke Homestead in Durham from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with music, dancing, crafts, storytellers, games and more. And there are many more events in the Triangle (and beyond if you're looking for a day trip). Check the Second Saturdays website for more information and all the details. Most, if not all, of the events are free.

Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh will host a Home Depot Kids Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. It's free with admission to Marbles, which is $5 per person.

It's Engineers Day at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, museum staff, volunteers, professional engineers and engineering students will offer a day of hands-on activities to celebrate Engineers Week. It's free with admission to the museum, which ranges from $9.95 for kids to $12.95 for adults.

The Raleigh City Museum will take a closer look at Native Americans of North Carolina. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, learn more about native life. Take home your own sunflower or try weaving your own paper basket. The program is free.

Hillsborough will host a Family Fun Day on Saturday. You'll find all kinds of activities for kids, along with guided tours and other special events here. Click here for the full schedule and details.

The Durham County Library will celebrate the end of its summer reading club with events at libraries starting Friday. The events will take place from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday at McDougald Terrace and Bragtown Libraries. All other Durham library locations will host their celebrations from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. More than 10,000 children, teens and adults signed up for summer reading in Durham this year. The free events will feature games, fun, food and prizes.

Mathnasium will celebrate the opening of its new Durham location at the Patterson Place Shopping Center near the intersection of US 15-501 and I-40 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The math learning center for kids from preschool to college will feature food, giveaways and sign ups for free trials and assessments, along with a First Lego League exhibition. Read my earlier post for details.

World in Motion on Chapel Hill Road in Morrisville will have a back to school open house from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Learn more about the program's children's dance and fitness classes, which start the week of Aug. 22. There also will be mini-lessons in children's Zumba, bellydance, hip hop and yoga. Admission is $5 total for families with up to three kids and $1 for each additional child. Register online by clicking here.