Weekend Plans: Santa Claus, Veteran's Day parade, children's theater, car show, more

With Halloween behind us, the Christmas season has begun apparently. Here’s your weekend family fun. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About section for more weekend activities. And a few pumpkin patches are still open for the season. Check our Hallowen and Fall Fun database.

Santa Claus begins sitting for pictures at the region’s malls starting Saturday. Click here to find out where he’ll be and when.

Mark Veteran's Day, which is Monday, at the N.C. Veteran's Day Parade in downtown Raleigh on Saturday. The parade begins at the intersection of Fayetteville and Davie streets at 9:30 a.m. It ends at the State Capitol at 11 a.m. where there is a wreath laying ceremony. This isn't a huge parade, but we've enjoyed it in past years. It's a great way for families to mark Veteran's Day.

The Raleigh Little Theater has extended the run of “June B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,” a show adapted from the popular early chapter book series by Barbara Park. Three additional shows have been added on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23. This week, shows are scheduled Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $13 for adults and teens; $9 for kids 12 and under. These shows, featuring local kids, are a lot of fun.

Another theater option for young audiences: Raleigh Area Children’s Theater will present “Seussical Jr., the Musical.”  Shows are Friday and Saturday at Journey Church, 2500 Spring Forest Rd., Raleigh. Tickets are $10 and $15 at the door.

Raleigh Dance Theatre will perform its annual show “Storybook Tales,” with shows Saturday and Sunday at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Very talented young ballet dancers will perform “Tea for Ruby,” based on the children’s book by Sarah Ferguson and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (also of Fancy Nancy fame) and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Glasser will be at the Sunday performances to sign copies of the book purchased through Raleigh Dance Theatre. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Twice As Nice Kids Consignment Sale is open to the public in Apex on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Read my earlier post for details.

The N.C. Museum of Art will have a variety of activities this Veteran’s Day weekend. Admission to its Porsche by Design exhibit will be free from Saturday through Monday to all veteran and active duty military and their immediate family. Starting at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, the museum will host a car meetup honoring veterans. There will be live music, gourmet donuts and coffee for sale, a kids play zone, car-themed craft table and more. Also, the museum’s east building with the Porsche exhibit will be open on Monday (when the museum is normally closed).

The Peak City Book Festival is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, at 237 N. Salem St., Apex. The festival features authors and children’s books published by Peak City Publishing, a scavenger hunt, and more.

The Apex High School Band Carnival is 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, at Apex High School. Admission is $10 for kids under 18 (but no more than $30 per family). There will be inflatables, a giant slide, games, facepainting, go-carts and more. 

Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education in Wake County will host Super Saturday with a variety of activities and workshops for kids. Registration is a must here. It’s Saturday at Meredith College in Raleigh. Check the website to learn more about the program and the group. 

And if you’re ready to start your Christmas shopping, The Handmade Market in Raleigh’s City Market has a lot of beautiful, adorable, artistic handmade items. I love walking through this show. It’s 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday.