Hello Smarties! Looks like it is going to be another wonderful Carolina weekend. Grab the family and head out to visit one of our areas parks to celebrate Arbor Day. Enjoy the beach without leaving town at Beach Fest Matthews or join Smarty Pants at the Running for Ronald 5k and Family Fun Fest. You can also refresh your home library at the Friends of the Library sale and if you want some indoor fun, head out for the Loolipops Concert (the last of the season) or support one of our amazing theatre groups. Get out and Enjoy!
Running for Ronald 5K Run/Walk and Family Fun Day
McAlpine Creek Park
April 30, 7:30am-noon
Join us for the second annual Running for Ronald 5K Run/Walk & Family Fun Day, Presented by the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte Teen Volunteer Board. We will run or walk our way through beautiful McAlpine Creek Park, to enable the Ronald McDonald House to thrive in Charlotte. Following the run, you will have the opportunity to enjoy fabulous games, music, food, various vendors, and fun for everyone! Included in your registration fee is a 2011 participant t-shirt and access to all the Family Fun Day has to offer. Spectators are welcome to enjoy the Family Fun activities – but a donation of $5.00 would be greatly appreciated! All proceeds from Running for Ronald will support the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte’s operating budget which allows the house to provide housing, food, shelter, and support to families of seriously ill or injured children at little or no cost to the families. No family is ever denied service due to inability to pay, and those families who choose to contribute are asked only for a small donation to help offset the cost of their stay. Registration Opens : 7:30 am, Runners Start : 8:30 am, Walkers Start : 8:45am, Family Fun Day : 9:00am – 12:00pm, Kids Fun Run : 10:00am.
Arbor Day: A Tree, a Book and Me
McDowell Nature Center
April 29, 10:30am-11:15am
Join us for a reading of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. Weather permitting; we will enjoy this story under the trees in the fresh spring air. A short tree gratitude hike will follow. Cost is free.
The Giving Tree
Latta Plantation Nature Center
April 29, 3:30pm-4:30pm
Join us this Arbor Day to celebrate TREES with Shel Silverstein’s classic, The Giving Tree! After reading the story, we will explore the parts of a tree and discover some of the wonderful items that come from trees. Ages 4 and over. Cost is free.
Beach Fest Matthews
Historic Downtown Matthews, Stumptown Park
April 29-30
Come and put your toes in the sand…. Live Beach Music, Shagging, Sand Volleyball,
Boardwalk-style Food Vendors, Full-sized Carnival Rides, Hands-on Crafts & Activities for Kids, Interactive Sponsor Exhibits, and much more!!
Friends of the Library: Spring 2011 Benefit Book Sale
Quail Corners Shopping Center
April 29-May 2, times vary
Proceeds from the Friends of the Library sale will benefit Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system to help enhance the library’s collections and programs. May 2nd buy one, get two free!
Pied Piper – The Musical
Actor’s Theatre Of Charlotte
April 29-30, Fri., 7:30pm; Sat., 2:00pm, 4:00pm
A musical production of the beloved children’s classic-the Pied Piper, presented by Playing for Others, a a leadership training program for teens who are passionate about the arts. Suitable for ages 3 and up. Cost is $10.
Tomas and the Library Lady
ImaginOn
April 29-May 1, Fri., 7:30pm; Sat., 1:00pm, 3:00pm; Sun., 2:00pm
Tomás and his family travel north from their home in Texas for a summer of farm work. Tomás loves being with his parents and his Papá Grande, but moving so much makes it hard to learn English and do well in school. He finds refuge at the local library, where a friendly librarian introduces him to the world of books, and fosters a lifelong love of reading and learning. Adapted from Pat Mora’s book about Tomás Rivera, the child of migrant workers who became a novelist and educator, this touching play reminds us of the difference one person can make in the lives of others. Performed by the Tarradiddle Players. Ages 7 and up. Cost is $14-$18.
Charlotte Symphony Lollipops presents Carnival of the Animals
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
April 30, 11:00am
Lollipops family concerts bring children and adults together to experience the thrill of a live orchestra. Enchanting storytellers, comic clowns, and graceful dancers join the Charlotte Symphony musicians to create a magical musical world for young listeners. You won’t want to miss this wondrous series! Dancers from the North Carolina Dance Theatre School of Dance strut, prance, pounce, and glide in Saint-Saëns’s musical menagerie, Carnival of the Animals. Hens and roosters, tortoises and kangaroos, and the elegant swan all come to graceful and boisterous life in the Lollipops season finale. Cost is $12.50-$25.50.
Community Day and 20th Birthday Party
Levine Museum of the New South
May 1, Noon-5:00pm
The unveiling of Cotton fields to Skyscrapers new ending and the 20th celebration continues. The public is invited to a community day with exhibit tours, live entertainment, family activities and more. Free admission all day.
Mother’s Day Tea
SouthPark Mall
May 1, 12:30pm-3:00pm
Join us for a Mother’s Day Tea with the Charlotte City Ballet and Pottery Barn Kids. Treat moms to an afternoon of arts and crafts, delicious hors d’oeuvres. Performances by the Charlotte City Ballet Company at 1:00pm and 2:30pm. Cost is $5, free for Kidgits members.
