Happy Wednesday Smarties. This will be a great weekend to head Uptown, visit Discovery Place and then have some family fun at EpiCenter as they host a Kids Central event to kick off the Olympic Games. Give your kids a taste of the farm and take them to Darby Acres Farm. This is my family’s new favorite spot to meet new animals and have a hands on experience with a variety of animals that have been rescued and given a new home. Get out and enjoy!
Let the Games Begin!
EpiCenter
July 28, 11:00am-3:00pm
Our Kids Club Central event for July: Let the Games Begin! Event will be held in The Commons on the first level. The whole family can compete in games of skill, and take home prizes and awards. Mascots from college and professional teams from our area will greet you, and we even have our very own parade for contestants at 1:30 p.m. Our friends from Radio Disney will join in the fun! It’s all for fun, and all free.
Rural Hill Food Truck Rally
Rural Hill,Huntersville
July 27, 5:00pm-9:00pm
The first-ever Food Truck Rally in the Lake Norman area! Check out the great food that can be found in our local food trucks. In addition to great food options, the Rally will feature live music, corn hole, local merchants, children’s activities, and living history experiences.
Family Campfire
McDowell Nature Center
July 27, 7:00pm-8:00pm
Enjoy Stories, eat s’mores, and sing songs around a campfire with family and friends. Groups are welcome to attend, come early to get tickets to the Nature at Night Hayride immediately following the Campfire (May – September). For more information call McDowell Nature Center at 704.588.5224. Cost is free.
Nature at Night Hayride
McDowell Nature Center
July 27, 8:15pm-9:45pm
Bring your family and experience McDowell Nature Preserve at night. Weather permitting we will venture into our Prairie in search of coyote, bobcat, deer, and owls while taking in the sights and sounds of the night. Limited seating available, pre-register (17 spots) or come to the Family Campfire early to take advantage of first-come first-serve seating (min. 10 spots), contact McDowell Nature Center at 704-588-5224 for more information. Cost is free.
The Wiz
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center McGlohon Theater
July 27-29, Fri.-Sat., 7:00pm; Sun., 4:00pm
This production of the Wiz features some of the areas brightest and talented youth who are destined for greatness. This staged opportunity gives selected youth an opportunity to learn, enhance and create works of art that display their talents. We have engaged these young pre-professionals in technical terminology for the stage, vocal training and artistic strengthening and journaling that has helped develop their experience. Children under the age of 3 do not need a ticket if they are sitting in a lap and not occupying an actual seat. Cost is $10-$17.
Rockin’ & Reelin’ Concert and Movie Series: Key West Band
Pineville Lake Park
July 27, 7:00pm
Lawn chairs, picnic baskets and blankets welcome. Concerts get tunes up at 7:00pm
Broadway Lights
Matthews Community Center
July 28, 7:30pm
A musical theatre revue featuring the rising stars and triple threats of Matthews Playhouse of The Performing Arts. This benefit performance will feature singing and dancing by some of the area’s top young people. Cost is $10 and all proceeds go to Matthews Playhouse.
28th Bon Odori Festival
Wells Fargo Atrium
July 28, 11:00am-4:00pm
This is our 28th Japanese summer festival, we have Japanese style lunch boxes, crafts, games, tea ceremony, calligraphy, origami, yukata fitting so on. Admission is FREE and this festival is for ALL AGES, please come and join us! Japanese drum performance will be held 3 times by Matsuriza from FL.
Buzzy, Buzzy Bees
Reedy Creek Nature Center
July 29, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Pretend to be a bee as you pollinate the tree blossoms in this fun game. Find out about all kinds of bees and why they are so important to our farms. Ages 5 and up. Cost is free.
Learn & Grow Discovery Farm
Patterson Farm
July 20-21, 9:00am-1:00pm
Children will learn where their food comes from as they “work” the farm through 15 interactive learning stations. Through fun simulations, they’ll learn to “milk” a cow, “harvest” honey & produce, “gather eggs” from the coop, and feed the animals. Cost is $8, under 2 is free.
National Geographic Crittercam
Discovery Place
Through September 16
What do wild animals do when humans aren’t around? Take a rare peek into the private lives of animals through Crittercams, imaging devices worn safely by wildlife. Designed to help researchers learn how animals live, eat and care for their young, these tools enable us to better understand how to protect the very animals that wear them. Take a wild ride as you experience the world from an entirely new perspective – dive deep with penguins, hunt with lions, lurk with crocodiles and much more.
Dinner and a Movie – The Three Stooges(PG)
Carolina Place Mall
July 28, 5:00pm-9:00pm
Carolina Place is going Hollywood this summer, as the mall launches “Dinner and a Movie” on Saturday evenings in June and July. The lineup of family-friendly box office hits will air each Saturday from June 2 to July 28 (excluding July 7). The events take place in the grass courtyard directly beside REI, near the parking lot for the food court entrance. All summer long, families can take a break from cooking on the weekends and enjoy special dining offers from 5 – 9 p.m. at participating mall restaurants. On-site service includes meals from Chick-fil-A, cookies and tea from McAlister’s Deli and free popcorn, while supplies last. Pre-show entertainment begins at 7:30 p.m., with Radio Disney on site for two special Disney movie nights. Other nights will feature a variety of performers such as magicians and clowns. Movie pre-shows begin about 20 minutes prior to dusk, with the movies starting at sunset. The outdoor setup will include surround sound and a 23-foot, inflatable movie screen – the same size as a theater screen. Families are encouraged to bring blankets to create a comfortable seating area.
