Follow our blogs on Twitter: Mouthful | Happiness is a Warm TV | Tech Junkie | Green Scene | On The Beat

Published Fri, Dec 30, 2011 02:00 AM
Modified Wed, Dec 28, 2011 05:53 PM

An even earlier ball drop

Article

CHRIS SEWARD - 2010 N&O FILE PHOTO

FAVORITES: The giant Lite Brite introduced last year returns, on the 200 block of Fayetteville Street, as does the resolution tree, which will be in the courtyard of Marbles Kids Museum on East Hargett Street.

Email Print Order Reprint

Share This

Text

tool goes here

BY ELIZABETH SHESTAK

At Marbles Kids Museum, the annual Noon Year's Eve celebration kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a bubble wrap "fireworks" display and "jammin' ball drop."

Those wearing a First Night button will receive a buy-one-get-one-free museum admission voucher, along with a free small popcorn with the purchase of an IMAX movie ticket on Saturday. A number of family-friendly flicks like "Olivia's Wintertime Cheer" and "The Adventures of Tintin" are playing.

Visit www.marbleskidsmuseum.org and www.imaxraleigh.org for details.

Thanks to the First Night Raleigh celebration, there are loads of children's activities taking place Saturday at the N.C. Museum of History, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, and on Bicentennial Plaza.

From 2 to 6 p.m., children can do everything from partake in crafts to watch movies, such as the 4:30 p.m. screening of "Madeline." There will be circus shows from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. from three troupes, and at 3 p.m. your kids can "get up close and personal" with critters who call North Carolina their home.

Children 5 and under are free when accompanied by an adult who has purchased a button. These special buttons, which cost $9, get folks into all the celebration has to offer.

For a complete schedule and details, visit http://firstnigh traleigh.com/childrens-celebration .

eshestak@mac.com

Get the biggest news in your email or cellphone as it's happening. Sign up for breaking news alerts.

Email Print Order Reprint

More Life

A classic torte, only slightly tweaked
I go to Guglhupf for lunch, brunch, dinner, and of course, bakery items. LOVE them. They have one dish I love even more than the rest. It’s the Alsatian Potato-Leek Torte – sliced potatoes layered with fresh herbs, leeks and cave-aged Gruyere cheese. Can you request the recipe?
Cooking classes across the Triangle
Here are some opportunities to learn to cook brunch, make pasta and mix cocktails.
Instead of taking shelter, a writer learns the pleasures of rain
Standing on your own feet is a scary proposition, but the rewards of self-employment are great.
Snow: Tipping tips and waiters wearing tattoos
I was having trouble manipulating the fancy pepper shaker at the steakhouse we sometimes patronize, and the waiter came to the rescue.
Obsessed with lawn care
Oh, how we used to chuckle at suburban friends. “The Sod People” we called them. Hahaha. We would go to parties and hear them prattling on about aerating their sod with golf shoes and whatnot. We couldn’t relate so we would excuse ourselves to get more guacamole wondering how anybody could care that much about St. Augustine vs. Bahai. Both sounded religious to us.
A walk on the noir side
It was a dank, rain-sodden Raymond Chandler kind of morning, as if some omnipotent auteur had rung up the studio and ordered a classic film noir sky. Clouds the color of a snub-nosed revolver hovered with ominous intent, and tires on slickened freeway lanes gave off a sinister, knife-sharpening hiss.
Festivals, off-season trips pay off
Afraid that recent price increases in critical budget areas will cramp your warm-weather travel style? Relax. With these simple saving strategies, your summer fun is in the bag.
N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer chronicles state’s wheels, tracks and wings
Rail ridership is up in North Carolina, and interest in railroads never abated. June 2-3, the N.C. Transportation Museum stages its annual Rail Days Festival honoring the glory days of passenger trains.
How to create hanging baskets of lasting beauty
For such sweet-looking things, hanging baskets can be demanding divas. Restricted to small pots and hung in the drying air, their plants often require far more attention to maintain their looks than flowers planted in the ground.
Filling an empty living room
I am not sure what to do with this small room that is just off the front entrance and staircase to our second floor. There is a hallway to the living room and the dining room is on the other side of it. This is an empty room, and we would love to make it a cozy library sitting room or maybe you have a suggestion to help make this a beautiful focal point. I am looking for a classy, rich and elegant look. I can change the room color if needed. I have a neutral eggshell color in the halls and goldish yellow in the dining room.