Weekend Roundup September 25-27

Happy Fall, Y’all! There is a ridiculous amount of free family friendly fun happening in and around Huntsville this weekend… so much that we had to crank out another MEGA edition of the Roundup to fit it all in!

Worth noting is that several pumpkin patches are open this weekend for the season, and we want to shine a spotlight on our friends at 4D Farms for hosting their Opening Weekend – they have a new corn maze to explore with a special surprise! Lyon Family Farms – is also rolling out the pumpkins, and they’ve got a very cool Bounce Back Pass going on in September. Get all the details in our 2015 Fall Activity Guide.

A few more resources that you might need to plan your weekend out nicely:

• Farmer’s Market Directory: there are SIX happening this weekend!
• Parent’s Night Out: great for planning Date Nights
• Consignment Sales: catch a great deal!

Now let’s round up those awesome events!

A Toyrific Birthday!

Friday-Sunday
Cost: FREE
Learning Express (map)

Learning Express is having a birthday, but YOU’RE getting the presents! In addition to having a store-wide 20% off sale, they will host free visits with Olaf, Anna, Elsa, Elmo, and Minions, as well as facepainting and family game nights. Get a full schedule of events here, and get ready to party!

Concerts On the Dock

Friday at 6:00 PM
Cost: FREE, $2 parking
Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment (map)

Concerts on the Dock has grown from a small gathering of music lovers to an institution in the Huntsville music scene since the first note was struck in 2008.  This free, family friendly series is all about creating a laid back atmosphere for friends of Lowe Mill to enjoy original content and interesting new acts, Friday nights during the Fall. Bring chairs, picnics, friends and pets on a leash and join us under the water tower! Carpooling encouraged.

River Clay Fine Arts Fest

Saturday & Sunday
Cost: $3-5
Decatur City Hall (map)

58 artists will fill the City Hall lawn and will offer works including paintings, sculpture, pottery, glass, found objects art, jewelry, and much more. The event plans to bring numerous visitors to the Decatur area over the two-day period. In addition to visiting with outstanding artists, festival attendees will enjoy live art demonstrations, musical performances, and children’s activities and student artwork. The River Clay Fine Arts Festival will truly offer something for everyone.

FREE Smithsonian Day

Saturday from 9AM-5PM
Cost: FREE, voucher required
USSRC (map) | Hardin Center in Gadsden (map)

Museum Day Live! is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country offer free admission to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket. Spend the day at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for FREE, and get a 40% discount on merchandise in the gift shop!
If the crowds are too much at the Space & Rocket Center, head down the road to the Hardin Center for the Cultural Arts. They’re participating too, and the new Warhol exhibit is super cool for kids and adults! Click here to print your ticket for two people. Note: You must preprint your ticket or have it accessible on your mobile device for free admission.

HOTC Dog Fair

Saturday 9AM-3PM
Cost: FREE
Monte Sano State Park (map)

Have a fun Saturday with Fido at the annual Huntsville Obedience & Training Club Dog Fair! Attractions include: public participation agility and rally, freestyle demonstrations, microchipping clinic ($25/dog), Canine Good Citizen test, lots of games and prizes and adoptable dogs. All dogs must be on-leash. Come have fun with your dog! For more information visit www.dogfair.org.

Family Storytime

Saturday at 10:00 AM
Cost: FREE
Madison Public Library (map)

Working parents who miss storytimes during the week now have a chance to participate on Saturdays, thanks to the librarians at the Madison Library. Listen to Ms. Teresa’s stories, do a craft, and check out some great books with your family, then head out and spend some serene time in the library’s Children’s Garden.

Craft Shows Galore!

Saturday
Cost: FREE
Various locations (see below)

Fall is here, and that means tons of awesome craft fairs full of folk art, jewelry, and local maker products. They are all a great place to spend an afternoon, and many this weekend are partnered with Fall Festivals.

• MBC’s Fall Fest & Craft Fair: 9AM – 2PM
• Buckhorn Craft Show & Fall Fest: 9AM – 4PM
• Shop for Paws Craft Show: 9AM – 2PM
• Art Market at Lowe Mill: Noon – 4PM

iFest International of North AL

Saturday from 9:30AM-5PM
Cost: FREE
UAH Fitness Center (map)

A ONE-day, free, festival featuring international music, food, dance performances, history, and culture from all over the world!  Over 30 nations being showcased, with many children activities! Guests can also take a stroll in the Open-Air International Market to find special hand-crafted goods from local artisans. Bring the whole family! More info here.

Sensational Sunday Concert

Sunday at 6 PM
Cost: FREE, donations accepted
Huntsville Community Drumline Center (map)

An electrifying community concert featuring percussion artist, J.D. Blair, and saxophonist Yuressa Hubbard will get your whole family’s toes tapping! All proceeds benefit the youth of Huntsville Community Drumline, so you can feel good about coming out to hear great music and supporting a great cause.

Dave’s Safari Animal Show

Saturday at 1PM and 4PM
Cost: $10
Kidventure (map)

Dave from Animal Trax is teaming up with KidVenture to host Dave’s Safari. This 1.5 hours of hands-on, learning fun features a huge variety of animals, including reptiles. If you ever had the opportunity to see a “Dave” show, you know that he is beyond entertaining! Parents and kids alike will have a great time. You must buy your tickets in advance at KidVenture or Animal Trax. You do NOT want to miss this show! Dave has “retired” from show business, but is coming back just for this event.

[box style=”lavender rounded” ]DISCLAIMER: We do our best at Rocket City Mom to provide accurate, useful information about events and activities. This information (such as times and locations) is gathered from user submissions, press releases, local newspapers, signs around town and word of mouth. While we always try to confirm details before they are posted here, sometimes details change or we are given inaccurate information. Whenever possible we link our write-ups to the source in which our information came from and strongly urge you to confirm details before you go, especially when it comes to outdoor events and weather. [/box]