Every Friday through the summer, I am posting a roundup of weekend events happening in the Treasure Valley that are perfect for families. If there's an event I haven't listed, please feel free to post in the comments section below.
BOISE
Friday Night Pool Party -- Friday
Teens ages 12-17 are invited to swim, listen to music and win prizes. 9 to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 5, Natatorium/hydrotube, 1811 Warm Springs Ave., Boise. $2 per person. 608-7675, www.cityofboise.org/parks.
Boise Hawks -- Friday and Saturday
Boise Hawks Baseball vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes: 7:15 p.m. Aug. 5-6, Memorial Stadium, 5600 Glenwood St., Garden City. $6-$12. 322-5000, www.boisehawks.com.
* Awareness Night, 6:15 p.m. Aug. 6. $35. Portion of each ticket will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Awareness tickets gets people access to the Hawks zone from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. with an all-you-can-eat buffet and unlimited beer and soda. www.pancan.org/boise.
The Dog Show Puppet Show -- Friday and Saturday
10:30 a.m. Aug. 5 and 2 p.m. Aug. 6, Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Blvd. For families with children up to 6 years old. Free.
Soul Food Extravaganza -- Saturday
This is the 19th year for the Soul Food Extravaganza, which brings thousands to Julia Davis Park for food, music and community. It started as a pot-luck picnic to bring together Boise’s African-American community. As the circle widened, and more people kept coming, it expanded into an annual festival. Today it is the largest soul food festival in the Northwest.
You’ll find collard greens, barbecue, fried catfish, jambalaya and sweet potato pie alongside pulled pork, German sausage and teriyaki chicken.
That diversity will be on stage, too, with entertainment from DJs to gospel groups, blues to rock.
There’s also a classic car show.
This year you can match your skills against competitive eater Furious Pete Czerwinski. He will tell his inspiring story at 3:50 p.m. and then take on a few local challengers.
This year’s beneficiaries are the Idaho Black History Museum and the Idaho Foodbank.
11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 6, Julia Davis Park, 700 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise. BoiseSoulFoodFestival.com. Free.
Smokey Bear’s birthday party -- Sunday
Celebrate Smokey’s 67th birthday at the Idaho Botanical Garden with crafts and games for kids. Learn about campfire safety, take a firewise garden tour at 11:30 a.m. and browse educational displays.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 7, Idaho Botanical Garden, 2355 N. Penitentiary Road, Boise. Free. 343-8649.
MERIDIAN
Meridian Firefighter's Salmon BBQ -- Friday
Proceeds benefit the Meridian Firefighter’s Association & Burnout Fund. 6 p.m. Aug. 5 (seniors served at 5 p.m.), Meridian Speedway Dairy Barn, 335 S. Main St. $12 in advance, $15 at the door; $10 seniors, $6 children 6-12, free for ages 5 and younger. Tickets available at Express Cafe, Meridian Chamber of Commerce, Meridian Fire Administration (City Hall), Meridian Firestation No. 2. 888-2817.
CableONE Movie Night in Meridian -- Friday
Grab your family and bring your lawn chairs and blankets for movie night at Settlers Park in Meridian. Tonight (Friday, August 5), enjoy 'Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' on the huge inflatable movie screen. All movies start at dusk.
NAMPA
Fandemonium -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Multi-media entertainment event features anime, science fiction, fantasy, comics, horror, video games, more. Panels and workshops on crafting, costuming, swordplay, writing, more. 10 a.m. to midnight Aug. 5-7, Nampa Civic Center, 311 3rd St. S. Admission at the door: $40 for three-day ($35 for ages 6-12, seniors, military), $22 per day ($20 youth, seniors, military). www.fandemonium.org.
Nampa Depotfest -- Saturday and Sunday
Enjoy the annual two-day celebration of the Nampa Train Depot. The festival features arts and crafts booths, food, music, children’s games and activities, a wiener dog race, antique cars, historic recreations, contests, demonstrations, museum tours, railroad memorabilia, a beer and wine garden and more. Also, the Operation Lifesaver Street Train will be giving free rides in Downtown Nampa.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 6-7, Nampa Train Depot Museum, 1200 Front St. Free. 467-7611.
CALDWELL
Movies For a Cause -- Friday
Watch "Iron Man 2." Proceeds from food, vendors and donations benefit the Police Athletic League. 9:30 p.m. Aug. 5, Caldwell Memorial Park, Grant Street and S. Kimball Avenue. Free.
HORSESHOE BEND
Wild West Shows - Saturday and Sunday
Interactive 1880s-themed show presented by River City Entertainment. Train departure at noon, Thunder Mountain Line, 120 Mills Road, Horseshoe Bend. $6-$43. www.thundermountainline.com.
YELLOW PINE
Yellow Pine Harmonica Contest and Festival -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday
They fiddled in Weiser, and now they will really blow in Yellow Pine at the 22nd annual Yellow Pine Harmonica Contest and Festival. The whole town gets into the act with a dog show at the old tavern, open house at the museum and tons of harmonica performances, jam sessions, contests, open mikes, singalongs and dances. Hundreds come to compete; thousands come to listen and play along, turning the town of 35 into the harmonica capital of the world.
Aug. 5-7, Yellow Pine. (208) 633-3300, HarmonicaContest.com.
IDAHO CITY
Kokanee Outdoors Day -- Saturday
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., take your family on a self-guided road trip up Idaho 21 to Idaho City and follow the route of the kokanee salmon that swim up from Lucky Peak Reservoir.
The road trip will include four well-marked road stops along Idaho 21 near Mores Creek and in Idaho City.
There are activities at each stop, such as gold panning, learning about raptors, and if the fish cooperate, spotting live kokanee in Mores Creek.
Their bright-red color is easy to spot in the creek’s clear water. In recent years, they’ve been plentiful in the creek during the event. This year they have started to move so there should be some to see.
When you get to Idaho City, there’s a free festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at John Brogan Park at 3801 Idaho 21 with kids games, live birds of prey, story telling, fly fishing lessons, music, food and drinks. For details go to TedTrueBloodTu.org, or call (208) 345-9800.
CASCADE
Cascade Air A’Fair -- Saturday
If you’re looking for fun in the air and on the ground, head to Cascade this weekend. The Cascade Air A’Fair is more than just an air show with acrobatic flyers, skydiving and other feats of daring do. The show will be dedicated to aviator Greg Poe, who died last month. Poe helped get this inaugural event started. Events include a night glow and barbecue dinner at 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Sports Park ($5 entrance, $7 to $15 for dinner). The aerial performances run Aug. 6. They’ll also have hot air balloon rides, rock climbing, mini golf and bounce houses for the kids.
Air A’Fair is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 6, and 4 to 6 p.m., Cascade Airport. CascadeAirAfair.com.
IN THEATERS
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Rating: PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence.
What it’s about: The apes break free from their cages and revolt against humanity.
The kid attractor factor: Action — and lots of it — and the presence of the eternally boyish James Franco.
Good lessons/bad lessons: “It is appropriate to be afraid of chimpanzees.”
Violence: Animal cruelty, shootings, beatings, a little blood
Language: Pretty clean for an action film.
Sex: None
Drugs: Beer is consumed.
Parents’ advisory: A violent, thoughtful and somewhat family friendly action film, this one may be too intense for 10 and younger.
COWBOYS & ALIENS
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of Western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference.
What it’s about: Cowboys, Indians and outlaws confront an alien invasion in the Old West.
The kid attractor factor: Cowboys and aliens. Horses and spaceships. Six-shooters and ray guns.
Good lessons/bad lessons: “God don’t care who you were, but who you are.”
Violence: Quite a bit, with blood, too.
Language: A smidgen of Western-style swearing.
Sex: Well, Olivia Wilde is in it. That counts.
Drugs: Liquor and a little smoking.
Parents’ advisory: PG-13 seems a little harsh, as there’s not much here that would teach anyone over the age of 12 a new dirty word or a new unclean thought.
Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel
FIND EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
Find even more family-friendly events using our entertainment calendar here
SHARE WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS WEEKEND
What are your plans? Are you going camping? Headed some place fun for vacation? We'd like to hear from you. Post your plans in the comments section below or on our Facebook page here.
