By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

The summer season officially starts this weekend. Here’s what’s happening in the family fun department through Monday. At the end, I list the holiday hours for popular family destinations.

Don’t forget that there are still strawberries out there to pick and that public pools are opening for the season! It’s a big weekend for pool openings. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more.

For the full story click below:

http://www.wral.com/weekend-plans-memorial-day-edition-what-s-open-closed-happening/12469211/

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

I often get emails from parents looking for summer activities and camps for their teens around this time of year.

Daniel Price, teen program director for Raleigh parks, sent these over the other day. Here’s what they have lined up:

• Campus Crusin’, July 15 to July 19, at Kiwanis Park. A self-exploration program designed to assist students in gaining a greater awareness of institutions of higher education in North Carolina. Personal interest surveys, enhancing your resume, and campus tours to many of North Carolina’s private and public universities are coupled with new friendships and a college atmosphere. This is a great chance for students to find a school that will prepare them for their future career! Campus tours include NC State, ECU, UNC, Elon, Barton College, Wake Tech, NC Central, UNC-W, UNC-G, and Duke. For ages 14 to 17. Fee: $150.

For the full story click below:

http://www.wral.com/raleigh-lines-up-camps-for-teens-includes-campus-tours-community-service-/12464535/

Washing your hands after using the bathroom might be a common practice to stop the spread of germs, but not many women may wash their hands after they put them in their purse. But, according to a study conducted by the company Initial Washroom Hygiene, perhaps they should.

Researchers with the hygiene and washroom services company swabbed handbags to find the dirtiest parts. Twenty percent of handbags swabbed had levels of bacteria-related contamination which could potentially cross-contaminate other surfaces — and contained more germs than the average toilet flush, CBS New York reported.

For the full story click below:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57585093/handbags-may-contain-more-germs-than-average-toilet-flush/

So here’s the word from Marbles Kids Museum as we head into the very busy summer season:

The downtown Raleigh destination will have special family play hours on Mondays this summer. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to noon for family play only. No field trips will be allowed that day. Marbles is usually closed on Mondays. Its regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It’s open late on First Fridays and third Tuesdays.

Marbles can be packed with field trips and summer camps. I know this will be a welcome change for a lot of families. The Monday hours start on June 3.

For the full story click below:

http://www.wral.com/marbles-news-around-town-closed-new-summer-hours-kindergarten-kickoff-for-year-round-students/12433091/

All the world’s a stage. Or, at least Downtown Raleigh will be for the next two weeks, as six pianos have been placed there outdoors for anyone to play.  The decorated instruments are set up in public locations around the city as a part of Artsplosure, Raleigh’s annual visual and performing arts festival, and passersby of any skill level are encouraged to give them a go.

For the full story click below:

http://wunc.org/post/six-street-pianos-coming-raleigh-artsplosure

Raleigh, N.C. — It is Mother’s Day weekend, but we have some suggestions for everyone this weekend. 

First up, two food truck rodeos. Fairview Greenhouses and Garden Center in Raleigh will closed out its rodeo series on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

On Sunday, downtown Raleigh will be food truck central with its first rodeo. The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. and will include 40 trucks, including American Meltdown, Sarges and Mama Dukes. Aviator, Raleigh and Carolina brewing companies will also be on hand. In addition to vendors, the City of Raleigh Museum will also be open and hosting activities.

For the entire story please click below:

http://www.wral.com/food-truck-rodeos-great-glow-5k-and-star-wars-night-lead-our-weekend-best-bets/12421838/

SUNDAY is International Nurses Day, celebrated annually by nurses across the globe on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. This year, International Nurses Day also falls on Mothers’ Day, a coincidence that couldn’t be more fitting considering the generosity of spirit that lies at the heart of both nursing and parenting.

While today’s nurses work with the benefits of medical facilities, technology and pharmaceuticals advanced way beyond anything that could have been imagined by ‘‘The Lady With The Lamp’’, the compassion and professionalism with which she nursed remains at the very heart of the profession.

For the full story click below:

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1491191/opinion-nurses-deserve-day-of-acknowledgment/?cs=308