Tinker Works – Thursday-Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday, noon-5pm – This pop-up exhibit at the Museum of Life and Science will get your creative juices flowing. Embrace your inner Thomas Edison while tinkering with building supplies, circuits, fibers and more to invent a new contraption. The exhibit will continue through November 20.
Afterhours: Tinker + Taste – 6:30-10pm – Use a 3D printer and other technology at the Museum of Life and Science to create your very own invention. Chefs and brewers will also create their own food and drink inventions. Food trucks Qspresso, STUFT and Bull City Street Food will be present. This event is adults only, so leave the kiddos at home!
Charlie Engle – Thursday, 7pm – The author visits The Regulator Bookshop to read and sign copies of his new memoir, “Running Man,” about his career as a world-class marathoner and how he successfully battled addiction by running.
DSA Theatre Presents: “Seussical” – Thursday-Saturday, 7:30pm; Saturday, 3pm – Head to the Weaver Auditorium at Durham School of the Arts to see this musical that takes the audience on a journey through Whoville and the Jungle of Nool.
Eric Johnson – Thursday, 8pm – This Grammy award-winning instrumentalist takes to The Carolina Theatre’s stage for a solo performance featuring acoustic guitar and piano.
“Two Turtle Doves” – Thursday-Saturday, 8pm – Alice Rose Turner and Jaybird O’berski star in this play at the Common Ground Theatre.
Veterans Day Celebration – Friday, noon-2pm – Durham County‘s Human Services Complex hosts this year’s Veterans Day celebration to honor service member and their families. The event features guest speaker Reverend Pamela Chandler Lee, a former United States Naval Officer, as well as the Director of the Durham Department of Veteran Affairs Healthcare System, DeAnne Seekins.
NC Comicon – Friday, noon-7pm; Saturday, 10am-7pm; Sunday, 11am-6pm – With featuring publisher DC Comics, NC Comicon 2016 is held in the Durham Convention Center. Special guests include Gerard Way of the band My Chemical Romance, author of the Jack Reacher series, Lee Child, and Batman comic book artist Klaus Janson. Comicon offers film festivals, costume contests, signings, parties, panels and workshops. Red Storm Entertainment will offer two interactive virtual reality experiences!
ComiQuest Film Festival – Friday-Sunday – The Carolina Theatre hosts a variety of films throughout each day. Among the selections are “Mean Girls,” Stephen Spielberg’s “The Adventures of TinTin,” and “NC Comicon: The Movie.”
Opening Reception for “The Mobile: Composition in Motion” – Friday, 6-9pm – This show at The Carrack features interpretations of sculpture-in-motion from 19 different artists, and will remain on view until November 19.
Preservation Durham Annual Fall Fundraiser – Friday, 6-9:30pm – Head to Morgan Imports for a night of fabulous shopping, a silent auction, food and a cash bar. The event is free and open to the public. All proceeds from the auction benefit Preservation Durham and its mission to protect Durham’s historic assets through advocacy, action and education.
Octonauts Live – Friday, 6pm – Fans of The Octonauts can see their favorite stars from the beloved animated children’s television series live on stage in a brand new interactive theater show at the Durham Performing Arts Center.
“Night School” with Lee Child – Friday, 7:30-11pm – Join the author of the Jack Reacher series and Entertainment Weekly’s Tina Jordan at The Carolina Theatre for a celebration of the release of Lee’s new, highly anticipated Jack Reacher novel, “Night School.” The evening will consist of coffee, beer, food and Reacher-themed trivia. There will be a ’90s-themed after-party at Bull McCabes, where guests will have the opportunity to meet Lee and enter some giveaways! For every ticket sold, Random House will donate a Lee Child book to a service member overseas in honor of Veterans Day.
Duke Djembe and Afro-Cuban Ensembles with Africa Unplugged – Friday, 8pm – This talented group of musicians fuse traditional West African instruments with contemporary, global sound. Catch their free concert at Baldwin Auditorium at Duke University.
Battle of the Blues 5K Fundraiser – Saturday, 9am – Participate in the 5K race or the one-mile walk along the American Tobacco Trail, starting at CM Herndon Park. It benefits the family advisory groups for the Newborn Intensive Care Units at Duke Children’s and UNC Children’s Hospitals. Race and raise money for a good cause!
Durham County Pottery Tour – Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, noon-5pm – Tour 19 artists’ studios throughout Durham County, with hand-crafted works by potters such as Jo Lovvorn and Cynthia Aldrich. Two teaching facilities will also be open for tours, including Claymakers and Durham Arts Council Pottery Studio.
James Joyce’s Movember Chili Cook-Off – Saturday, 1-4pm – Rock your mustache or beard at this cook-off hosted by James Joyce Irish Pub to increase awareness about prostate cancer and raise funds to benefit the Movember Foundation. The competing restaurants include but are not limited to Alivia’s, Kucina Food Truck, Duke and Durty Bull. A ticket includes a sample of chili from each restaurant and a chance to vote on your favorite! Durty Bull will provide beer, and raffle tickets will also be available for purchase with prizes up for grabs such as a pub crawl, Duke basketball tickets, a night at King’s Daughters Inn, 18 holes at Hillandale Golf Club and more.
Deck the Vault – Saturday, 2-3pm – Learn the secrets of “low-stress, happy holiday decorating” from Vintage Vault designers, plus prizes and treats. Bowerbird Flowers and Loren Lamb Interiors will also share professional design tips and tricks!
Artists Talk for “The Mobile: Composition in Motion” – Saturday, 3pm – The Carrack will host a dozen artists, whose work is included in their newest exhibit, for a discussion and Q-and-A.
Corks for Kids Fundraiser for UNC Children’s – Saturday, 7-10pm – Head to The Cookery for the 10th annual wine tasting fundraiser to benefit UNC Children’s Hospital. Hosted by Chapel Hill Wine Company, more than 60 wines will be available to sample. Food, silent and live auctions, and the opportunity to purchase featured tasting wines are among the highlights of the event.
Girls on the Run of the Triangle’s Sweet 16 Gala – Saturday, 7pm *SOLD OUT* – Sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, the celebration of Girls on the Run of the Triangle’s 16th anniversary will be hosted at The Umstead Hotel & Spa. Sports icon Kathrine Switzer will be the keynote speaker.
Culture Hair Studio Grand Opening – Saturday, 7-9pm – Celebrate the opening of Culture Hair Studio at with music by Kward, hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and live hair styling demos.
2016 Gala at the Nasher Museum of Art – Saturday, 7pm – Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and dinner will be served at this Gala honoring Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead. All proceeds will benefit the Nasher Museum of Art.
Sergei Babayan – Saturday, 8pm – One of the first Soviet pianists to emerge after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Babayan performs a powerhouse program of Vladimir Ryabov, Chopin and Bach at Baldwin Auditorium for Duke Performances.
Community Walk & Talk featuring Kathrine Switzer – Sunday, 10am – Head to The Frontier in Research Triangle Park to hear running legend Kathrine Switzer tell her remarkable story before accompanying her and other community members on a one-mile walk. There will be photo opportunities with Kathrine and a chance to purchase a signed copy of her book, “Marathon Woman.”
Family Concert: Brilliant Brass – Sunday, 1-2pm – The Boylan Brass performs at Kirby Horton Hall at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. The band will play Mozart, Piazzolla and more while teaching the audience about the brass family: trumpet, trombone, horn and tuba. The program is interactive and family-friendly!
2016 Triangle Kidney Walk – Sunday, 2pm – The nation’s largest walk to fight kidney disease will be held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The walk raises awareness and funds for the National Kidney Foundation. They’ve raised more than $60,000 so far; help them reach their goal of $90,000!
Southern Author Series: Let the Dead Bury Their Dead – Sunday, 2pm – Author Randall Kenan will connect the audience to life in the contemporary south as he gives a reading of his book, “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead”, at the Nasher Museum of Art.
Making Mobiles Workshop at The Carrack – Sunday, 3pm – Learn basic principles of creating your very own mobile, like balancing and connecting methods. There will be demos as well as a chance to practice with tools and materials provided. The workshop is free; parents must accompany and assist young children, as wire and pointy tools will be used.
Southern Cinema Film Series: Eve’s Bayou – Sunday, 3pm – Join the Nasher Museum of Art for a showing of Eve’s Bayou. The event is free; the film is rated R.
“The Rise and Fall of Liberty” – Sunday, 4-5:30pm – The NC School of Science & Math will hold a pre-release screening of “The Rise and Fall of Liberty,” which will be followed by a Q&A session with the director and editor of the film.
Trails in Motion Film Festival – Sunday, 4:30-6:30pm – Bull City Running Co. hosts the Trails in Motion World Tour in Durham at the Full Frame Theater. Like-minded trail runners and adventure enthusiasts can come together for two hours of short films that showcase some of the planet’s most breathtaking trail running destinations.
Pretenders – Sunday, 7:30pm – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees perform songs from their newest album, “Alone,” at the Durham Performing Arts Center.
