Good News Friday: Check out this sensory friendly Fourth of July experience in North Carolina

Looking for an alternative to all the noise and explosions on the Fourth of July? This week’s Good News Friday leads with a sensory friendly experience for kids and their families in North Carolina.

It’s been another crazy week, so kick back this 4th of July with a bit of good news.

We’ve got a sensory friendly Fourth of July experience in North Carolina. The curtain closed on DPAC’s impressive 2024-2025 season and baby ducklings had a little help from a group of concerned Cary citizens on this week’s “Good News Friday.”

If you are looking for more good news to brighten up your 4th, be sure to check out our past editions here. 

DPAC ranked #2 in the country

It’s time for the Durham Performing Arts Center to take a bow as its 2024-2025 season comes to an end.

In Billboard Magazine’s midyear 2025 report, DPAC was ranked the #2 venue in the country with a 2,501 – 5,000 capacity. According to Billboard, DPAC presented 133 shows to around 269-thousand guests this season.

DPAC’s top-performing Broadway shows include “Back to the Future,” “& Juliet” and “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical.” The venue also hosted concerts, comedy shows and special events like “Hillary Clinton Live” and “‘Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil.”

The upcoming 2025-2026 season will feature shows like “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child,” “The Outsiders” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” 

Ducklings take a dip

A fuzzy bunch of ducklings took a swim this week in an unlikely place – a storm drain.

According to a story from CBS17, a concerned resident called the Cary Animal Services after noticing a distressed duck circling the drain. What they discovered was nine ducklings stranded in different pipes.

A team including Animal Services, Public Works and Cary citizens formed to push the babies into the sewer basins where they were collected and returned to their mother in a retention pond across the road.

Sensory friendly fun for North Carolina

Marbles Kids Museum in Downtown Raleigh is typically packed on a Friday with loud music and chatter echoing throughout the museum, but not tomorrow.

The museum is closed to the general public on this 4th for their monthly sensory friendly playtime. This event offers kids with disabilities and their families a free day in the museum in a calmer, quieter environment. 

The event will also feature a free movie at the IMAX Theater. The lights will remain on and the sound will be turned down during the showing of “Island of Lemurs.”

Next month’s sensory friendly playtime will be on Aug. 20 at 5:30 pm. Tickets can be reserved here.

(Photo via Shutterstock)