For 30 years, folks have been heading down to the Eno River for the  crafts, live music, demonstrations and environmental education at the Festival for the Eno. The 30th annual festival runs from today through Sunday at the West Point on the Eno Durham City Park and includes some regular favorites and new features.

Maddiey Straubel, the festival's assistant coordinator, offers these tips for families who plan to attend:

Note the time change. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, but will shave a couple of hours off its Sunday schedule. The festival will run from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The change was made in part because of the slow economy and the festival's attendance patterns.

Park at Durham County Memorial Stadium, 2700 N. Duke St. and pick up a shuttle bus to the festival. The only parking at West Point park is for the handicapped and people who ride their bikes to the festival. You can park on the north or south side of the stadium, go to the ticket booth to buy tickets if you need one and hop on the bus. Parking and the bus are free and the buses are air-conditioned. You're welcome to bring strollers and coolers on the bus.

Bring water, sunscreen, bug spray and hats and get there early to better acclimate yourself to the hot weather that's forecasted, Straubel said. And know where to cool off when you get to the festival. There's a mist tent located behind the Meadow Stage, which runs all day, every day. There's always the river. Get your kids wading in the Eno during special programs to collect water creatures below the dam. Or rent a canoe or kayak for 30 minutes from Frog Hollow Outdoors. And grab a slice of watermelon in the meadow for $1 a piece.

Pick up a program at the ticket booth or information booths under the big top tent. Inside, you'll find two pages dedicated to family fun at the festival along with a complete schedule of live performances and educational programs. Most of the kids acts are on the River and Chimney Corner stages. Environmental education programs for kids are near the river.

A few performers and activities to look out for: Dance workshops for all ages at 12:30 p.m. today with the Apple Chill Cloggers and 3 p.m. Sunday with the Cane Creek Cloggers; the annual parade with the Paperhand Puppet Intervention starts a little before 1:30 p.m. by the Chimney Corner on the main road of the park; and live performances by popular kids act Baron Von Rumblebuss at 1:15 p.m. Saturday on the River Stage and 2:15 p.m. Saturday by blues performer Lightnin' Wells, a regular at the festival. Sandbox will be on the River Stage from 2:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $15 per person for a daily pass. Kids 12 and under and adults over 65 are free.

Also ...

Get your tickets for Dan Zanes and Friends concert at the N.C. Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh. I'm told the tickets are selling fast. The concert featuring the Grammy-awarding winning family act is 7 p.m. July 18. The fun starts at 5 p.m. with giveaways, a gift certificate raffle and other activities. Tickets are $18 for general admission, $9 for kids ages 3 to 12 and free for kids 2 and under. The art museum also will feature the movie Kung Fu Panda at 9 p.m. July 11. Tickets are $3 and the fun starts at 7 p.m. with crafts, martial arts stage demonstrations, raffles and more. And don't forget Gustafer Yellowgold will be at the museum at 1 p.m. this Wednesday for a concert. 

And of course it's July 4 weekend. Note that Raleigh's annual July 4 celebration at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh is starting a couple of hours later this year because of budget cuts. The activities begin on Saturday at 5 p.m. with crafts, nature programs, an obstacle course, Wii games, a scavenger hunt and more. The activities, organized by the city's parks department, run until 8:30 p.m. Fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. Go to www.trianglemom2mom.com/content/july-4-triangle for more information about Triangle-area July 4 celebrations.

As always, there's more on the Mom2Mom calendar. Happy 4th!