Your NJ Weekend August 20-21: Bike Racing, Blues Bands, Metal Making, Modern Dance, and More, Mostly FREE!

8/18/11 - By tsellinger

If after these last few drippy days, you’re ready to wring out your clothes, dry your shoes, and get on with a great (hopefully) dry family weekend, we’ve got the goods!  There’s potatoes to be harvested in Lambertville; Blues to be sung in Morristown; bikes to be raced in North Caldwell; open-air theater to watch in Titusville; and metal to be made at Cooper Gristmill!  If you’re looking to just wander in the long-lost sunshine, head to Augusta for a sunflower maze, or Ringwood for a family botanical walk.  Any way you go, wish for the sun.  We’re right there with you.

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SATURDAY ONLY

Potato Harvest at Howell Living History Farm (Lambertville)

Ask your child where potatoes grow.  A tree? A bush? The ground? If you’re met with a shrug or blank stare, it’s time to head out to a potato harvest! They’ll learn, have fun and do good as they unearth potatoes using horses and oxen to pull a special plow called a "potato lifter," turn the crank of the potato grader to sort the potatoes, and enjoy lemonade and cookies. The freshly dug-up ‘taters will be donated to the Greater Mercer Food Cooperative. Kids can also make a potato print during a craft program.  Saturday, August 20. 11am-3pm. FREE. Craft fee: $2./participant. For more information, call 609-737-3299.

Inaugural Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival (Morristown)

Rainy week has your kids singin’ the blues? Join the crowd. No, really! Join the crowd at the free Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival this Saturday for amazing music by five top jazz and blues groups.  Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and settle down for a great day of music.  Saturday, August 20. Rain or shine. Noon–10pm. FREE. For more information, call 800-822-9770.

Metal Crafts Day at Cooper Gristmill (Morristown)

Introduce your kids to heavy metal this weekend.  Not Iron Maiden, silly, metal crafts! Enjoy demonstrations of industrial metal crafts by blacksmith Kevin Perry, tinsmith George Pierson, and tin piercing with Frank and Anita Mai. Your kids will learn how these skills were important to the colonial people, and they can make a tin-pierced ornament to take home, too!  Saturday, August 20, 1pm-4pm.  FREE. For more information, please call 908-879-5463

Hilltop Grasshopper Kid's Bike Race (North Caldwell)

If your kids are tired of circling the driveway on their bikes and ready to earn some bragging rights, head to the Second Annual Kid’s Fun Bike Race in the Hilltop.  Cyclists ages 4-15 years ride and race for prizes on a specially prepared 0.6 mile course. Helmets are mandatory and lots of cheering is encouraged!  Registration opens at 7:30am and competition starts at 9am. There’s a $10 registration fee per participant which includes a bicycle technical inspection.  Any bike in good working order is eligible to race.  Classes for boys and girls K –1st grade, 2nd – 3rd grade, 4th – 5th grade, 6th  – 8th grade, with prizes for top 3 class finishers. To pre-register online, visit Bikereg.com and Hilltop Grasshopper Kids Bike Race. Saturday, August 20. 9am-11am. For more information, call 973-857-4163.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and Disney's Sleeping Beauty Kids at Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre (Titusville)

The end of summer’s upon us, and so the opportunity to lay a blanket down, cuddle up with the kids, and watch theater in the wide-open outdoors. Hit the Washington Crossing Open Air Theater this weekend for your pick of two shows (or both, if you like!) The younger ones’ll love Disney's Sleeping Beauty Kids: It's princess Aurora's sixteenth birthday, and Flora, Fauna and Merryweather must use their fairy magic to save her from the spell of evil sorceress Maleficent! Your kids spurn princesses? Then hit Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, the timeless, sometimes creepy, story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir. All seats are unreserved and general admission lines form early. The seating is wooden benches, so unless you possess buns of steel, bring a blanket or stadium cushion.  Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30pm.  Disney's Sleeping Beauty Kids: Saturday, August 20 at 11am and Sunday, August 21 at 4pm. . Tickets: $15./adults; $10./ Children 12 years-and-under. NOTE: Cash and personal checks only, no credit cards accepted. For more information, call 267-885-9857.

Sussex County Sunflower Maze at Liberty Farm (Augusta)

Sunshine, sunflowers, butterflies and hummingbirds–no, it’s not a Disney movie–it’s the Sussex County Sunflower Maze! Wander through 30 beautiful acres of sunflowers, find your way through a sunflower maze, and be sure to bring your camera–you couldn’t ask for a better backdrop!  Closed-toe shoes and sunscreen recommended.  Saturday, August 20 and  Sunday, August 21. 9am-6pm. Admission: $8./adults; $5./children 12-and-under. For more information, call 973-219-6356.

SUNDAY ONLY

MM2 Modern Dance Performance: One Word at the Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton)

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Really? Any kids who’s been called a name knows that’s not true.   Words posses power.  This Sunday, watch as dancers perform the work of eight talented choreographers who have created new movement works based on a single word.  Maybe they’ll think twice before calling their little sister a dummyhead again. Sunday, August 21. 1pm. Rain or shine. FREE with admission: $12./adults; $10./seniors; $8./children 6-17; FREE children 5-and-under. For more information, call 609-586-0616.

Family Woodland Walk At New Jersey Botanical Gardens (Ringwood)

If you haven’t yet explored the New Jersey Botanical Gardens, you’re in for a treat: 96 acres of specialty gardens surrounded by 1000 acres of woodlands. You're always invited to wander and explore the miles of marked trails, but this Sunday, start out with an introductory nature walk to get you going. Note:  Inclement weather will cancel event. Wear sturdy shoes! Sunday, August 21. 1pm. FREE.  For more information, call 973-962-9534.

 

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