Have Fun and Fireworks This Weekend with Five Free (or Nearly Free) Events

It's time to plan for the weekend again - and I'd say we certainly deserve a nice, calm Labor Day weekend after everything we went through last week.  Here's hoping everyone in your family came out of Hurricane Irene safe and sound and ready to have a great last weekend of summer!

This week we've got a pair of exciting programs for the little outdoorsmen and women in your family - learn all about frogs with Froggy Friday, and follow that up with a tour of the Raptor Trust, where you'll learn about and observe the different winged creatures (hawks, owls, and more) at the Trust.

We've got a chance to make a cute greeting card for the grandparents at a local arts & crafts store, as well as two big Labor Day Weekend events - an end of summer concert bash at Roosevelt Park, and one of the last fireworks shows of the season down in Asbury Park.  Fireworks on the beach?  Sounds like the perfect way to close the book on Summer 2011 to me!

As always, be sure to tell us if you think we forgot something. And if you know of an event that deserves a mention in this planner in the future, be sure to add it to the calendar. 

Froggy Friday at the Environmental Education Center; 190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge; 908-766-2489; Price: $6; Friday, 1-2 PM

Bring your 4-6 year old out to the Environmental Education Center for this fun program.  Learn all about what frogs do towards the end of summer as you visit with guest speakers, take a short hike, and play some fun games.  Dress for the weather, as this program is held outdoors.  Perfect for the little nature-lover in your household!

The Raptor Trust Tour Talks at The Raptor Trust, 1390 White Bridge Road, Millington; 908-647-2353; Price: $10/adults, $5/children 12 & under; Saturday, 11 AM & 2 PM

Another event for the nature fan - if you've never been to the Raptor Trust and your into all manner of aviating animal, you're truly missing out.  Take a guided tour of the Raptor Trust grounds, where you'll learn about both the trust itself and stories about the hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls that live at the center - around 50 total!  Another outdoors event, and the tours step off from the gift shop.

Labor Day Weekend Fireworks at Asbury Park; Boardwalk (Between 3rd & 4th Avenues), Asbury Park; 732-775-7676; Price: FREE; Sunday, 9 PM

It's the end of the summer, and sadly, that means the end of firework season as well.  So why not go out with a bang (see what I did there?) and check out the great Asbury Park fireworks display?  They've been putting on a weekly Wednesday night show all summer, and close out the season with a grand finale the Sunday of Labor Day weekend (which means, of course, no work or school the next day for most of us!).  Get there early and hang out on the boardwalk, do some shopping, get a nice dinner - make a day of it, it's your last chance to truly enjoy summer before the school year kicks into high gear!

Grandparents Day Card Event at Michael's; 861 Route 1, North Brunswick; 732-296-8199; Price: FREE (donations appreciated); Saturday, 10 AM - Noon

Don't forget grammy and pop-pop this weekend!  Grandparents Day falls on the first Sunday after Labor Day - September 11th this year - and what better way to show your grandparents how much you love them than by creating your own colorful greeting card?  Michael's Make-It-And-Take-It Craft allows kids the chance to show their love for grandma and grandpa through this arts-and-crafts project, completely free of charge.  If you're not interested in heading to North Brunswick, the same program will also be offered at their Watchung and Staten Island stores.

6th Annual Labor Day Weekend Concert at ; Pine Drive, Edison; 732-745-3936; Price: FREE; Sunday, 4 PM

After spending last weekend (and perhaps the early part of this week) cooped up in the house following Hurricane Irene's reign of havoc, it'll be nice to get out and spend some quality time in the park this weekend.  Check out the annual Labor Day Weekend concert at Roosevelt Park in Edison, featuring Kenny Vance and the Planotones as well as The Duprees.  Bring lawn chairs and blankets, hang out in the sun (my weather app says 82 degrees and Sunday right now!), bring a football to toss around with the kids, and enjoy that rare fleeting moment when summer is just turning into fall - one of the best times of the year.