The 10 best things families can do this weekend in Central Jersey

It’s August. It’s hot. And your kids are bored!

Well, you’ve come to the right place because MyCentralJersey.com, Home News Tribune and Courier News will be compiling 10 things that your family can do each week for the rest of the summer to keep the kiddies content — and maybe even have a blast!

So pour a glass of something cool and read on for this week's list:

GARDENER STATE: It's fair time in Central Jersey

READ: 36 carnivals, fairs and festivals

READ: 188 free Central Jersey summer and fall concerts

READ: New Brunswick, Perth Amboy offer free world music concerts

Kids Day, noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 6, Red Mill, 56 Main St., Clinton. Free for member families, $10 for non-member families www.redmill.org

Ice-cream making, a bounce house, face painting, lawn games, crafts with the Hunterdon Museum of Art, live music, antique bicycle demonstrations with The Wheelmen, a reptile display with The Lizard Guys, and Jerzee's Pizza, Burgers, & Wings are just a few of the highlights families can enjoy at the historic Red Mill on Aug. 6. In partnership with NORWESCAP New Jersey, Kids Day invests in our greatest asset: our children. If parenthood is largely about making memories, then this is a can’t-miss event because it’s specifically designed for kids.

Plays-in-the-Park presents “Disney’s Mary Poppins,” 8 p.m. through Aug. 12, Stephen J. Capestro Amphitheater, Roosevelt Park, Route 1 south at Parsonage Road, Edison. $7, $5 for seniors age 60-plus, free for children 12 and younger, as well as active military and their families on Mondays and Tuesdays only. www.middlesexcountynj.gov

If you grew up watching Middlesex County’s Plays-in-the-Park and you haven’t brought your kids yet this summer, the season closer is a must-see: Disney’s stage adaptation of its 1964 Academy Award-winning musical “Mary Poppins.” Based on beloved P.L. Travers stories, Mary Poppins is a nanny who brings a troubled family together using her special brand of magic.“‘Mary Poppins’ is an ideal show for families to enjoy together, especially as a way to introduce kids to the magic of live music and theater,” said Freeholder Charles Kenny in a news release. Tickets can be purchased only on the nights of performances. The box office is open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Special-needs performances include audio description Aug. 4 (rain date Aug. 5), open captioning Aug. 7 (rain date Aug. 8), and sign language Aug. 9 (rain date Aug. 10).

Somerset County Park Commission’s third annual Food Truck Fest with The Duprees, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 6, Duke Island Park, Old York Road, Bridgewater. Free www.somersetcountyparks.org

Now here’s a chance to get your kids together with their grandparents and great-grandparents for a multi-generational smorgasbord of sound and taste. The exceptional Jersey vocal group The Duprees have crooned for young lovers since 1962 with such hits as “You Belong to Me,” “Have You Heard,” “My Own True Love,” and “Goodnight My Love.” And they’re still touring after more than 50 years! The music will start at 7, but food trucks will start serving at 6. They include Smokin’ Chicks BBQ, Cubano Xpress, Kats Catering, Gail’s Dog House, Pizza Vita, Amanda’s Bananas, Cas’ Pierogi’s and Kielbasa, and Josefa Ice Cream.

The Coleco Retro Gaming & Collectable Toy Expo, 10 a.m. Aug. 5 and 6, New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison. $20-$35 www.colecoexpo.com/

Remember Coleco, the originator of ColecoVision and the Cabbage Patch Doll? Well, they’re back with more than 100 vendors of vintage and classic games, plus a cosplay contest that will award a $1,000 cash prize. Highlights of their expo also will include giveaways of Zaxxon and Double Dragon stand-up arcade games; appearances by cosplay stars Caram3llo, Supergirl Smiles, and Joker's Little Girl; a panel of artists, including Marvel Comics’ Joe Del Beato and toy designer Tim Clarke, and artists working on commissioned pieces.

LEGO BOOST, 4 p.m. Aug. 5, Barnes & Noble, Menlo Park Mall, Parsonage Road at Route 1, Edison. Free www.bn.com

The LEGO BOOST collaborative build experience allows families and friends to experiment with coding skills via an app that brings their creations to life. Together, they can use the LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox to build Vernie the Robot. When coded, Vernie becomes a moving, talking robot, who can interact and play games, including an obstacle course. The toolbox also features a Multi-Tooled Rover 4, a robust, versatile rover with four different tool attachments; the Guitar4000, a musical instrument with pitch bend and sound effects; Frankie the Cat, an interactive pet that plays, purrs and expresses its mood; and the AutoBuilder, an automated production line that builds miniature LEGO models. All come to life with the app.

Live at the Ferry Slip with San Simon and GMJ Groove, 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 5, Ferry Slip Museum, 300 Front St., Perth Amboy. Free www.perthamboyartworks.org/

Perth Amboy Artworks’ delicious Live at the Ferry Slip will continue with seven-piece Afro-Caribbean combo San Simon and the funky, jazzy reggae/R&B band GMJ Groove. In addition to the rhythmic music, families, friends and couples can enjoy full-moon views of the Raritan Bay from the deck of Perth Amboy’s maritime history museum, as well as equally delicious fare from on-site food trucks and nearby waterfront restaurants. The series will continue Sept. 9 with Proper and Joseph Frame and Oct. 7 with Segunda Quimbamba and United States of Boogaloo.

Children's Music Network “Jersey Jam” Song Swap & Concert, 4 to 5 p.m. Aug. 5, Old Franklin Schoolhouse, 491 Middlesex Ave., Metuchen. Free, donations to historic venue and Children’s Music Network suggested. www.boroughimprovementleague.org/

Come to a genuine local happening for kids and families! It's the first public Metuchen gathering of The Children's Music Network (www.cmnonline.org) featuring an entertaining lineup of talented musicians from the Mid-Atlantic Region, including host Danny Alderman and Jersey Shore kids fave Yosi.

Corn and Tomato Festival, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 6, Flemington Borough Park, Court Street, Flemington. Free admission, food for sale. www.exploreflemington.com

Since its inception in 2014, this agriculture event has energized the area with local chefs’ specialty dishes, featuring classic New Jersey corn and tomatoes. The fundraiser for the borough fire department will feature dishes by Cocco’s Café, Garden State Salad, Matt’s Red Rooster Grill, Aunt Dee Dee’s and many more. Entertainment will be provided by the Jersey Shades. Family friendly highlights also will include Bivona Farms Petting Zoo, a bounce house and dunk tank. VIP tickets are available for purchase at www.flemingtonfire.org.

“Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust: A Collection of Disney Songs,” 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4 and 5, 2 p.m. Aug. 6, Summit Playhouse, 10 New England Ave., Summit. $20 http://summitplayhouse.org

This family-friendly revue style musical features Disney favorites from “Aladdin,” “Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Moana,” “Tangled,” “Pocahontas,” “Mulan,” “Frozen,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Lion King,” and “Hercules.”

Sky Zone’s “Toddler Time,” 9 to 10 a.m. Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 26, Sky Zone, 600 Hadley Road, South Plainfield. $8 per toddler, $12 per accompanying adult. www.skyzone.com

Sky Zone is a trampoline gym for kids, where your wee ones can burn off some energy during “Toddler Time,” which clears the tramps of all “big kids” to make room for the littlest jumpers.

Staff Writer Bob Makin: 732-565-7319; bmakin@gannett.com