Where: Fletcher Park, 820 Clay St., Raleigh

What: Sandbox, the popular local kids music band, release their new CD and first with all original material, "Are We There Yet," at the Sunday in the Park concert series at Fletcher Park. The concert is free.

Who goes: All ages

What to know before you go: Sandbox formed more than two years ago and are best known for folksy acoustic renditions of kids classics like "The Eensy Weensy Spider," "Wheels on the Bus" and "On Top of Spaghetti."

All dads but one, members had played bar gigs for years in other bands. But it's the kids who turned out to be their biggest fans.

In the last year, the group, made up of Ed Hoffman, Frank Tuttle, Jeff Morats and Chris Bean, added a fifth member, Pat Hicks, who plays Dobro, mandolin and steel drums. There's a new child among them too. Morats and his wife welcomed their third son in November.

They've already played 30 public and private gigs in 2008 (ask them about the Winston-Salem show where the kids got so excited they literally ripped up the floor ... it was construction paper).

Band members, especially Hoffman, get recognized in public as if they're rock stars.

And, after a band meeting in January, they decided to release a second CD of all original songs.

It was a big decision for the band, who until now, have focused on songs kids already know and can immediately sing along to at concerts.

But members were already experienced song writers and had some ideas. Bean, for instance, had been singing versions of a couple of the songs on the CD to his kids at bedtime.

"Are We There Yet" is a different Sandbox sound but with the same kooky banter and the folksiness that Sandbox fans expect at their concerts.

Now they have stepped it up a bit, adding electric guitar. The band's debut album, "KidSongs," with longtime kids' favorites, is all acoustic.

"We broke out a little bit from what we have done," Hoffman says.

The effort works. The new CD mixes fun, upbeat songs with some slower tunes and lullabies. There are the usual kid themes -- favorite foods to eat, pajama parties and liking to win. Songs like "Follow Me," "The Circus," "Nautical Song" and "PB Jam" really stand out.

"The Circus" is almost somber, but sounds thrown in -- elephants or crunching nachos -- keep it fun. Morats' kids actually call it the "spooky song."

The inspirations for "PB Jam" are Bean's own children, who get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if they don't like what's served to them. The lyrics are funny and the song is just really catchy.

"I reserve this time to let you know," the chorus goes, "that given a choice with two slices of bread I'll always choose my pb and jam."

The guys of Sandbox say their goal is to create music that is fun for kids, appeals to parents and is fun for the band to play.

"We've gotten into a nice groove here," Morats says, adding with the band's usual wackiness, "The only other thing I'd say is this is probably the best album recorded ever."

The concert, which should end between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Sunday, will feature the new songs and some of the band's favorites. There's lots of room for picnic dinners, lawn chairs and dancing.

For more information about Sandbox, check out its Web site at www.sandbox-band.com.