I know, I know-two ToT posts in one day! I'm pretty shocked as well. I actually even thought I might get three in today, and I wasn't even drinking when I thought that. Ha! So, I'm going to play catch up again and write about some of my favorite summer traditions or festivals that we like to attend. This was actually my topic idea from way back in the beginning of May. Oops! My bad.
So, here we go. Let's see. We always enjoy going to the track during the month of May. By track, I mean the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One of our traditions was going to community day and driving around the track in our own car. This year, we had to change it up a bit and go on Bump Day because Community Day is always on a week day, and we didn't think it would be fair of us to go with out our oldest who is now in school. Bump day is also a fun day because it's a little bit less crowded, and it's also Armed Forces Day. There are various military vehicles at the track that the kids can climb into and ask local military personal questions about. I think the kids really enjoyed it. Oh-and then there is the whole "bump" part of bump day. Some of the drivers are trying to qualify for the race, and bump someone down the line in order to get into the race. It's pretty fun, and it's not as noisy for the kids.
One festival that we really enjoy takes place in the little town my Dad's side of the family lives in called North Webster, Indiana. They have a week long festival called the Mermaid Festival (I know-weird for landlocked, Indiana-but the town is on a lake, so I guess it works). I can remember this being a big deal for me as a kid growing up. They had rides, and food vendor's all week. It's similar to a county fair-but without the animals. Different community groups such as the Lion's Club, Kiwanis and different churches all have a food specialty they serve up on a designated night of the week. Think Potato Donuts one day, Pork Chop Dinner a different day, Fish Fry the next night. So, so good. It was and still is so much fun just to see the small community gather. Now my kids are going to the Mermaid Festival this year. Oh, and they even have a parade. My dad keeps saying he's going to put my kids in the parade. There is a "cutie" portion to the parade that has a theme every year, and the little cuties are on floats to match the theme of the festival. It's actually a pretty intense competition for some people. I'll be sad to miss it this year, but the kids are going to represent our side of the family.
Another fun tradition that we have in our town is a Summer Concert Series. It used to be on the lawn in front of the town hall, but now there is a small amphitheater behind the town hall that they use. Every Tuesday night there is a free concert for anyone to attend. I haven't made it, yet this year, but it's usually a fun time. Everyone brings chairs and snacks. The kids play together, and it's a great time for the whole family. I hope we can make one this year before the summer is over.
I also enjoy going to the local farmer's markets. This year I would like to try to make it to some of the surrounding area markets, just to see how they differ from ours. We like to pick up some local produce, and treats. Last year we joked as we left the farmer's market with coffee, bread, and some sweet kettle corn about how we were kind of the anti-healthy farmer's market people. Hey-we were still supporting our local vendor's though-so I guess that counts.
We are so very lucky to live in a city that has so many great, inexpensive things to see and do over the summer. I can't possibly touch on all of them here. I could go on and on, but this is my second post of the day...and nearly my bed time. If you are still looking for inspiration, check out some of the other ToT ladies blogs-I know they have already written about this topic.
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