On Sunday, June 21, summer officially arrives, kicked off with the longest day and shortest night of the year, and marking the beginning of what is, for many, the ‘fun’ season.
Parents of school-aged children are well aware that summer is arriving as the school year is winding down, and students look forward to a couple of months free from the classroom, trading homework for some time skateboarding with friends, or exploring our many trails.
For me, summertime is a time of memories. Camping trips, canoeing on a quiet, calm lake, tasting my first sip of beer after cutting the grass with Grandpa, or attending baseball games. The arrival of summer reminds me of fantastic adventures of the past, and the many memories still to be made. Summer is a time of exploration, but also relaxation, a time to toss a line in a river in hopes of catching a fish for dinner, or hiking through a forest taking in the aromas of pine trees and damp moss.
Summer is also the season of thunderstorms and heatwaves, a time when the blistering heat outside is combated with conditioned air inside, but those hot days are relatively few, and stand in contrast to those many sunny summer days when the temperature is just right, and there is a bit of a breeze making it the perfect time to enjoy some time outdoors.
We are fortunate to reside in a waterfront community, with Nottawasaga Bay offering us the opportunity to cool off with a dip in the water, or a chance to enjoy the sunshine on the shore with a sizzling summer read. When the summer heat arrives, I am certainly thankful that we live on the shore of a large body of water, as opposed to being landlocked with nowhere to escape the heat.
When summer arrives, so do the many local events that will keep us entertained and connected as a community. From the Canada Day celebrations that will be held throughout the municipality in just a couple of weeks, to the highly anticipated Summerfest held in August, there is no shortage of community events once summer arrives.
This year, summer will arrive a day early with the celebration of both the Longest Day of Play and the opening of the freshly refurbished splash pad at McCarroll Park on Saturday, June 20. You can join in on the fun from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Among the highly anticipated events in this municipality each year is the annual Meaford Harbour 5K run/walk event, to be held on Saturday, July 11. This year the event, which can attract as many as 500 runners, celebrates 30 years, and all of the funds raised each year support our local hospital foundation. In the past 29 years the event has raised more than $1 million for our hospital, and this year’s goal is to raise another $100,000.
As this year marks the 25th anniversary of the amalgamation of the former townships of Sydenham and St. Vincent with the former Town of Meaford, there will be celebrations held throughout the municipality this summer, including the Our Communities, Our Stories travelling exhibit, and the Hamlet Tales: Authors Among Us series of local author readings and discussions.
This is also a municipal election year. Every four years our summers feature municipal council candidates who will be attending and sometimes holding their own events as they work to try to secure votes for the October 26 municipal election. So expect to see candidates at the farmers’ market on Friday afternoons, or attending the Canada Day celebrations as well as the many other events that will be held this summer, through to the annual Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival.
With the summer months also comes construction season in our part of the world, where it is preferable to build roads and houses after the winter snow has melted and the ground has thawed. From new homes to roads and bridges and heavy equipment, workers with hard hats and deep tans are a common sight in the summertime. As this community continues to grow, the number of homes being built has been increasing, and there will be plenty of new homes built in this municipality in the coming months.
Last week I met someone on the sidewalk downtown who told me that they have a summer home in Meaford, and they were back in Meaford for the summer months, and were just getting into their summer routine. The man said that he and his family have summered in Meaford for decades, and always enjoy returning to this community for a summer break. I asked him what he likes most about Meaford, fully expecting him to mention our wonderful waterfront, or the area’s natural beauty, but instead he responded with, “We enjoy the slower pace, and the wonderful people, it is a nice break from city life.”
I was also speaking to a local friend last week who was excited about the arrival of summer as they have been planning a big cycling adventure that will start in Meaford, and will end on Canada’s east coast in Nova Scotia where his family is from. I suspect it will be a gruelling few weeks on a bicycle, but it will no doubt be a rewarding summer adventure.
Not all summer fun needs to involve great adventures, or boats and bicycles, as so much of the fun of summer can be found in the simple things, like spending an afternoon in the garden, or reading a book while relaxing in a hammock. Summer fun is whatever you make it, and it is whatever you enjoy. For some of us, relaxing by a backyard fire with some friends is enough of an adventure, and it scratches that summer itch just perfectly.
Enjoy the summer that is about arrive, as it is no secret that summertime often feels far too short, particularly as summer gives way to the chilly autumn air and rain that will eventually turn to bitter cold and mountains of snow.
Whatever you are planning to get up to over the next couple of months of balmy summer weather, I hope that first and foremost you do it safely. Too often summer is the season of tragic stories of folks losing their lives while enjoying summer fun, and most often alcohol or other intoxicants are combined with that summer fun to help create those tragedies. So play smart, enjoy those beverages in moderation, and never operate a boat or a vehicle after imbibing.
Have fun this summer, make the most of it, but be safe!
