I hope you don’t mind when I veer off books every now and then.
A) I think I have summer brain and the urge to review is barely there.
B) Summer in the PNW is GORGEOUS! I’m so used to hibernating lol I want to share some of the fun things I’ve gotten to do so I’m kind of borrowing Lauren from Shooting Stars and Greg from Greg’s Book Haven features where they talk about their town.
I always thought Ocala, FL was a small town but now that I live in Longview, WA, I realize I was wrong.
Or at least, it’s a different type of small town. Ocala was more about retirees so there weren’t a lot of family friendly activities and because it’s FL – hello 100+ degrees – we limited our outdoor exposure.
In Longview, holidays take on a whole different meaning. There was a 3 day lead up to the 4th of July in our local park. There were food & craft vendors set up, activates like log cutting, hole-in-one golf on the lake, a carnival, concerts, 5k runs, and a cardboard regatta – leading up to the fireworks.
*Dogs were not allowed at the park during all this - Fonzi was not amused.
The cardboard boat regatta is one of the more popular events and I snapped a few pics of the entries.
They have a series of races and the goal is not only to make it across the finish line but to not sink – although the sinking is kind of the best part if you’re watching.
Every year there’s a theme and this one was classic tv shows - the Loony Toons boat was my favorite. It did pretty well but was a bit slower because of it’s size. It came in second place though during it’s two heats.
Another favorite was the Bob Ross boat. I love how the crew wore Bob Ross wigs lol
There were also the Twilight Zone, Seinfeld, M.A.S.H & Wheel of Misfortune boats – some were better decorated than others.
The big hit of the race though was the (aptly named) Wheel of Misfortune. There was a person in each side of the wheel and the idea was to run like a hamster wheel to get it moving but…it did not go well lol They valiantly tried twice but…nope. The bets on that boat were not if it would win - but how many feet it would get before going down 😂😂
*If you wan t to see it in action you can see my post on Instagram
After all the events were over there was a Beatles cover band and then fireworks.
One of my favorite parts about the move is this park. I really wish we could have all stayed out all night and had a giant group sleepover. It’s just so pretty there.
They have a concert and outdoor movie every week throughout the summer and I hope we can get to a few.
Did you have any fun events in your area for the 4th (if you celebrated) or the summer?
See? You're getting over Florida LOL. Poor Fonzi though. But look at you, living the night life! 😂
ReplyDeleteThe cardboard boat regatta sounds like a ton of fun! I love the Loony Tunes boat too. Always had a soft spot for Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. Their antics never get old LOL.
The summer is beautiful. Talk to me int he winter when it rains every day for 6+ months and it's cold and windy.
DeleteWinter was my happy time in FL.
Yikes. Talk about a change of scenery.
DeleteBut at least you can dive into blogging!
Hopefully!!!
DeleteLove seeing your new town and the festival. How fun!
ReplyDeleteOur town does a festival down at the river with events, games, food, music, and fireworks. I go some years and skip if its extra hot and humid. This year was great.
That sounds fun. The summer is so mild here and it feels so amazing to go out in the summer lol
Deleteusually we do fireworks ...I had to work and my kids ended seeing spiderman. we usually do BBQ.
ReplyDeleteWe used to be able to see the fireworks from ym backyard in FL and really we could have here too but I didn't know. The park was so pretty though that it was worth going.
DeleteI love seeing you explore your new area! And the cold and windy rainy season will be great for reading!
ReplyDeleteA few days of cold and rainy are fine. Months??? You may be getting many emo DM's throughout the winter lol
DeleteThat regatta looked epic! I love that the town celebrated like that, and I am jealous, because it so hot in NJ
ReplyDeleteThe summer weather has been the BEST thing about here. It's absolutely gorgeous!
DeleteNaturally we don't celebrate here but the festival reminds me of the Moomba festival we hold in Melbourne each year. The wheel of misfortune is a little like our birdman rally. Basically people try to make flying or gliding crafts out of anything from cardboard to outfits with wings and throw themselves off a platform into the river that runs through the city. It's ridiculous but raises money for charity. I love small towns, such a sense of community. I'd love to see you make a regular feature Karen. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat is AMAZING!!!
DeleteI told Kevin that they should races inside those giant clear balls. I think that would be hilarious.
Your wish will be granted since we the Squirrel Festival - Yes, you saw that correctly - coming up next month lol
Wow that looks like fun. I love seeing what people have for holiday fun in their towns. We had some fun stuff in our community too, but nothing like that! I love the Road Runner, BTW, in the one boat. Looks like a great time!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out too. :)
Yeah - we've always had 4th activities but they go ALL out here. I'm kind of curious what happens for the other holidays.
DeleteSounds amazing!! That's a really good theme, would've loved to seen the Twilight Zone one xD
ReplyDeleteIt was a good one! And the announcers were playing the theme songs for all the boats which made it even more fun.
DeleteIt was during the week this year so the entries were lower but it was still so much fun.
Florida? What is that? ;)
ReplyDeleteYour new place does seem great
IT's been a struggle in some ways but great in others.
DeleteWow! This looks like it would be so much fun, and it's very creative too! I was born in a large city, but have lived in small cities too. Now I'm sort of in the middle. I'm cool as long as I'm near a library(lol)
ReplyDeleteI was kind of in a middle sized city but near big cities - this is a SMALL town but I'm about 45 minutes to an hour away from Vancouver and Portland.
DeleteWhat a pity Fonzi was excluded! Otherwise it looks like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteHe was quite depressed the days he couldn't go to HIS park lol
DeleteYou're surrounded by such beauty and I love how many activites there are going on. Kudos to you guys for staying up for fireworks!
ReplyDeleteThe struggle to stay up was real. lol
DeleteI didn't really plan that well either. I should have brought a book or earbuds and a phone charger.
Yay, I love when people talk about where they live and the fun things to do. Definitely link up for Local Tourist on the 31st! This park sounds awesome. Cincinnati has a lot of parks in the area and I love all the fun events they put on. I went to a water-park on the actual 4th and on the 5th, I went to the Reds stadium for their 150 Anniversary concert - which ended up with fireworks, so that was awesome.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
There's almost TOO much going out here in the summer and I can't get to it all.
DeleteI will start linking up!
That's awesome! I love all the pictures. I don't mind posts other than books, I do that all the time on my blog. lol We did have fireworks here. But as you know I don't stray far away from my apartment complex. But we did see a lot of illegal fireworks going off in the area so I didn't need to leave to see them.
ReplyDeleteThat's what we used to do in FL - the whole neighborhood set them off and I watched from the backyard. I hate crowds but because this is a huge park - we sat way on the other side where there were no people but could still see and hear everything just fine.
DeleteWOW!!! I love small towns, its so different from city living. It looks like you had a blast for the 4th!! And now I want to move where you are hehe
ReplyDeleteUtah has some fun events, did a air balloon festival, local parade, and then Stadium of Fire with Keith Urban.
They both have their advantages and disadvantages...like last night I wanted to go out to dinner and there's nowhere to go that isn't fast food burgers lol
DeleteThe festivities and the boat racing look like so much fun! The Bob Ross one is too funny lol.
ReplyDeleteThey won best group prize lol
DeleteI love it when book blogs mix it up and post other things besides books. I come for the books but I like getting peaks into peoples lives and goings on. I'm nosy like that, lol.
ReplyDeleteThe boat race looks hilarious! OMG, I'd love to take part/watch something like that! The creations are impressive, I wonder how long they spend trying to make a cardboard boat what won't sink for long enough for them to complete the race?
Me too and I understand that we all have slumps and need to talk about other things sometimes to stay creative or not take a long hiatus.
DeleteI saw the video on IG and loved it. I would have loved the Beatles cover band, too! 👍✨
ReplyDeleteYou have summer brain, and I have heat brain. I haven't been getting much reading done either. It's too hot. 😛
The band was pretty good. we have a Car's cover band playing in a few weeks that I want to see too.
DeleteThat's one thing I don't miss and I'm loving - it is soooooo beautiful here int he summer. I've lived over 20 years in FL this WA summer is spectacular! The highest we gotten is mid 80's but it's usually 70's sunny and breezy.
OMG those cardboard boats are so creative! LOL, I'd totally be there for the sinking. And I love that there was a Bob Ross boat! LOLOLOLO!!!
ReplyDeleteAwww I'm so glad you are settling into your new digs! It sounds really beautiful there. Lately it feels like FL in NJ. No me gusta!