One Hundred Days of Summer

From last Saturday's Ashland Times-Gazette:

I don’t know if the tradition still stands, but back in the days before Ipods and smart phones, our singing filled the band bus to and from the high school football games. We’d work our way through the pep songs, sing a round or two of “Salvation Army, put a nickel in the drum, save another drunken bum,” and usually end up with the classic “One hundred bottles of beer on the wall.”

We sang in the car when our kids were little, but due to their tender age and our Salvation Army connection, we chose the more benign “One hundred bottles of pop on the wall.” I doubt we made it much past seventy on that countdown ditty before anarchy erupted in the rear seat, but that melody came to mind when I discovered the One Hundred Days of Summer calendar that the Ashland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau developed for Summer 2014 (available in placemat format at their office, and on the web at www.visitashlandohio.com).

I’m a day late and a dollar short on this, because the calendar creator began her countdown (or is it a count-up?) on Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of summer, so I’ve missed a few days of activities. But since we still have 95 “bottles on the wall” as of today, it’s definitely not too late to check out our community, silencing the familiar summer lament, “there’s nothing to do.” According to this calendar, there’s plenty to do in Ashland County.

Some of the activities are event-connected, such as BalloonFEST 2014 (July 3-6), the Downtown Dream Cruise and Car Show on July 12, and Pioneer Days at Wolf Creek/Pine Run Grist Mill (July 26-27). My favorite authors are in town for Ashland Chautauqua (July 15-19), including Dr. Seuss, Robert Frost, and C.S. Lewis. The lovely Madelyn Simone and I can create balloon sculptures at the Ashland library and eat green eggs and ham, like it or not – right, Sam I am?

With NCIS, The Good Wife, and Law and Order SVU on hiatus for the summer, we’ve decided to get out of the house more at night, joining the rhythm of Thursday and Sunday nights at the Myers Bandshell. Here’s a sample of what’s scheduled. Dr. Insecta Bug Lab will open for the Ashland Area Community Concert Band on opening night, June 15. There will be “Pops in the Park” with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra (June 29), and Motown Sounds of Touch on June 26. The Diamond Project Band is appearing July 3, so I’ll be singing Sweet Caroline and Cracklin’ Rose for weeks. And since I’ve got family connections, here’s a plug for the Kroc Center Big Band on Thursday, August 14. If I didn’t have two left feet, I’d bring my dancing shoes that night.

Too tired to go out at night? Try lunchtime activities instead. United Way has great times planned for Fun Fabulous Fridays, and a series of Brown Bag concerts at the Kroc Center takes care of Wednesdays in June and July. Saturdays are filled with visits to the Farmers’ Market at Christ UMC, and the downtown Farmers’ Market is back in session on Wednesdays beginning June 11^th. There’s a library book sale on July 19^th, an antique tractor show at the Career Center on July 12, and a Lincoln Highway exhibit at the Ashland County Historical Society on August 10^th. Tired yet?

In between these scheduled events, there’s bowling, bingo, story hour, geo-caching, golf, canoeing, roller skating, nature hikes, outdoor movies and much more. “More” definitely includes ice cream and frozen yogurt, backyard picnics, shopping in Downtown Ashland and Loudonville, swimming at Brookside, and splashing at the Kroc Center Spraypark. Look for Madelyn and me – I’m sure we’ll be there!

If you attended the Downtown Walk-in Movie (Frozen) last weekend, you may remember what Olaf the snowman said to Kristof: “But sometimes I like to close my eyes, and imagine what it'd be like when summer does come.” School is out, the sun is shining, and summertime has come. We don’t have to imagine anymore – it’s finally time to soak in the fun of one hundred days of summer in Ashland, Ohio.