Woo-hoo! It’s summer break here in southern Idaho! However, our true break didn’t begin until yesterday. Saturday, our town Family Lions Club had a family event at a local park where we all spent roughly six hours that included setting up, manning various activities and finally, cleaning up. We were extremely tired when we walked back into our home but it was a good tired because we’d been helping our community.
I was able to run a grocery store and a Target errand this morning sans kids. Oh the sweet spot of having the oldest child be of an age and responsible enough to watch the two younger offspring! It was heaven not having to distract Little Man or having to ax an errand because he was almost to the outskirts of Meltdown City. I walked in to find this (pictured below). We’re apparently having a party today to celebrate summer. There were balloons in various places throughout the house.
For this summer, our little family has some fun things planned, one of which is to visit one of my two hometowns (insert the sheep ranching lifestyle), Lava Hot Springs, http://lavahotsprings.com, where we’ll be for a few days. If I don’t have updated posts for a few days, it’s not because I’m lounging in the hammock while popping chocolates in my mouth. It’s that we’re gone, baby, gone! By gone, I mean that a few of our summer destinations have crummy wi-fi if they have it at all. At my parents’ in Lava (locals call it Lava), to send a text, you have to go out on their deck and face east. Wi-fi? Yeah, it’s so bad that my sister when visiting, has to go over to the elementary school since they have a better connection. Ah, the mountains! Ha, ha. If you want to visit a state that has sketchy cell service, well Idaho’s your state!
Besides trips, there are a lot of fun activities going on in the Treasure Valley and some of you outside of the area, can maybe get ideas for your summer.
*The Village Theater-Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m., $1 (past movie hits)
*Edwards Theater-Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m., $1 (past movie hits)
*Vacation Bible School (VBS) is everywhere in the valley for almost every denomination out there. Those tend to run for a week and are around $25.
*Through your local city hall, you can find activities or camps that are being held in your town. Little Red will be participating in a drama camp for three weeks this summer that is through our local parks & rec.
*Local libraries tend to have story times, crafts, puppet shows or science activities during the summer. The library in our town uses one of the local parks for it’s lessons.
*The website, http://boise.macaronikid.com, is a treasure trove of information!
It includes information on the following:
story times
crafts
learning & discovery
movement & fun
Outdoor recreation can be found at, http://bogusbasin.org , Quinn’s Pond, http://parks.cityofboise.org, and Eagle Island, http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov.
For enjoyment for everyone in the family that’s on the mellow side, there are two farmer’s markets, Capital City Public Market and Boise Farmer’s Market, that are held in Downtown Boise every Saturday. Attending these, you’ll find an array of items such as organic fruits and veggies to handcrafted wooden cutting boards and utensils sourced from local trees to items handmade items created by our local refugee population. It’s kid friendly with a fountain (like a splash pad) for jumping kids. Dogs are NOT encouraged.
If you’re up for driving, there are always the wineries in the area and festivals. The first is the Emmett Cherry Festival, http://emmettcherryfestival.com, June 13-15, with a parade on the 15th that begins at 6:30. Make sure, very sure, that you don’t make a wrong turn and end up in the parade like Mister and I did several years ago. That was a bit embarrassing. Weiser is home to the annual Fiddle Festival, http://weiserfestival.com , where you can walk around while hearing multiple people playing their fiddles, June 19-23.
Well, this list should give you some ideas of fun happenings around southwestern Idaho and for those of you outside of the area, maybe these lists will give you ideas for your own town or city. Enjoy!
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