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Kurt Johnson
Summer may not officially begin for another month or so, when the calendar marks the summer solstice, but for every kid, or kid at heart, it’s go time. School’s out. The sun is shining. Everything is green and full of color and promise. Let the fun begin.
Late May has always been one of my favorite times of the year, kind of a Friday afternoon sensation with both R&R and time with family and friends straight ahead. There is such a feeling of hope and optimism in the air I often hit a gear I couldn’t find in the middle of the week, on deadline or heading out to another assignment. Timing is everything.
So it is with late May, when that Friday night sensation kicks in on a much larger scale for me, heading into Memorial Day Weekend and the unofficial start of summer. I’ve heard several parents say they enjoyed the faster pace and extra activities from Easter through graduations, but it’s time to turn the page. Past time, some would say, but we made it.
By the time this edition hits the newsstand I’ll be teeing off on a golf getaway that is just what the doctor ordered. It’s the carrot that helped me push through an early spring that seemed more hectic than normal, and no matter what the scorecard says at the end of the day I’ll be in a happier space and place. Golf does that for me, and here’s hoping you can tune in soon to that thing that does it for you.
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On that note, the News-Register staff teamed up this year for a first-ever effort that will likely become an annual tradition. Based on the response to our “Splash of Summer” edition, this is a good time to pull out the family calendar and figure out what you want to fill your pages in Summer of ’24.
Take a look at the 16-page section in this week’s edition and you’ll find that there are in fact a whole lot of options for fun things to do and places to go within a 45-minute drive of Aurora. From golf to summer camps to camping to community celebrations and more, you might be surprised at the variety of options for people of all ages. Most don’t cost a lot of money or require an overnight stay, so you have all kinds of opportunities to make some memories and have some fun.
Make your splash count.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net
