This week marks the beginning of summer 2011. Now that children who attend Baltimore County Public Schools are off from school, I am sure there are a lot of parents (myself included) who will be looking for fun things to do this summer.  Many families will take vacation trips, while others will try to see what sort of activities are available closer to home.

I have many fond memories from my own childhood of going down to Ocean City for summer vacation. To this day, it’s just not summer without a walk on the boardwalk, complete with funnel cakes, Thrasher's french fries and a host of other tasty treats. Even when I go to other beaches, they don’t seem to give me that same experience.

More locally, there are a lot of things my family likes to do in and around Perry Hall. For those who like music, I recommend you try the free weekend concerts at The Avenue at White Marsh. Every Friday and Saturday night, a wide array of musical groups perform in the center courtyard area. Just about every musical style you can think of is performed, ranging from country, to classic rock, to jazz. 

During July, there will be a couple of fun, family-oriented events held around our area. Try not to miss the annual Kingsville Independence Day parade. Many local organizations will participate in this local tradition and compete to best capture this year’s theme in the form of parade floats:  “Honor the Stars, Be Proud of the Stripes, Wave Your Flag.” With a theme as broad as this, I am sure that there will be a number of very creative participants. 

Not long after this event, the 15th annual Perry Hall Town Fair will be held, on Saturday, July 9. This event has always been a favorite for my family. We regularly attend and visit the many vendor and community booths.  There will more than 170 different vendors this year, along with a variety of musical performances and fun activities for the kids. As with last year, the fair will be held at the Honeygo Village Center, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, visit the fair committee’s website.

For our family, summertime also means pool time! We have been members of the White Marsh Swim Club for a number of years now and really enjoy ourselves there. Many of my 8-year-old son Alex’s friends from school also go there regularly, as do a number of other family friends. The pool also has a series of fun special events during a couple of evenings during the summer season. One of these is a family movie night, where pool visitors can watch a fun movie without having to leave the pleasant water of the pool.

And summer would not be complete without an outdoor barbecue.  There is something special about cooking outside, even if you’re just preparing hot dogs and hamburgers. Cooking on the grill also gives folks a chance to specially prepare fresh produce they may have grown in their family vegetable gardens. We typically will prepare grilled squash or zucchini, which always taste great. 

Following the barbecue, why not take a short trip to get snowballs? We regularly go to the Busy Bee Snowball Stand, located at Chapel Hill Farm & Nursery.  You can order just about any sweet concoction imaginable.

Whatever you decide to do this summer, be sure to make it something special.  Summertime only comes once a year and you sure don’t want to waste it!