Summer

A summer picnic without a slice of juicy watermelon is hard to image. And a backyard brunch wouldn't be complete without a fruit salad full of cantaloupe. Melon season, from June-October, is here and in full force.   Juicy melons have been enjoyed since the reign of Egyptian pharos and later spread to parts of Europe. Melons were eventually brought to the US by the Spanish and are now grown in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and other warm growing regions. Melons belong to the gourd family, which also consist of squash, cucumbers, and pumpkin.

It's summer! That means kids are out of school and there is a little more time to explore and enjoy some of the great things around us.  Some families are heading off to the beach, the mountains or out on family vacations. But for many others, work schedules and budgets don't allow for long or extravagant time away.   Here are five options that don't cost a penny for admission. Who says you have to head out of state to enjoy a summer adventure? Mcconnell Springs, Lexington: This is a free historical site hidden minutes from downtown Lexington behind several industries and businesses.

Probably all little kids have thought about how fun it would be to hide out at school after the lights are turned off, the doors locked. How much fun would school be then? To be able to touch the fancy equipment? Play with the art stuff? Run in the halls? It was this very kind of excited energy pulsating through the halls at last week's Black & Gold Academy at Boyle County High School that made the learning going on there look like anything other than “schooling.” Assistant Superintendent David Young is plugged into that energy and likely brought some of it with him two years ago from his position as principal of Junction City Elementary School.

I must admit it has been a really long time since I tried to catch a lightning bug. This thought went through my head as my grandson, Hayden, had me trying to run around the backyard to help him catch lightning bugs. This past Saturday night brought back memories of how little it used to take to keep my siblings and me happy on a Saturday night when we were young. As soon as the lightning bugs made their appearance in early summer, we would be hot on their trails. I remember many summer nights were spent outside running around the house with a quart jar trying to catch lightning bugs to put inside and later sneak into our rooms.

Within the classrooms of Danville High School, learning didn't cease during the summer months.   Danville Board of Education, with the help of faculty from surrounding schools, is holding the program Experience Danville STEAM - an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art and math - this week.  The program is for children who will be in grades K-12 next year. Originated by Superintendent Carmen Coleman, it provides students an opportunity to experience classes they might not have during the regular school year.  Each student chooses his or her own classes, and there are two classes held from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday.  Lonnie Harp, a school board member, said after a successful Experience Danville STEAM week last year, the program was brought back this year for two weeks, with Week 1 being mostly about math and science and Week 2 being about theater.  The number of students attending this year is 475, with 325 students attending this week alone.

As the official beginning of summer quickly approaches, it seems to be shaping up into a Roku kind of season. Currently, there are several awesome Roku deals available for those interested in streaming media players or those hoping to save money on their viewing entertainment. AcornTV is offering a full year of Acorn Premium, a $24.99 value, with the purchase of a Roku HD player for only $59.99 with free shipping. AcornTV streams “the Best British TV,” offering 10 different commercial-free programs at any given time, with new shows being added weekly.  The subscription to Acorn Premium is activated immediately upon purchase.

Last year's Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department's summer day camp was a big success with more than 60 children showing up each day. When this year's camp opened Monday, parks officials thought there would be some increase in attendance - and they were right. A record 134 “very excited” kids showed up at College Park ready for a fun filled summer, Parks Board Chairman Charlie Eury said Monday. “We had 166 pre-register, but we had way more than we anticipated show up this morning,” Eury said at the board meeting.

You're staying. No, you're going. You're staying and then you're going. The truth is it's going to be a nice long summer, so you can do what you want to do. One thing's for sure, though: You want to do it with a book. So here are some great new releases scheduled to come out this summer:   June If you like thrillers, you're in luck this month! Look for new heart-thumpers by Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, James Rollins, and Eric Van Lustbader.  If you're looking for something a little gentler, you'll find novels by Mary Kay Andrews, as well as Dorothea Benton Frank, Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus, Ridley Pearson, Janet Evanovich, and Alexander McColl Smith.  James Carville has a new book.

Most college students use their summer vacations to get away from studying, get a summer job and hang out with their friends. But for Winchester resident Austin Lanter, a Western Kentucky University student, this summer is being spent with a group of his Phi Gamma Delta fraternity brothers raising money for a worthy cause, all while doing something they love. Lanter and eight other WKU and University of Kentucky students are in the second week of a two-month, 3,100-mile cross-country bicycle ride in an effort called Bike4Alz to raise money for Alzheimer's disease research.

Summer time signals outdoor fun! Most of us love to play in pools or on Kentucky lakes to stay cool in those dog days of summer. It is important to keep our children safe any time they are around water.  Safe Kids provides the following recommendations for water safety. General Water Safety: - Always watch kids in and around water.  It only takes a very small amount of water for a young child to drown. - Use life jackets when in or near open bodies of water or when participating in water sports.