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How happy are you that school’s out and you get to spend every day of these coming months with your little ones? We know we’re excited because we get to have Gabe and Joe running around the office, keeping us entertained and being cute (as usual). As the first official day of summer approaches, everyone gears up for their summer vacations and outings. Last weekend Germanfest was the first of the festivals that came to town, which got us talking about all of the different ones that have yet to come. We’re all hungry (aka excited) for the upcoming Ribfest happening this weekend.
Here in Fort Wayne, summertime is filled with fun activities that are sure to keep us busy all season, which got us wondering: where are all of you from and what goes on in your town during the summer? Anything cool going on that’s within driving distance of 435? It might be worth a weekend trip!
We hope Art Fair is on your summer agenda! Can’t wait to see you in only 8 days and 18 hours, but who’s counting…
Yours truly,
Sophie, Jamie, and Lauren
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We have the apple butter festival here in Spencer IN, yummy food always! A cute small town parade and the courthouse lawn is turned into an area for many booths for shopping!
Here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, our summer is filled with crawfish festivals, fishing tournaments and BBQ cook-offs. : )
In Batesville,IN, we have the great German festival “Freudenfest in July. German food and beer of course, plus lots of music and fun the kiddos.
I live in Glendora, CA. It’s a suburb of L.A. So of course there are lots of things to do in L.A. You should come visit sometime!
Oh, and you should have an Art Fair over here in CA so all of us West Coast MJ loving girls can go!
ok. you MUST come to minnesota for the state fair. 8/25 – 9/5.
not only can you find just about anything edible on a stick (from corndogs to aligator to deep fried snickers)… you can also witness “art”. and by “art”, i’m referring to busts of the Dairy Princesses sculpted out of a 90lb block of butter. it even made the WSJ last year. I would gladly be your tour guide.
We have a great summer arts fair in our town. I’ve discovered a ton of new awesome music at this week long event. We have amazing venues too!!
We alwasy travel to neighboring counties for Ham Days, Lexington(KY) has A MidSummer Nights Run, but they also do plays out at the arboretum for a couple of weeks “Shakespeare in the Park” which is a BLAST, and we have a couple of wineries that do a couple of different things, murder mysteries, etc. We would love to have the 435 girls in for a weekend in KY
We also have the Bourbon trail–tour the bourbon distilleries of KY…everytime we do that we always stop by My Old KY home and admire the old fashioned dresses and the shows put on there….I’m sure you gals would love that too
LOL, I’m from Orlando
So, I have tons of stuff that goes on. I like the events that close off the downtown streets and turn into street parties/venues. Another upside is, being near the coast, we get all the surf competitions too! Nothing within close distance to FTW but fun if you have the time to check it out.
Cumberland, Wisconsin is known for its Rutabaga Festival at the end of August. Craft fair, rides on the Midway, Bands, Parade, Hot Pepper Eating Contest, Pie and Ice Cream Social, 5K Run (This is going to be my FIRST 5K, and I CAN’T wait!), and food stands galore! My favorite is the meatball sandwich–yum! Unfortunately, Rutabaga usually signals the END of summer, but it’s is always such a great wrap up of all the summer fun Northwestern Wisconsin has to offer! We’d love to have you
The GREAT Minnesota State Fair in August. It is GIANT and something to experience all the way around!
The Wizard of Oz Festival in Chesterton Indiana is always fun. Another good one is the Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso Indiana. Make sure you go on one of the days they launch hot air balloons from the Porter County Fair Grounds.
I live in Holland, MI(about 3.5hours away) We have a festival every year in May called TULIP TIME!
Tulip Time is a celebration of our towns Dutch Heritage
I LOVE it!! I LOVE being a part of it and celebrating my roots!
The Hershey’s chocolate Festival is a biggie around here in Modesto, CA. Anything chocolate you can desire can be found at it.
We are in Vicenza Italy thanks to the US Army. Beautiful place to visit. It’s getting pretty hot and swampy… Lots of Mosquitoes!
Labor Day weekend in Ohio…you would love it! We’ve got the Canfield Fair…tiny little town…big ‘ole fair. If you can’t find something good to eat here, you’re in trouble! Honestly, I have never seen so many food vendors in one place. Its wonderful (but maybe not for my figure..he he) Come on out..it would be the perfect road trip to wrap up your summer!!
We have cost guard fest which is awsome…we have the art fest and the fairs are great too! Over here in Grand haven…holland and grand rapids. We have wonderful things to do here in Michigan!
In Plymouth Indiana we have the Blueberry Festival labor day weekend!
Don’t know if it’s within driving distance but in NW Alabama we have the Helen Keller Festival in July. Music, vendors, Helen Keller birthplace….lots of fun. And in August we have the W.C. Handy Festival, father of the blues. There is music all week everywhere! Restaurant, library,parks, riverside, EVERYWHERE!!! Street dances, you name it and there is music involved!
Here is Rice Lake, WI we have Aquafest, which is always Father’s Day weekend(this weekend). It includes bands, duck races, art in the park, parade, Duck dash for adults and kids and it usually rains(what do they expect when they call it “Aquafest”
My favorite summer thing is a race, in Atlanta we have the Peachtree road race on the 4th of July! It is so crazy and fun. 65,000 people run 10k down a major road in the downtown area. Businesses and fans line the streets cheering, playing music, and throwing freebies!
The Howell hot air balloon festival is right down the road from us. It’s amazing to see all those balloons go up! But I think it’s the same weekend as art fair.. Then there’s the Mellon festival later in the summer.
I’m sure Austin, TX is a little out of driving range but we are planning to head out to Stonewall for a small town rodeo and some Texas peaches!
Well I am north of Chicago and driving in for the art fair. I love the farmer’s market during summer!!! We also have a wonderful Festival and usually have some pretty good bands…well maybe not that good, but we did have Rick Springfield a few years ago…yes he is old, but he still rocks!!!!! : )
Here in Portland, (OR) there is Rose Festival.
It means weeks of activites, including the coronation of a “Rose Festival Court”, a Carnival on the Riverfront, the Navy ships come and dock for a visit, and of course the culminations is the Rose Parade. Unfortunately, girls its all wrapped up by now, if you were thinking of making to jaunt over here to the NW.
Its a great area, anyway…much larger that Ft. Wayne, Im sure so there’s always something to do here!!!
Louisville is home to Churchill Downs…an evening at the track followed by Fourth St Live (downtown) would be a fun evening for you gals…and yep its for sure within driving distance from Ft Wayne!
WELL…next Summer you might want to make Beale St. Music Festival. AWESOME. Beginning of May. THEN at the end of May is the Sunset Symphony….THEN I have no clue…but nothing really great I guess in Memphis.
However I get to spend my Summer taking care of my 6 year old who has MONO. She is wiped out and bless her little heart..looks so sick. Nothing has been able to cheer her up. She even passed up our favorite local cupcake place.
I’m a little far south to call it driving distance (in Birmingham). We have a local church that has a REALLY great 4th of July festival with a HUGE Trash and Treasure sale that gets people lined up early in the morning and BBQ that cooks all week to be just right for the 4th… MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm… I can taste it now. I wish I were coming to 435–maybe next year…
Traverse City, Michigan Cherry Festival and Great Wolf Lodge
The Hampton County Watermelon Festival is South Carolina’s longest running festival! This awesome festival runs 10 days long and includes a Youth Parade as well as the traditional parade, Family Fun Day, Miss Coastal Empire Pageant, Street Dance, Watermelon Eating Contest (of course!) and many other events through out the week! You get it all at this grand festival!
We just had a lilac festival…I had the girls all dresses in purple MJ- purple ice, Mona Lisa, chelsa with ballet leggings:)) We also have a chicken wings festival, WNY loves wings
and a peach festival. See you at art fair in a few days….
Mattoon, IL the Bagel festival which is a really big deal around here. A new up and coming band is featured every year which is really cool, when in the next year you can say I saw or even met them. Last year, The Band Perry, was a huge hit. My kids always do the pageant, Since I work at the Lender’s Bagel Bakery.
We have the Haynes Apperson Festival in Kokomo,IN I would normally say it is just like every other festival around but this year Boyz 2 Men are going to be there, and I know they are so 90s but I still love them. It is the first weekend in July, but I’m more excited about 435 than anything else
Cant wait, counting down the days!