Are We There Yet?: Summer or School?

Well, it's still summer, but the feeling of fall is in the air ... both in Mother Nature and in the stores, where aisles are lined with colorful signs of school.

I personally could not be more thrilled with the weather. A day of blue skies, 70-degree temperatures and a light breeze is perfect, in my eyes. Heat and humidity? Who needs it!

That said, I do hope Saturday, Aug. 16, will be slightly warmer, as I will be spending the day at Sand Springs Pool in Williamstown, the first half of the day with a Girl Scout gathering and the second part of the day for a birthday party. if summer does reappear and you're looking for a fun way to cool off, do consider Sand Springs. Check out their website here.

If swimming is not appealing on a cool-ish Saturday, here's another fun family idea: the 74th annual 4-H Youth Fair at the Berkshire County 4-H Fairgrounds in Pittsfield, which is located on Utility Drive, off Holmes Road. This fair is put on for all youth by 4-H’ers. There is no parking fee or entry fee, and the fair features animals, hall exhibits, entertainment, food booth, goat milking contest, the sheriff's horses and more.

I have to admit that although of course I have heard of 4-H, I was not exactly sure what it offered for kids. So I did a little research online, and here's what I found:

"Based on the Eight Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development, 4-H helps young people learn life skills under the guidance of trained, screened volunteers in non-formal educational settings such as clubs, camps and after-school programs. ... The Eight Essential Elements are: A positive relationship with a caring adult; a safe environment; an inclusive environment; engagement in learning; opportunity for mastery; opportunity to see oneself as an active participant in the future; opportunity for self-determination; and opportunity to value and practice service for others."
All that and some cute animals to boot! Saturday's fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and you can find out more information on their Facebook page here.

Sunday, Aug. 17, is another slow day for planned family activities, and since the weather doesn't look great, consider a show: the last production of "Seussical" at The Colonial in Pittsfield for younger kids; the last production of "The Old Man and the Old Moon" at Williamstown Theatre Festival for kids 7 and up; and also for the older kids, an evening production of the hysterical "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," entering its last week at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

Or, just go shopping for those school supplies. Remember this weekend is Tax Free Weekend in Massachusetts. Why not a save a buck or two on all those backpacks, lunch bags, notebooks and pencils?

Rebecca Dravis is the community editor at iBerkshires. She can be reached at rdravis@iberkshires.com.