It’s time to enjoy areas summer activities

It seems like every day there is more bad news coming at us from every direction. Prices are up for food, fuel and just about everything we consume. There are almost daily reports of mass killings and other violence. War continues in the Ukraine. Climate changes are causing extreme weather conditions throughout the U.S. and the world. COVID just won’t go away. Political views are getting more divisive.

The bad news seems to never end. So, what do we do?

To be clear, there are many, many serious issues out there that need to be dealt with now.

But this might be a good time to step back for just a while and enjoy some of the fun activities now going on in our area.

The Dodge County Fair is in full swing in Kasson and everyone can find something at the fairgrounds they will enjoy.

Stop by the 4-H and FFA exhibits and see what the young people of the area are doing. Check out the free entertainment, the grandstand shows, the Children’s Barnyard and, for the young and the young at heart there is the carnival.

And don’t ever forget the food.

The fair, of course, isn’t the only event. Next door, Byron Good Neighbor Days is also underway with three full days of activities including a parade on Sunday afternoon.

Not to be outdone, the residents of West Concord are getting ready for next week’s 37^th annual Survival Days which features a full schedule of events starting with a charity softball game involving Dodge County law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS personnel on Thursday night and ending with a parade Sunday afternoon and many activities in between.

As a side note, Survival Days began as a way for the community to celebrate the completion of the rebuilding of Highway 56, a project that disrupted life in West Concord for an extended period of time. Does that sound a bit familiar to people in Kasson and Mantorville right now?