Heading Out For Summer Street
Grabbed my backpack this morning and stuffed it full of essentials. Sunscreen? Check. Water bottles? Double-check. Even threw in some snacks because you never know. Dragged the family into the car around 10 am. Traffic wasn’t too bad, thank goodness. Parked a couple blocks away and started walking towards the main strip. You could already hear the music pumping from a block out.
The Good Stuff We Found
First thing we spotted was this huge balloon arch. Kids went nuts for it. Perfect photo op, obviously. Wandered down the street, just soaking it all in. Lots of booths set up.
- Free face painting: Seriously, no charge. My youngest got a rainbow butterfly.
- Community garden stand: Handing out little pots with seeds. Free! Took one for the patio.
- Live bands playing: Local high school jazz band was killing it. Tapped my foot for a good 20 minutes.
- Bubbles everywhere: Some group had giant bubble wands. Kids chased them like maniacs. Simple fun.
Not Everything Was Perfect
Okay, let’s be real. It got hot. Like, we were sweating buckets by noon. Found a tiny spot of shade near a food vendor and basically camped there for 20 minutes. Meltdown alert avoided. Also, that “free stuff”? Some of it was just flyers. Kiddo was convinced a flyer for a local gym was a cool “ticket.” Had a minor crisis when the paper ripped. Managed to distract with an ice cream vendor nearby – not free, obviously, but worth every penny to avoid tears. Portable potties? Yeah, lines got long fast. Pro tip: Go early if your bladder hates waiting.
Kids Were Wiped Out (Win!)
Lugged the tired crew back to the car around 2 pm. Backpack felt lighter (snacks gone!) but spirits were high. Found some seriously cool freebies: the seed pots, decent coloring books from the library booth, and reusable tote bags surprisingly sturdy. Best part? Kids are already crashed on the couch dreaming of balloon arches and bubble chases. Totally worth the sweat, the potty lines, and the one almost-meltdown.
