What’s On Your Summer Bucket List? 

By Kathy Knotts, CBM Bay Weekly managing editor

Much like winter holidays, summer sneaks up on me. It’s there, on the calendar, every year, but yet, when Memorial Day weekend arrives, I’m thrown for a loop. 

I’m a great planner but an even better procrastinator, it turns out. I can dream up all sorts of excursions and agendas, but putting them into action takes a bit more than I seem to be able to muster up. 

Enter the annual CBM Bay Weekly Summer Fun Guide . While this feature has morphed multiple times over the decades, the purpose remains true. Showcase some of the good times to be had in Chesapeake Country. It’s also helpful to see the breadth and diversity of all that is happening in our region from June to August. Hopefully you will copy some of these events into your calendars. 

When my boys were young, we would create a Summer Bucket List full of items they wanted to do over their summer breaks. They usually began with lofty ambitions of traveling somewhere far away but their pragmatic mother would tell them those plans would have to wait and we would opt for closer-to-home trips. We usually included trips to a swimming pool or watering hole. A canoe float down a lazy river. A visit to a zoo or children’s museum. And ice cream. There was never a list that didn’t include eating ice cream at any given moment. That’s an item they still request when the summer heats up. 

Another item that we have stayed true to: making it to a baseball game. We always try to get to one minor or major league game each summer (and we’ve already checked this off our list this year).  

Growing up, summer for me meant trips to the library for the summer reading program and trying to fill in every line on my reading log with a book I read to win a prize. Library programs and even libraries themselves look very different now. Judy Colbert provides us with a list of all the amazing things you can find at a modern library—sure to beat any boredom your family may encounter. 

In summer 2022, I hope to add some new items to our to-do list, like a boat ride to a lighthouse or a night hike at an area park. I may try my hand at catching crabs or fish, or finally muster up the courage to get on a stand-up paddleboard. 

Summer is full of promise. It’s a blank canvas full of long sunny days, warm weather and the invitation to dive in. Get out there and enjoy it.