The long days of summer are upon us, with seemingly endless hours of daylight to be enjoyed. In fact, at least on weekends, you might as well call them the long, lazy days of summer.

Locally, there will be plenty of things to do on those on summer weekends.

Consider this upcoming weekend. Lehigh River Days is back, led by an all new organizing committee determined to inject a fresh sense of excitement and vibrancy into the yearly festival. It will include some traditional staples of years past, such as the log rolling contest. That consists of people standing on a log in a four foot deep pool of water and trying to keep the log spinning without falling off. Included in this year’s event is the 12th annual Lehigh Valley Carp Classic fishing tournament on the Des Moines River and a parade that organizers promise will be bigger and better than past versions. Live music will be performed by Jesse Wilson and Friends and Rico Jolly and The Good Times.

But wait, there’s more as the old saying goes, because that is just the beginning of the summer’s special events. Coming up on June 28-30 is Manson Greater Crater Days. Many other local communities will be having festivals, which for some of the smaller towns will be the biggest event of the year.

And before too long, county fairs, that mainstay of life in rural Iowa, will be starting.

We encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the various special events, festivals and fairs that will be held throughout the Fort Dodge region this summer.