Irene De La Cruz: Enjoy the rest of your summer with local activities
Well into summer and after all the school graduations have taken place throughout Merced County things are still abuzz in the communities with many activities and events. For some, the hot weather lends itself more to outdoor activities with a climate of relaxation especially if you have the opportunity to get away on a vacation.
For me, summer still takes me back to memories of my younger years and working in the agricultural fields. At that time of my life one of the big things about summertime was looking forward to going to Mercy Gulch (a downtown festival event) and the Merced County Fair. Now, at a more “seasoned” age, I still love to go to the fair, but my husband and I are more involved in the community and have the opportunity to assist or attend other events as well. Although, I have to say the Merced County Fair is where it all comes together in the summer for all residents of Merced County whether you are a local resident or a visitor.
Some of the more familiar events taking place are the flea markets, the farmers markets and the street fairs in different communities. For example, the Merced Flea Market on Saturdays near the fairgrounds, the Livingston Downtown Open Market every Thursday, the Le Grand Farmers Market, the Los Banos Flea Market on Fridays, the Atwater Flea Market, and the Merced downtown Certified Farmers Market on Saturday mornings are good places to shop for sundries, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Some are year round while others are seasonal during summer and fall. If you are looking for good deals, antiques or special items, these markets are a great place to search while you have fun meeting a variety of people.
The different chambers of commerce continue having ribbon cuttings, grand openings and social gatherings. These ongoing events help maintain and sustain businesses.
It’s imperative to mention that local businesses are the underlying reason why all these events and activities can take place. They are the stakeholders of these activities because they are, at times, the primary financial supporters and because they know that in order to receive you must give.
There are nonprofit organizations having resource fairs, like the Community Resource Fair held at St. Patrick’s Church in Merced hosted by the Guadalupano Youth Society; health fairs like the Castle Health Clinic’s Annual Family Festival in August; youth conferences like the youth and parent leadership conference this month in Los Banos hosted by the League of United Latin American Citizens; and fundraisers like the scholarship dinner by Livingston Community Health also in August.
Let’s not forget about the arts. Just to name two, there’s the popular Art Hop taking place this weekend in downtown Merced and the presentation by local students of the play “The Tempest” next week.
So, enjoy the rest of your summer and next time you go into a local business or come across a business owner you know, say “thank you” for what they do to help keep the local community alive. The businesses and residents of Merced County do care and they do give.
Irene De La Cruz is a resident of Planada and has been involved with a number of community events and projects throughout Merced County. She owns her own business. She attended Merced College and California State University, Sacramento. She can be contacted at dlcirenel@gmail.com.
This story was originally published July 19, 2015 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Irene De La Cruz: Enjoy the rest of your summer with local activities."